The spike in inflation is a blow to American families who are already struggling with enormous debt.

Some of them may look to the government for help.

Unfortunately, the nation is struggling with the same problem.

A new documentary hitting theatres Friday called I.O.U.S.A. takes a non-partisan look at the national debt.

All $9.6 trillion worth -- and going up at a rate of a million dollars a minute.

The film enlists the help of David Walker, the former head of the Government Accountability Office.

He's been warning about the looming economic crisis and is hoping to do for the national debt what Al Gore did for global warming.

"We the people are responsible and accountable for what does or does not happen in Washington. And the fact is -- is too many American families are following the bad example of the federal government. They're spending more money than they make, they're charging their credit cards, taking out home equity loans, mortgaging their future," Walker said.

Walker says the government has passed this problem off to future generations, but he warns there will come a time when those future generations will have to pay a price.