Born Rich (2003)

I heard about this movie and have been wanting to see it for quite a while. I actually date someone who, as he puts it, is a member of 'the lucky sperm club'. He is dating outside of his social class - don't tell the rest of them! This is a very revealing and true to life account. The stories I hear about these families and their 'lucky' offspring are unbelievable. First hand I can tell you that these kids are searching for meaning and purpose almost more than the rest of us are. Many of them struggle with having that much money and how to be responsible with it. Also, many of them were raised by nannies and sent to boarding school and crave a connection with their parents who never had time for them. They don't know how to trust or love someone. Money doesn't replace any of that. Mock them, feel sorry for them, envy them - whatever you want.....but they are real people. And some of them are quietly going about living meaningful, productive lives. But don't tell anyone they are dating outside of their social class!

I watched this last night and wake up thinking about it so I conclude it was thought provoking, though I think it could have gone deeper. On the other hand, maybe the rich inheritors who were interviewed went as deep as they could! These are people who have the status that millions of us try to get each day as we shell out our hard earned bucks for lottery tickets. I believe we have to be somehow entitled to our karmic destinies, otherwise it would be impossible to justify why some people are born as natural lottery winners and others need 3 jobs just to pay the rent.The one burning question I have after seeing BORN RICH is Where is Paris Hilton? Was she purposely omitted from this or did she decline? I would have been interested in getting the most famous heiress's take on being born rich.

I really enjoyed born rich, not to many people with his wealth will talk about money in the way he does... I hope to see 1% when I get back to the states, Im currently in Iraq till may '07. But anyway...in Born Rich he really shows that being rich is great though not all its cracked up to be.. although most young people that have grown up in lower middle class families making under a 100,000 a year would argue about that for awhile... And thats not even the lowest on the scale of poor Americans by far!!! I now remember, as I watched born rich, thinking about what Jamie would do with his life now that he made this documentary and it all makes sense.. hes an artist, a dreamer and has the resources to share his point of view to the masses. I think he will be around a while for people talk about, and one day will share why hes doing a thing like this... hope one day I run into him in a pub and can discuss the in and outs of being rich, cause I will be one day... for more on this look me up at myspace.com/cbJohnnyo

I saw the film last night, as it is featured for March (2005) on HBO On Demand. I'm so pleased I watched it. Mr. Johnson satisfied my morbid curiosity and fascination with the heirs to great wealth. Nothing shocked or surprised me frankly.I was bored w/ the Euro-Trash Toy Boys... (Cody - from another universe. I mean, come on: time should Pretty Much be spent on Cultivating one's self if found fortunate enough to be born into privilege? And that Viscount/Baron from Germany. He was another pill.) Luke Weil, well enough has been said on him that I should not waste a keystroke more on him. He makes his own case for why folks are disgusted by the idle heirs of fortunes.I was sad for the Whitney/Vanderbilt kid (Hornblower??). He looks like a tragic, scarred young man. I suspect he probably would have been that way whether rich or poor.My favorites were Johnson himself, Ivanka Trump and the Newhouse young man. These three make no pretenses to be anything but themselves: young folks with big bank and huge legacies to live up to or shoulder the burden of. I trust them to make something of their lives that will do something for others, even if it is limited in scope with how it will impact others.But overall? I'm glad they all stick to the same gene pool. Best to keep them separated...Great documentary. Hope he makes more! Hope he doesn't listen to his Dad who recommended he collect historic documents for a living?!?!