He’s Morgan Spurlock, the Average Joe that endangered his own life by stuffing himself with Big Macs, all for the good of humanity.
This time, in his latest docudrama, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Spurlock places (instead of his life) his artistic integrity on the line by creating an honest movie exposing the marketing and advertising world.
The twist? Well, for one, the movie is entirely funded by marketing and advertising.
Spurlock once again stars in his docudrama, playing a filmmaker so desperate to get his movie made, he’d take up any brand willing to finance him. In exchange, he has to shamelessly plug their products in the movie. This means you will not be forgetting a few brands for a long time.
This film takes us behind the well-guarded gates of marketing/advertising in Hollywood. From pitch meetings with agencies to interview with experts and Hollywood heavy weights like J.J Abrams, Spurlock leaves nothing out for audiences, sending them on a journey to into the heart of product placement in Hollywood.
It is not a heavyweight documentary meant for the National Geographic Channel, but rather one that will leave you laughing out loud with its sneaky humour as POM Wonderful (a sponsor) bottles shamelessly stare out at you from every scene. The funniest and most ironical moment is when Spurlock entices political icon Ralph Nader into discussing the merits of Merelle Shoes (also a sponsor), all while he is in the middle of criticising product placement.
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold does exactly what Spurlock is best at: poking fun at society to expose audiences with an important message. In this case: BE AWARE OF ADVERTISERS AND HOW THEY MANIPULATE US IN SUBTLE BUT POWERFUL WAYS.
Needless to say, this is not a movie filled with action packed scenes, but if you’re looking for a little cultural and intellectual stimulation with a dash of humour, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is the right one to go for.
The downside is that the film is just too good at what it does. You’ll be leaving the theater hankering for a bottle of POM Wonderful 100% Juice and a Sheetz burger. Go figure.
Movie: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Rating: 4/5
Opens: 6 Oct
Language: English
Age Rating: PG
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Director: Morgan Spurlock