Are there any more FIRE documentaries in the works???
This one was okay, but I would like to see one that covers people from all different financial situations and at various stages in their journey. Not everyone can relate to the despair of needing to downgrade from a BMW to a Honda, etc.
Co-signed. It seems like they so missed the potential of this topic. There are a number of fascinating journeys to FIRE that could be explored, but the focus was on the wife reluctantly being deprived of her BMW isn't one of them.
IMO, the real power and message of FIRE is you give up stuff you don't much care about (like driving a BMW instead of a Honda), and in exchange you get things you truly want and make you happy. Like traveling where ever you want, or staying home to raise your kids.
"Playing with FIRE" was framed in terms of deprivation. I think that is exactly the wrong way to think about it.
I've been thinking about this a bit, and it all depends on who the material is being viewed by.
I think people who already don't care about the prestige of their vehicle and don't see the value of living in ultra HCOL areas for no tangible benefits other than to feel privileged to live there, will find MMM type content on their own.
I keep thinking about all of the people who would really relate to Taylor and her process of dealing with the angst of losing the prestige of the luxury car as an outward symbol of her career success, likewise her angst about finding her "dream home" and accepting that it's not worth the cost trade off.
The more I've thought about it, the more I like that it shows the struggle of someone who isn't overly compatible with these values going through the growing pains of coming around.
It's why I wish there was more content covering her actually transitioning and not just suddenly being 100% on board.
It's valid to glibly indicate that a clown car is a huge waste of money, but it's also valid to explore that the transition away from putting value on the prestige of luxury cars can actually be very uncomfortable.
I especially appreciated seeing them struggle with not getting as excited by seeing money in the bank. That's the issue that most people struggle with, spending money makes them feel richer than having it.
They obviously made the movie for people like them, and they were absolutely rampant status-based consumers, renting in a VHCOL area, leasing luxury vehicles, spending gobs on luxury groceries and dining, etc.
I think if the film is meant to appeal to people like that, then there's a real benefit in being honest about the angst of letting go of that status-based thinking.
The more I think about it, the more I think of the many many spendy people I know who would really relate to Taylor. The people who get uncomfortable even contemplating questioning their motivations behind their spending decisions because they don't want to admit to themselves that it's all about status.