POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD (Morgan Spurlock, U.S.). 90 minutes. Rating: NN
Investigating the scourge of product placement in Tinseltown, stunt documentarian Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) decides to make a movie entirely financed by sponsorship, recording and explaining the negotiations for posterity. The result is POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, a testament to the power of the Iron Man Slurpee and the willingness of a filmmaker to whore himself out for a huge cheque.
Spurlock tries to insulate himself by admitting he’s prostituting his movie up front, but he keeps backing away from the deeper implications of what he’s doing. Anybody can get Rush Hour 3’s Brett Ratner to scoff at the notion of artistic integrity in Hollywood, so why not interview an actual artist instead? And it’s disingenuous of Spurlock to solicit advice on developing his personal brand when he’s been doing that full-time for seven years.
It’s just the same meta-gag over and over again: Spurlock sets the terms of a sponsor’s ad buy, delivers on those terms within the movie and waits for the audience’s knowing laughter. But that audience is still watching an ad.
