The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Some people would have you believe that Spurlock is trying to dupe his audience and exploit advertisers for profit, like this is a BAD thing. But that's just it - it's not. After you see this movie, you might actually notice the subtle, insidious advertising which is omnipresent in our society. he rubs your face in it, exposes some of the inner-workings of the ad-market and tries his hardest not to look like a whore all the while.

Let's not forget Spurlock's masochistic endeavor to eat McDonalds 3x daily for a month. Is that not genuine? This time he lays his reputation on the line instead of his health, and to those who are offended by it: are you less offended by movies that use product placement shamelessly without informing the audience? Spurlock had to walk a thin line to make this movie, and I think he walked it beautifully.

Having taken on the McDonald's diet in "Super Size Me", Morgan Spurlock now turns to advertising. "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" is a look at product placement, completely funded by product placements. Much of the documentary features Spurlock asking people about how product placement works, as well as inquiring about the ethics of it. The big surprise to me is just how prevalent product placement is (you're going to be hard-pressed to find a Hollywood movie that doesn't feature it).

Since a lot of the documentary features talking heads -- among them Noam Chomsky and Quentin Tarantino -- it's a little repetitive at times, but it's mostly a good look at the extent to which commercialism saturates our lives. And very funny every step of the way! And remember: always drink POM!

Morgon Spurlock is the director famous for the documentary about McDonalds . This time he tackles the issue of product placement in the movies. By doing so he get's companies to pay for the making of this film by cramming it with their own product placement brands.

The problem i have is that this is not a film at all. It's not even a documentary really. It compromises itself from the start and therefore it has absolutely no cutting edge. Sure , it gives you some insight into what goes on with companies and how much they are willing to pay to get their products on screen but that is not enough to keep an audience engaged.

Spurlock has a likable air about him but I'm not convinced he is movie maker at all. The title should be reported to the trade descriptions people as it's not great and it's not a movie and i certainly never bought into it.

Director Morgan Spurlock analyzes the world of product placement and advertising in film, transportation, and cities, but in an ironic twist, needs sponsors of his own to finance the film.

He's very gleeful in giving the film a quirky, humorous tone (Especially commercials for his sponsors that randomly interject every now and then), but I think he was so focused on the humor of his film, he didn't properly tune his information.

The facts come fast and furious, and are very dense in explanation. Spurlock adds a seemingly endless trail of self references and humor, when he should be drawing more focus on his points within the film. And on top of that, none of it is really all that enlightening.

Hopefully I find better documentaries this year, because after an unusual high from last year, this year starts off not with a bang, but more of a whimper.

**1/2 out of ****

It's time for me to downsize my adoration of Morgan Spurlock, director of the Greatest Movie Ever Sold. His Supersize Me introduced me to the horrors of too much fast food, although I suspected that were so anyway. In Greatest, I learned nothing new about product placement in movies.

Despite his vigorous pursuit of companies to sponsor his film totally in product placement, I knew it all from the beginning. Much revenue is derived from an actor holding a Coke or a Pepsi. But then I knew that the minute I heard of the idea decades ago, and Spurlock adds zero insight, such as what marketing agencies or manufacturers really think about the idea other than their fear of Spurlock trashing them.

I did learn that Morgan Spurlock is as much the center of attention as Michael Moore. Spurlock seeks it out, guaranteeing his premier place by doing the film himself and showcasing his highly-developed sales skills.

OK, maybe I learned something else: In Sao Paulo outdoor advertising is banned. Although I thought I would be pleased, the city looked strangely vacant, something out of a horror flick. Maybe it's not the advertising I dislike—maybe it's just Morgan Spurlock's advertising himself that turns me off.