‘Osama bin Laden’ gimmicky, occasionally enlightening

April 17, 2008

By CHRISTY LEMIRE The Goshen News Thu Apr 17, 2008, 09:52 AM EDT

“Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?” — To say that “Super Size Me” director’s Morgan Spurlock latest documentary is a gimmick would be a gross understatement. It’s also a given — that’s Spurlock’s trademark modus operandi.

Just as no one put a gun to his head and made him eat McDonald’s for 30 days straight in his amusing 2004 debut, no one forced him to visit some of the most dangerous places on the globe seeking the elusive al-Qaida leader. The journey — which takes him from his New York home to such countries as Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan — isn’t just reckless but selfish. He says he was inspired by the impending birth of his first child to find bin Laden and hoped to make the world a safer place. Yet he leaves his wife at home to worry about him as he repeatedly puts himself in harm’s way over several months.

The one useful thing to emerge from Spurlock’s travels are the discussions he has with regular folks about bin Laden, America, world relations and their personal dreams. These parts feel enlightening and real, and reflect Spurlock’s regular-guy relatability, which has always been his strongest asset. He does seem genuinely interested in getting to know these people, and humbled by their hospitality. Then he bangs us over the head with voiceover, informing us of something we’ve surely deduced on our own already: It’s a small world after all.

The film is rated PG-13 for some strong language and has a running time of 90 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Text Only

Movie Reviews

‘Goats’ has fuzzy vision A fun tone is undermined by disjointed storytelling in George Clooney’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” and it all starts with the disclaimer that opens the movie: “More of this is true than what you might imagine.”

November 11, 2009
Supernatural success LOS ANGELES — The critics have spoken. Here’s what more than a few have to say:

“Scariest movie of the decade.”
October 16, 2009 1 Photo 1 Link
‘Getaway’ imperfect but fun “A Perfect Getaway” is essentially one big red herring, flopping around on an idyllic Hawaiian beach, desperately trying to call attention to itself.
August 7, 2009
‘G.I. Joe’ show no go LOS ANGELES — It’s the biggest movie of the summer that practically no one has seen.
August 5, 2009 1 Photo
‘Transformers’ noisy, nonsensical A joyless cacophony, an insistent and seemingly endless onslaught, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” director Michael Bay’s follow-up to the 2007 smash “Transformers” plays more like a parody of a Bay movie.
June 26, 2009
‘Proposal’ says yes to cliches All the romantic comedy conventions are shamelessly on parade in “The Proposal,” trampling on our brains and turning them into mush.
June 20, 2009 1 Photo
‘Imagine That’ a solid comedy The words “Eddie Murphy family comedy” are enough to send shivers down the spine of any self-respecting film lover.

June 12, 2009
‘Pelham’ an overcaffeinated thriller The way the original 1974 film’s title has been condensed tells you everything you need to know about the direction “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is headed. In these fast-paced, mixed-up times, it simply takes too long to spell out the numbers.
June 11, 2009 1 Photo
This movie in ‘Ruins’ LOS ANGELES — As we learn from “My Life in Ruins,” the Greek word for mojo — or zest for life — is “kefi.” Nia Vardalos’ character has lost hers and needs to get it back.

June 10, 2009
This movie is not a ‘Drag’ The name alone, “Drag Me to Hell,” tells you exactly what this is: an unabashed celebration of B-movie schlockery. But the dichotomies director Sam Raimi presents within that familiar genre are what make this such a kick.

May 29, 2009
More Movie Reviews Headlines

The Goshen Housing Authority has a $571,050 shortfall. Should the Goshen City Council use money from its $4.7-million “rainy day” fund to pay the debt and maintain the current level of service provided by the voucher program?

Breaking News