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.
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
Whatever you think of Morgan Spurlock's incisiveness when it comes to issues, there's no denying that the man has style.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Morgan Spurlock has crafted an entertaining, lighthearted look at the middle east.
The middle hour is magnificent, as fascinating a portrait of the beleaguered region as you're likely to see outside the Travel Channel.
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.
Documentary humorist Morgan Spurlock explores the lighter side of international terrorism in Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?
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.
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.
The film is a hodgepodge, and it closes with a whimper. But along the way some lucid voices slip through.
Just by asking questions, Spurlock creates the opportunity for dialogue, and the responses are heartening in their diversity.
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.
A solid sophomore effort, and proof enough that Spurlock is not just a one-hit wonder.
A Middle East primer for Americans who've been living in caves like Osama, delightfully juvenile entertainment for everyone else.
A cynic might view Spurlock's seven-month exploration of civilization's cradle as a form of conjugal competition.
... 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.
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.
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August 25, 2008:
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July 30, 2008:
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May 09, 2008:
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February 09, 2008:
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