POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Directed by Morgan Spurlock

(PG-13)

***

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Morgan Spurlock has “undeniable star quality,” said Stephen Holden in The New York Times. The charming filmmaker who put himself on a strict McDonald’s diet in Super Size Me doesn’t even have an important point to make in his latest documentary: Starting with its title, which he sold to a juice company for $1 million, this romp is an exploration of product placement in movies that Spurlock funded in full by selling cross-promotions. But if few of the movie’s findings surprise, audiences are at least treated to the spectacle of Spurlock, “armed with clever storyboards, selling his ideas with an enthusiasm and skill that would put Don Draper of Mad Men to shame.” Still, the ease with which he lands sponsors drains the project of tension, said Ethan Gilsdorf in The Boston Globe. Spurlock “attempts to jack up the drama by professing a crisis of conscience,” but even a heart-to-heart with Ralph Nader doesn’t prove he’s guilt-ridden. It’s not the ideas that fascinate, anyway, said Mark Holcomb in The Village Voice. When Spurlock sits down with various marketing teams, it’s the corporate side’s desperation that keeps me watching.