imhy Dave Gorman has a constant go at everything from "The Man" including the car he would, gas he put in, food he ate and places he stayed. Unfortunately like a typical hippie, he's incapable of doing anything mildly intelligent.It could have been the fact he didn't even bother to plan his route or have any plan in fact that made him fail.It could have been the fact he didn't have the intelligence to use one or two jerry cans that could have easily resolved his fuel problems.Or it could have been the fact he failed from the very, VERY beginning after he landed by using his mobile that was connected to "The Man" AT&T or Verizon network and paying them for all the calls including the initial call to the person selling the car.

Jackson Booth-Millard When I saw that this was going to be on TV, I assumed it was going to be a stand-up show, seeing how I had seen the comedian voted number 75 on 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. It turned out to be a really interesting documentary seeing comedian Dave Gorman travelling across the whole of America, i.e. straight across, in a second-hand car, to see if it is possible to live there without giving money to 'The Man', i.e. big chains America has become overcrowded with. So McDonald's, Holiday Inn, WalMart, Starbucks and businesses of that magnitude are not on the agenda for Dave, with camera holders Stef Wagstaffe and Andy Devonshire. Dave goes off the plan by visiting a few towns called Independence to ask the locals their opinions of how consumerism has created this chain based thing. Along the way Dave does slip off the "Mon & Pop" only plan a little, but in the end he proves that you can live in America with unchained businesses. Very good!

Andrew Realising that Morgan Spurlock and others are stealing his act, 'stunt comedian' Dave Gorman attempts to break into the lucrative documentary market by travelling coast-to-coast USA without utilising corporate amenities and services, euphemised as 'The Man'. Frankly, whoever commissioned or bought this project didn't think through the fact that petrol (gas), amongst other things, can only be refined and distributed by 'The Man', it's relatively inconsequential that it is sold to you by an independent outlet. In fact, at one point, whilst engrossed in his rose-tinted homage to 'Mom and Pop', Gorman's wreck breaks down and is saved by a garage run by 'The Man'. Game over.Acknowledging that the whole concept is a more than just a little dull and deeply flawed, Gorman decides to spice things up by trying to visit places whose names embody the American spirit, such a towns named err…'Spirit' and 'Independence', therefore conveniently elongating the entire journey in a bid to add some drama. In fact, even his producer/camera-person, Stef Wagstaffe, awakened to the fact that she was engaged in career suicide, leaves the movie half way through, never to return. This leaves Dave to indulge in a fast food binge in a town called Moab, courtesy of (guess who?) 'The Man'. Combined with the stark realisation, that along with his drive thru dinner, this venture was heading down the toilet (in true Spurlock style), Gorman still continues his pointless and failed quest, with only the occasional hint of the slowly disappearing human story that lines the modern day U.S highway.There are simply too many anguished in-car shots of Gorman driving around the U.S heartlands in search of fuel to make this remotely interesting. The last quarter of the film whimpers to a conclusion leaving you, like Gorman's unused spare fuel tanks, feeling empty and only mildly diverted.Gorman is neither big enough stateside or American for any nostalgic observation to be meaningful nor is the subject matter that close to the hearts of his other audience in the U.K. Therefore, you have to ask the question; What was the point?

KJ Gould America Unchained is a really good documentary from the mind of Dave Gorman (occasional statistical analyst for the Daily Show. He had a segment called "Poll Smoking, with Dave Gorman).Basically Dave wants to see if it's possible to drive across America from the west coast to the east coast without giving any money to "The Man". That is to not buy gas at, eat food at, or sleep at any big chain gas stations, restaurants and hotels, instead only doing the previously mentioned at 'Mom & Pop' places that are family run or independently run.It's an interesting look at how small town America is being swallowed up by big time corporations, and a big part of unique American culture is dying off as the public accepts becoming homogenised in greater and greater aspects of their lives.What makes this documentary good is it isn't political. No corporate names are brought up in criticism to serve an agenda, but only brought up as an example of a place Dave doesn't want to give money to because it's not a 'Mom & Pop' business, and because it is often devoid of charm and character due to the uniformity of the chains. Waking up in a generic room at a Best Western Hotel tells you nothing of where you actually are in the world as a room in New York and a room in Istanbul could be completely interchangeable.Dave's style is always personal and honest, and you get to see all kinds of emotion from a man who often ends up in very difficult circumstances (sometimes through his own fault) and you feel for him when he gets angry or even starts to break down sometimes. But none of it feels contrived, as someone watching it you're just along for the ride.It's also only 75 minutes, so it's not too long to become laborious like some documentaries can be.Highly recommended.