Review: ‘Where in the World is osama Bin Laden’

Morgan Spurlock is back. You know … that guy that put himself through the agony of eating nothing but McDonald’s three times per day, everyday for one month in Super Size Me. This time he’s on a mission to find the most wanted man in the world … Osama Bin Laden. Just as he did with his first “documentary,” Spurlock again begins his quest as a way of responding to a socially significant issue, presented in the form of a question that he himself will attempt to answer. In Super Size Me, the question was whether or not McDonald’s truly is bad for you. In Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden, its not “really” about Bin Laden at all, but rather becomes a portrait of the many peoples affected by the war on terror and the search for Bin Laden.

I loved Super Size Me and I also really enjoyed WITWIOBL?, but one thing above all others I must point out right from the get go is that neither are “true” documentaries. In both, Spurlock is actually the central character by which the entire film is structured. Nothing wrong with this … it just makes his films more experiential commentaries than they are documentaries in the traditional sense. What I am certain of, however, is that his films would not be as entertaining, while also informative, if not for his unique perspective and style of approaching these topics.

WITWIOBL? is often very fun to watch, especially in the first third of the movie, whereas Spurlock playfully prepares himself and the audience for what will likely be an exciting, if not dangerous journey. He sets us up with a bit of background and history, combined with some controversial facts and some personal commentary. Spurlock has the film split into five parts referred to as “rounds,” as though this entire ordeal were a video game. He sets this up by making each of the five socio-geographical areas visited as a round in a Tekken fighter-style game. Spurlock even had a really cool game simulation developed for the film, featuring himself as a fighter with a redneck rage special move pitted against Osama Bid Laden with his own array of character-specific fighting moves.

As for the heart of the film, Spurlock basically begins with the announcement his partner’s pregnancy and that he feels a bit nervous about bringing a child into a world with so much violence and danger seemingly everywhere we look. As a jumping off point, Spurlock decides he must seek out Bin Laden since “he’s learned from big action movies that large global issues are best dealt with by one lonely guy.” [I can’t remember the “exact” quote, but that’s pretty close.]

I’m not going to tell you whether he actually ever finds Bin Laden, but common sense may help you on that one. However, I will say that he does find many interesting people with relatively simple but significant points of view, both reasonable and a few that seem unreasonable. One major theme that develops on its own throughout the film is that the politics and the corruption of ideas are the true villains in this ongoing battle, which we hear loud and clear from nearly every person Spurlock encounters. In retrospect, the hype of this film will draw in viewers but I believe viewers will leave with an experience far more meaningful and satisfying than what the marketing of the film may suggest.
[rating:3/5]