Perhaps not the greatest, but definitely very fun.
Released: 2011
Genre(s): Documentary, Comedy
In 2004, Morgan Spurlock released "Super Size Me," an unconventional documentary that simultaneously appalled me, shocked me, and seriously made me step back and reevaluate my dietary habits; most importantly, it managed to entertain me in a very genuine way. "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" follows in the spiritual footsteps of the fast food exposé, this time turning its gaze on Hollywood itself, critiquing the advertising industry's seemingly insatiable desire to force itself into every nook and cranny of the movie-making process, from maximizing screen time of sponsored products to manufacturing an excess of film-related merchandise. Ironically, Spurlock's entire movie is based around the premise of finding funding for "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," completely from the pockets of sponsored companies: in many ways, the film is cannibalistic, satirically devouring the hand that feeds it; it essentially only exists, because of the very subject matter it explores. There's an inherent humor that can be enjoyed when one reflects on this idea, especially as Spurlock infiltrates corporate offices across the country to plea for funding from PR boards and advertising execs that are oftentimes completely ignorant to the true purpose of the movie, or manage to set themselves up to be seen as the very dupes they believe the film is being made to point a finger at. There are many, many scenes in "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" that caused me to laugh out loud, if not only due to the thought that something so blatantly absurd was actually happening. While undeniably entertaining, unfortunately Spurlock's latest war on mainstream society doesn't reveal much that the average American doesn't already realize happens behind the scenes when advertising attempts to stick its grubby fingers into Hollywood's endeavors. Spurlock himself doesn't seem to try too desperately to sell this idea though - he even acknowledges near the end of the film that its obvious that Hollywood and product placement are the coziest of bedfellows, and that the most he can hope to do is inform those who are unfamiliar with this practice that it does indeed exist. Those who think "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" is taking a pretentious, moral highroad might be disappointed with this quirky documentary, but those who see it simply as a film that lays out the facts in a naked, easy-to-swallow fashion will be able to truly appreciate the comedic gold that Spurlock has crafted here. Profound or not, this movie should be able to make you laugh.
Rating (out of 5): 3
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