BY FRITZ ESKER
Morgan Spurlock burst onto the documentary scene with 2004’s Super Size Me, his irreverent, funny take on fast food culture in America. His latest effort, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold doesn’t quite measure up. Spurlock’s focus here is advertising, particularly product placement in movies. Unfortunately, the stuff about product placement in film is often the least interesting part of The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, a large portion of which follows Spurlock’s efforts to get sponsors to fund the documentary entirely. Here, the film comes off as overly gimmicky and cutesy. Still, there’s interesting stuff to be found in the film, like Spurlock’s trip to Sao Paulo, where all outdoor advertisements have been banned, and his introduction to a cashstrapped school board that is looking to earn money for its schools through advertising on school buses. Unfortunately, what feels like it should be the real meat of the film is instead scattered around jokey scenes where Spurlock meets with potential sponsors. The film has the good sense to wrap things up in 90 minutes, but it still feels a little padded by the end.
