Ben Hopkins

From the current issue of Clash.

Sometimes I’ll be watching a film through my BeYu glasses, sipping on an Asahi Black and munching on Jaffa Cakes when I think, “That wasn’t the most subtle of product placements.” Morgan Spurlock thought that too and embarked upon a challenge of his own – to create a documentary looking at the world of product placement that would be funded entirely by the brands featured in his film.

Spurlock seems to inspire two modes of thought. The first thinks of him as a witty, creative thinker who has consistently been able to bring documentaries to new audiences. The second views him as a smug, perhaps wacky character whose lightweight films rarely deviate beyond the obvious.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold follows a similar trajectory to his previous work and is therefore unlikely to challenges anyone’s preconceptions of him; yes it’s a little light of substance and his proclamation that he’s buying in rather than selling out soon wears thin. Yet Spurlock’s brand brings its own rewards, as once again he’s immensely funny, softly subversive and socially aware. Undeniably punctuated by minor flaws, Spurlock’s work again challenges the status quo on his own terms – such independence is a triumph in itself.