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Movies / On DVD / Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

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Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)

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Reviews Counted:97

Fresh:36

Rotten:61

Average Rating:4.9/10

Consensus: Morgan Sprulock's doc offers occasional insights but gets bogged down by the director/subject's gimmicky schtick.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some strong language.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Apr 18, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $264,438

Synopsis: Documentarian Morgan Spurlock rocketed to fame after daring to take on the fast food industry in the entertaining and much-lauded SUPERSIZE ME. For his follow-up, Spurlock wades back into... Documentarian Morgan Spurlock rocketed to fame after daring to take on the fast food industry in the entertaining and much-lauded SUPERSIZE ME. For his follow-up, Spurlock wades back into controversial waters, and attempts something even more dangerous than a month of eating Big Macs: he decides to hunt down the globe's foremost terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. When the film opens, Spurlock has just learned that his wife, Alex, is pregnant. Using this news as a springboard, he decides he must hunt down the "world's most dangerous man" in order to guarantee the safety of his new child. Thus begins Spurlock's journey into some of the most wartorn and perilous places on the globe: Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. Spurlock travels from country to country, popping into mosques, fundamentalist Muslim schools, shantytowns, army bases, the Gaza strip, and the local mall, asking everyone along the way if they might know where he can find Osama. The provocative question never fails to elicit an interesting response, and Spurlock uses it to open up a dialogue about the people's feelings and attitudes toward America and the war on terror. Throughout the film, Spurlock comes across as one of the most genial fellows you could ever meet, and his good-natured charm goes a long way in getting interviews with people who might otherwise become hostile when smirkingly asked, "Where's Osama?" Some viewers might find fault with Spurlock's rather gimmicky, stunt man techniques, but others might enjoy his light approach to such a complex and heavy issue. While the film will undoubtedly spark a few heated debates, one thing is for certain: Spurlock does nice job of removing some of the mystery that surrounds the Middle East. He creates a very human portrait of the people, and reminds us that, at the end of the day, we are perhaps not so different. [More]

Director: Morgan Spurlock

Director: Morgan Spurlock
Screenwriter: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock
Producer: Jeremy Chilnick, Stacey Offman, Morgan Spurlock
Composer: Jon Spurney
Studio: Weinstein Company

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Release:

Aug 26, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock sets out on his own to
  • find the world's most elusive fugitive, venturing hilariously into the unfamiliar
  • Middle East.
  • *2008 Theatrical Release
  • *Oscar-Nominated Morgan Spurlock- Super Size Me
  • Source: Genius Productions Inc.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

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    1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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    The trademark in Spurlock's method is humor. He establishes this early through an animated prologue that describes his impending fatherhood and then morphs into a video-game style that pits him against the evil image of Osama Bin Laden.

    Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
    04/14/08
    Adam Fendelman
    Adam Fendelman
    HollywoodChicago.com

    Whatever you think of Morgan Spurlock's incisiveness when it comes to issues, there's no denying that the man has style.

    Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
    03/24/08
    Amber Wilkinson
    Amber Wilkinson
    Eye for Film

    The aim of Spurlock's mission is less a matter of actually finding the man than exploring the everyday beliefs and attitudes of Muslims around the globe.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    04/18/08
    Amy Biancolli
    Amy Biancolli
    Houston Chronicle

    The Osama his film captures is similar to the one foisted upon us by the media: a 2-D villain straight from a kill 'em all video game.

    Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
    04/17/08
    Amy Nicholson
    Amy Nicholson
    I.E. Weekly

    Morgan goes out into the big bad, wide world as the naive and innocent everyman, asking the question of the title, but actually posing more complex issues - which address the human condition.

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Andrew L. Urban
    Andrew L. Urban
    Urban Cinefile

    Spurlock gooses things up with every kind of crowd-pleasing trick he can -- songs, animations, videogame representations of him fighting Osama -- and a lot of not-bad jokes.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
    04/16/08
    Andy Klein
    Andy Klein
    Los Angeles CityBeat

    Morgan Spurlock has crafted an entertaining, lighthearted look at the middle east.

    Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
    06/04/08
    Austin Kennedy
    Austin Kennedy
    Sin Magazine

    The middle hour is magnificent, as fascinating a portrait of the beleaguered region as you're likely to see outside the Travel Channel.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    04/17/08
    Bill Gibron
    Bill Gibron
    Filmcritic.com

    Given the fraught nature of U.S.-Middle East relations and the war on terrorism, Spurlock is understandably in over his head. Still, he is a genial host whose message urges cultural understanding.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    04/18/08
    Claudia Puig
    Claudia Puig
    USA Today

    Documentary humorist Morgan Spurlock explores the lighter side of international terrorism in Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    04/17/08
    Colin Covert
    Colin Covert
    Minneapolis Star Tribune

    Spurlock goes home in time for his son's birth, but if there's an end of violence and distrust possible in the Middle East, it is not yet visible.

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    04/30/08
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Cynthia Fuchs
    PopMatters

    After sitting down with lots of friendly people everywhere he goes, and a few nasty extremists, Spurlock is optimistic. He finds friendship and some real laughs, but the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks eludes him.

    Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
    01/23/08
    David D'Arcy
    David D'Arcy
    Screen International

    The film is a hodgepodge, and it closes with a whimper. But along the way some lucid voices slip through.

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    04/14/08
    David Edelstein
    David Edelstein
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Just by asking questions, Spurlock creates the opportunity for dialogue, and the responses are heartening in their diversity.

    Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
    04/18/08
    Duane Dudek
    Duane Dudek
    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Sadly, the subject matter might not make this the kind of movie that anyone would rush out to see, but it's a successful effort at informing while entertaining.

    Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
    04/15/08
    Edward Douglas
    Edward Douglas
    ComingSoon.net

    A solid sophomore effort, and proof enough that Spurlock is not just a one-hit wonder.

    Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
    03/04/08
    Eric D. Snider
    Eric D. Snider
    EricDSnider.com

    A Middle East primer for Americans who've been living in caves like Osama, delightfully juvenile entertainment for everyone else.

    Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
    04/20/08
    Harvey S. Karten
    Harvey S. Karten
    Compuserve

    A cynic might view Spurlock's seven-month exploration of civilization's cradle as a form of conjugal competition.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    04/16/08
    J. Hoberman
    J. Hoberman
    Village Voice
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    ... While Spurlock may not actually answer the question of where, he actually tackles, with humor, probing wit and a certain grace, the much more important question of why.

    Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
    02/23/08
    James Rocchi
    James Rocchi
    Cinematical

    Spurlock's disarming, slightly goofy demeanor gets him out of situations that might mean trouble for anyone else. His films are always fun and even illuminating to watch.

    Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Jean Lowerison
    Jean Lowerison
    San Diego Metropolitan
     
     
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    July 30, 2008: Spurlock draws some weird paternal parallels, subconscious or not, between Osama as the fugitive founding father of Al Qaeda, and his own possibly wayward, pre-partum depression, stressed situation as an imminently expectant, first time fugitive dad-to-be Opens in new window
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