About every 10-15 minutes of this painstaking documentary, Spurlock addresses a question along the lines of "What exactly am I trying to say with this?" So in between pitching shit to brand executives, sips of POM, check-ins at Hyatt, flights on Jet Blue, and actual FUCKING COMMERCIALS inserted into the movie, he interviews a variety of people from Ralph Nader to Quentin Tarantino to Noam Chomsky. And surprise: These people have very different opinions on this topic. It was interesting to hear them all. It's too bad the whole film wasn't a discussion along these lines. Because 80% of this crappy movie is just an uninteresting narcissist saying, "Look at me!"
The biggest and most pathetic failure is Spurlock's insistence of poking fun at a small-time novelty type company that produces an admittedly hilarious product called Mane 'n Tail, which is a shampoo for both horses and humans. In the end, the company did not pay a cent to be in this feature, but they are still featured prominently–so: free advertising, good for them (kind of antithesis to the underlying motivation here, but nevertheless!). The only reason they are in this documentary at all is because Spurlock noticed a bottle of their shampoo in a store and it made him chuckle. He even produced and included a fake commercial for Mane 'n Tail. So it's difficult to take anything seriously in this film. Which kind of sucks because ideas like product placement and brand saturation, and how they influence and change culture, are very important and intriguing ideas. People like Nader have spent their wholes lives in part trying to educate others on the matter. It's not just fodder for them to make a joke about washing a tiny horse's mane in a bathtub.
The last scene features Ralph Nader getting a pair of some fucking brand of hiking shoes that helped pay for this movie. He seems happy. He playfully puts the shoes on each hand and stomps them on the conference table he is sitting at. It's funny to see Ralph Nader do something like this. Jokingly he says, "Oh, thank you, what I've always wanted." But there is a part of him that is not just mock-thankful but actually thankful, like that feeling any normal person gets when they receive a useful gift. In the end, we do need shoes, even Ralph Nader. And deciding on which kind or brand can be difficult.
*** part of THE BIG EPISODE 300 EXTRAVAGANZA wherein I reviewed 36 movies, mostly live reads of critiques I wrote between 2009-2012. The finished product above is a highly edited version of the truly embarrassing one that was read during the five-hour podcast recording. I guess this is growing up. ***
THE 36 MOVIES REVIEWED DURING EPISODE 300
30 MINUTES OR LESS • ALEX BAG: UNTITLED FALL '95 • AWAY WE GO • BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD • BEING ELMO • BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM • THE BROTHERS SOLOMON • A BUCKET OF BLOOD •
THE CAMPAIGN • THE CENTER OF THE WORLD • CHRISTMAS ON MARS • THE CHRISTMAS TREE • CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. • (500) DAYS OF SUMMER • A FIELD IN ENGLAND • FUNNY PEOPLE • GET HIM TO THE GREEK • GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS) • INCEPTION • JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME • LEAVE NO TRACE • MAN ON WIRE • MIDNIGHT IN PARIS • MONEYBALL • MOON • MUTUAL APPRECIATION • POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD • RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES • SLEEPWALK WITH ME • SOME DRINKING IMPLIED • TIM AND ERIC'S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE • TRANSIT • TO ROME WITH LOVE • THE WICKER MAN • WINTER'S BONE • YOUTH IN REVOLT
THE CAMPAIGN • THE CENTER OF THE WORLD • CHRISTMAS ON MARS • THE CHRISTMAS TREE • CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. • (500) DAYS OF SUMMER • A FIELD IN ENGLAND • FUNNY PEOPLE • GET HIM TO THE GREEK • GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS) • INCEPTION • JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME • LEAVE NO TRACE • MAN ON WIRE • MIDNIGHT IN PARIS • MONEYBALL • MOON • MUTUAL APPRECIATION • POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD • RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES • SLEEPWALK WITH ME • SOME DRINKING IMPLIED • TIM AND ERIC'S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE • TRANSIT • TO ROME WITH LOVE • THE WICKER MAN • WINTER'S BONE • YOUTH IN REVOLT
CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 300V - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 300X ⫸
⫷ EPISODE 300V - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 300X ⫸
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