POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

2011

POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Critics Consensus

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold plays smartly to Spurlock's strengths, and the result is a breezy, albeit not particularly enlightening documentary.

74%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 129

64%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 13,312
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Movie Info

Director Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, 30 Days) examines the increased proliferation of branding in every aspect of our lives while attempting to persuade big-name brands to sponsor his irreverent exposé. Companies love to push their products, and it seems like everywhere we go, someone is trying to sell us something. But have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at some of the biggest advertising agencies in the world? In this eye-opening documentary, viewers follow Spurlock as he convinces a variety of high-profile sponsors to let him pitch their products as "The Greatest," while still maintaining complete control over his creative vision -- an arrangement that's become increasingly rare in the high-stakes entertainment industry. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Cast

Morgan Spurlock
Ben Silverman
Brett Ratner
Quentin Tarantino
Noam Chomsky
Ralph Nader
Brian Steinberg
Robert Weisman
Donald Trump
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Critic Reviews for POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

All Critics (129) | Top Critics (37)

  • It ought to be sharper. But that is not Spurlock's way, as evinced by his disappointingly self-regarding Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

    Oct 14, 2011 | Rating: 3/5

    Derek Malcolm

    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • Before this, I hadn't grasped that the notion of "product placement" is in fact passé; now it's all about "co-promotion".

    Oct 13, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Peter Bradshaw

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • At times, it seems like Spurlock has pulled off a minor creative coup, convincing brands to back a documentary that fundamentally questions their commercial ethics.

    Oct 13, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Ed Andrews

    Little White Lies
    Top Critic

  • A robust and amusing reminder of how Hollywood's tills are topped up by third-party brands and what they get - and we lose - in return.

    Oct 11, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Dave Calhoun

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • The bemused smile on his face may fool some people into believing he doesn't have a strong point of view, but he does: like the man from Michigan, Spurlock is a muckraker...

    Sep 2, 2011

    Leonard Maltin

    indieWire
    Top Critic

  • Morgan Spurlock has sold his soul to help save yours.

    May 20, 2011 | Rating: B | Full Review…

    Tom Long

    Detroit News
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (129)

Audience Reviews for POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

  • Jun 11, 2014
    I think I am one of the few who didn't see Spurlock's film on McDonalds. The concept is interesting but the execution seems to be marred by the product placement which serves as the central premise of the film. A better approach would have been an arm's length discussion of this issue.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Sep 11, 2013
    Interesting documentary on advertising and product placement funded solely by advertising and product placement. Indeed.
    Marcus W Super Reviewer
  • May 25, 2013
    Stop me if you've heard this one before: There is marketing and product placement in movies! (Okay, you're right. I probably wouldn't be so glib if the inside of the TARDIS resembled the outside of a racing car.) (And hey, I like trailers because I can get a sense of a movie's visual style that a review may not be able to convey.) At least, it seems news to Morgan Spurlock, somehow unaware that the practice of product placement goes back as far as the early days of radio. He also thinks that because of how ubiquitous this may seem in movies these days, nobody who makes them currently has any artistic integrity at all, forgetting iconic filmmakers like David Fincher and John Sayles.(What I think Spurlock is getting at is the state of Hollywood, therefore accidentally making a great case for independent movies.) So, if nobody else has any, then it is apparently quite okay for him, in the name of transparency to show how marketing influences movies(ignoring the fact that anybody with something to protect will act differently when they know the camera is running), to prostitute himself to raise funds for this documentary(Jimmy Kimmel may be joking but I am not), even shaking the hand of Donald Trump, while overriding the warnings of those older and wiser than him. While not as half as smart as he thinks he is, Spurlock is at least a genial host. Still, that does not, with the exception of the interlude in Sao Paolo where they have banned billboards, excuse his not offering any alternatives, as he does not have anything to say that Bill Hicks already did two decades previously with much more anger and humor. In the future, it will be interesting to see how effective Kickstarter will be at funding movies, whose emergence has also dated this documentary.
    Walter M Super Reviewer
  • Jul 01, 2012
    Morgan Spurlock made a movie about advertising in movies with money from sponsors. Not only is it a very smart idea, but it also makes for a good documentary. Spurlock is entertaining and witty as he moves along in an attempt to try to get sponsorship for his film. Some good points are brought up and things you wouldn't think about advertisers are brought to your attention. It's much deeper than Morgan delves, but he also wants to keep Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold entertaining. He creates a great combination between entertaining and informative. It's a definite watch for any documentary fan. And I tried Pom Wonderful after seeing it. It's good.
    Jason C Super Reviewer
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