Sean Kaye It 'could' have been a good idea but he just blew it on every level imaginable. There seems to be a tendency these days for people to think that ANY documentary, no matter what it's about or who does it, is taking the high road. Well this charlatan just proved this is certainly not the case. I was really dubious when I saw his fast food documentary where he overstuffed himself like a foie gras duck just so he could make a documentary about SOMETHING, but now I am positive this guy is just grasping at straws to put out ANYTHING, anything at all. Watching him makes me think he probably saw Michael Moore and thought "Hey, I can do that and make a good buck" and then proceeded to make garbage docs like this one. Honestly, he should be on late night TV selling Sham Wows along with 'Vince'. After doing this piece of %^$#, that's probably where we'll see him next.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Shocked at the way big name Hollywood blockbusters can get by by placing brand names in them, and at the way everywhere you turn these days people seem to be trying to sell you something, acclaimed rabble rouser Morgan Spurlock tries to make his own film, selling itself and getting promotion by selling out to as many corporate brand names as he can find. While learning how corporatism has robbed the heart and soul out of everything around him, Morgan finds his own heart and soul come to be ripped out by what he has set out to do.While the success of his 2004 indie hit Super Size Me could have launched him into the stratosphere and made him something of a cult figure, acclaimed film maker Morgan Spurlock would appear to have stuck to his small scale roots and continued down his path of exposing the dark side of corporations and consumerism. While he can be admired for sticking to the formula that set him down the road he's on, that's not to say his antics can't become tiresome, and I have to admit, despite the interesting concept and his good intentions, I did find myself becoming bored by the goings on in this film.I never really paid much attention before, but I have started noticing lately how the relentless and aggressive methods of advertising all around us can destroy the heart and atmosphere of wherever they are placed, with some even suggesting it may have played a part in last year's UK riots, so as well as an interesting idea, Spurlock also has a relevant subject matter at hand. It is weird how this doesn't feel it has worked as well as it could have, but the execution and the way he goes about it just fails to work. He ends up feeling not so much a sell out, but a no sale. **

firestrykker One would need to be a fan of Spulock's to appreciate anything in this movie. Appropos to the theme, he once again demonstrates his remarkable grasp of the obvious. One would need to be living under a rock to not know that most all movies and TV shows have corporate sponsors, and associated product placement. Morgan would like to think that this bothers the public more than it likely does. Not an original thought/concept in this trite and boring film. Spurlock would like to believe that he is a champion for corporate greed, and instead comes off as a rebel without a clue. HE insults the public in a series of "man on the street" interviews, and trots out mostly b-list individuals working in marketing in a series of carefully and heavily edited interviews. Unless you literally can't get enough of this same-old tired Spurlock pablum, pass on this one!!

Ezra Winton At the 2011 Hot Docs opening and Canadian premiere screening of Morgan Spurlock's POM Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold the peppy logo-clad filmmaker told the audience his film will have the effect of changing the way we look at advertising, TV, and films. Maybe Spurlock has been hanging out with a different crowd recently, because his grasp of audience intelligence—especially a doc audience—is certainly off the mark in terms of advertising savvy. While his film, as hilarious and entertaining as it is, won't be affecting the way I look at advertising, it definitely changes the way I now look at Morgan Spurlock.Spurlock is a master story-teller to be sure, and this was readily apparent in one of the funniest, rollicking Q&As I've had the pleasure to sit through. Story after story rolled off his lips in all manner of imitation and animation – and had pretty much all in attendance slapping knees and grabbing sides in fits of laughter. His 2004 doc-buster hit Super Size Me told the story of one man's experiment to eat only McDonald's food while suffering the consequences. His 30 Days television series was a masterpiece jewel in the cheap tin crown of reality television fare. With all these storytelling accomplishments and talent under his belt his most recent work, a 90 minute celebration of advertising, marketing and commercialization bereft of any engaging narrative, comes as a whopping disappointment.Don't get me wrong – if you want funny, entertaining, inquisitive Spurlock you'll get your dose in this documentary about sponsorship in film. But if you're looking for critical analysis or an investigative lens you'll be very disappointed. Spurlock's film is the ultimate postmodern documentary – a film paid for by corporate sponsors about the business of financing films through corporate sponsorship. On the surface it's a great idea, but Spurlock doesn't scratch that surface to reveal the real "inner workings" of the business or the consequences of a social reality dominated by advertising and marketing. As one audience member said to him, the film is all joy – where are the questions? Spurlock, predictably upbeat responded that if the audience is uneasy about these things after watching The Greatest Movie Ever Sold than the film has done its job. Right.As a postmodern self-reflexive work there is surprisingly little self-reflection in PWPTGMES. Spurlock is in almost every frame of the film – flogging his film idea to ad execs, flogging products, and making light of critical voices like Ralph Nader. Between getting free stuff, zipping around the country meeting rich people (why Donald Trump's opinion was sought in this film remains a mystery), and drinking litres and litres of POM juice, Spurlock apparently has little time to really critically explore the nature of what he's doing and what the whole thing is about. Sure he has his moments of wondering aloud if he's going too far down the rabbit hole, but they feel as forced and staged as his meetings with CEOs and marketing gurus (all shot with atrocious camera work it has to be said). One senses that he went into this much like he went into Super Size Me: as a personal challenge and experiment, just to see if he could do it. And, lo and behold, of course he can – he's Morgan Spurlock after all.The first half of the film had me in stitches as he set up the gag. But by mid-way I was bored of watching Spurlock in predictable scenarios flogging everything from shoes to under-arm deodorant to airlines. I kept waiting for him to go deeper, to really provoke some critical thought on the issue of advertising and marketing. By the end of the film, this craving went unabated, much like my new craving to drink POM juice – thanks to what has to be the best marketing coup for a juice company since Dole colonized Carmen Miranda.So if you're looking for a funny, intelligent, provocative and critical documentary on advertising and marketing I highly recommend seeking out the wonderful 2004 Czech film Czech Dream. If you want to laugh with and at Morgan Spurlock as he makes a mint from celebrating crass commercialism, check out POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, that is, if you have the stomach for it.