12A cert, Cineworld, Dublin, 90 min
MORGAN SPURLOCK, the ringmaster documentarian behind Super Size Meand Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?, returns with a neat new party trick. Operating under the slogan "He's not selling out; he's buying in", the cheerful everyman takes on the dark arts of sneaky screen product placement by creating a movie composed of product placements.
For a bouncy 90 minutes, when our hero isn’t courting potential corporate partners, he’s chatting to industry insiders and notable talking heads about encounters with marketing overlords. JJ Abrams, Noam Chomsky, Quentin Tarantino, Ralph Nader, Brett Ratner, and Donald Trump all pop up to bring a new dimension to the phrase “together at last”.
The quips are kept bright and breezy to keep pace with Spurlock's newfound enthusiasm for comic schilling. For two months mid-shoot the film changes its name to Pom Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Soldin tribute to cranberry juice brand. Nader receives a pair of Merrell shoes on camera. Spurlock duly appears on late-night US TV shows emblazoned in corporate logos.
Why stop there? Having enlisted the help of Mini, the official Greatest Car Ever Sold of the Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Mane and Tale, the official Greatest People and Equine Shampoo Ever Sold (a real honest- to-god haircare product), Spurlock commissions rock band OK Go to perform the film's theme. The Greatest Song I Ever Heard.
The finished film is gimmicky and contains no major reveals, but Spurlock’s greatest gift has always been his ability to play to the Jackass generation. “You’ve been punked, product placement,” the director-star-experimental corporate lackey seems to shout.
It's not the biggest or cleverest riposte. but it's in keeping with the shallow practices
The Greatest Movie Ever Soldseeks to address.
