Spurlock's Latest Doc is a Must-See

by Andrew Jupin

The last time the film world saw Morgan Spurlock and his handlebar mustache he was wolfing down cheeseburgers and fish fillet sandwiches in his 2004 docutainment film, Super Size Me. Since then, Spurlock has been hiding on the small screen with his hit television show, 30 Days. I can't say as I've seen much of him considering I don't watch his show. I've seen a few episodes, but never became a follower; which in all honesty is too bad. Spurlock accomplishes what people like Michael Moore fail to in their work: create a documentary that is informative as well as entertaining without coming off like a pretentious loud-mouth.

With his new film, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, Spurlock keeps to his true form of entertaining while presenting a very positive message. The advertising campaign for the film, which couldn't save it from its ultimate failure at the box office, provoked audiences with the possibility that Spurlock himself had indeed found Bin Laden. Had this McDonald's guy actually found the world's most wanted man?

I'm comfortable in telling you that that is not the case. Of course the guy didn't find Bin Laden. But what he did find was a very clever way to trick audiences into watching a film with a message of tolerance, acceptance and understanding. While he does go around several countries asking people if they know where he can find Osama Bin Laden, it's all done in jest. Spurlock knows he's not going to come across anyone who will point him in an accurate direction. But in talking to these people, Spurlock is able to paint a picture of the Muslim world that most Americans are oblivious to. He's able to show that not every practicing Muslim in the world is a terrorist.

The unfortunate thing for this film is that no one saw it. Perhaps it was the marketing strategy--posters for the film parodied Raiders of the Lost Ark featuring Spurlock pretending to crack Indy's classic whip (he's actually throwing a weighted net)--or perhaps it was the American film-going audience and their attitude toward the subject matter. Are people turned off by Spurlock's good-natured approach to such a sensitive issue? If they are, they shouldn't be. Spurlock is like the fourth grade history teacher who was able to make the material fun. By that I mean, he can turn the most dis-interested, ignorant, pig-headed student into a well-informed individual. While some of the film's flashiness does grow stale--there are several animated sequences featuring a video game version of Spurlock fighting Bin Laden in a "Mortal Kombat" type setting--it is easy to overlook them in favor of the interviews and insight from the people Spurlock manages to talk to and even his own reflexive narration.

The DVD features several interviews and extras that are at most times informative. You don't have to bother with the alternate ending which is mostly just more Spurlock "Mortal Kombat" stuff. But interviews with the likes of Israeli President Shimon Peres and former IRA leader Martin McGuinness are incredibly interesting. I strongly urge one and all to check out the film on DVD. It's not a must-own by any means, but certainly something to add to the Netflix queue.


Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? is out on DVD tomorrow, August 26th.