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: 12A [See Full Rating] for some strong language.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Theatrical Release:09-05-2008
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
Reviews for Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
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There is room for a tough, journalistic documentary presented by someone who really did want to know the answer. But this isn't it. Full Review |
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A frustratingly soft documentary that would sooner teach the world to sing than get to the bottom of the Bin Laden enigma. Full Review |
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Entertaining documentary that subtly delivers an important message, while making some astute observations about American foreign policy. Full Review |
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It's an odd mix that feels dumbed-down, but makes its point. Full Review |
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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 |
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Makes Michael Moore look like Marcel Ophüls Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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Complicated global problems require something a bit more challenging than this. Full Review |
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Morgan Spurlock is a living, breathing cautionary tale. Take a good, long look, kids: This is what happens when society validates really annoying people. Full Review |
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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 |
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This film finds him becoming more sentimental, perhaps because of his new domesticity, but the film is still consistently entertaining. Full Review |
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What makes it all work is how honest and grounded Spurlock is. Full Review |
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Woefully small-scale, often misguided but never disingenuous. Full Review |
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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 |
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At its best, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? offers a simplistic look at a complicated problem. At its worst, it provides the same. Full Review |
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A superficial primer for people who aren't likely to go see it in the first place. Full Review |
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Morgan Spurlock has crafted an entertaining, lighthearted look at the middle east. Full Review |
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The film does offer a glimmer of hope that behind all the bellowing by politicians and thugs, there are millions of people in the Middle East who simply yearn for peace. Full Review |
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Spurlock approaches the state of the Middle East -- and therefore our world -- with an asinine every-dude-ness that isn't just simple-minded but wincingly self-absorbed. Full Review |
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July 30, 2008:
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May 09, 2008:
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