Morgan Spurlock Movies

Malcolm Bricklin is one of the great mavericks of the automobile business. Bricklin was the man who brought the Subaru and Yugo brands to America, and each time he made a fortune doing it; he's also launched several auto forms of his own, most notably creating the Bricklin SV-1, a sports car with many innovative safety features that's become a collector's item. However, a series of ill-advised investments cost him the money he made, though like a veteran gambler, Bricklin is the sort of man who loves the game even when he loses. In the new millennium, Bricklin decided to take another stab at bringing an affordable foreign brand into the United States, and he sought to partner with Chery Automobiles with an eye towards making them the first line of Chinese cars available in the U.S. Bricklin's son, Jonathan Bricklin, is a filmmaker, and with his father's permission he and his camera crew followed Malcolm as he sought to raise the money and close the deals that would bring the Chery to America; The Entrepreneur is a documentary that allows us to see the man and his high-rolling style of doing business in action. The Entrepreneur was an official selection at the 2009 Hot Docs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

After revealing just what a diet of Big Macs can do to a person, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock takes a tongue-in-cheek look at another threat to our collective well-being in this witty documentary from the maker of Super Size Me. When Spurlock learns that he and his wife are expecting a baby, he decides that he wants the child to grow up in a safer world than we know today, so he takes it upon himself to track down the most dangerous man on Earth, Osama bin Laden. Spurlock hops on a plane and flies to the Middle East in search of his quarry, making stops in Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as he keeps an eye peeled for the head of Al Qaeda. When he isn't playing sleuth, Spurlock interviews people representing all walks of life, ranging from Orthodox Israeli enclaves and a mosque operated by rabidly anti-American Muslims to political moderates and ordinary folks at the supermarket, quizzing them about the nature of post-9/11 conflict and the need for peace. Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? received its world premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Fast food lovers run for cover, because Horny the Clown is out on the town and he's ready to deliver death more swiftly than any case of bad cholesterol. Blanca Carne was a quiet town until before Hella-Burger opened for business. A fast food joint fronted by a creepy mascot named Horny the Clown, Hella-Burger was a huge hit until the customers started dying in droves. As Horny trades his patty-flipping spatula for a meat cleaver, an axe, and skin sizzling deep fryer that has plenty of room for all of his victims, it's up to high school student Mackenzie Carpenter (Leighton Meester) to discover the driving force behind Horny's murderous impulses before the whole town is turned to ground chuck. Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock co-stars in a gruesome horror comedy from filmmakers Brendan Cowles and Shane Kuhn. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Bill Talen is a New York-based activist and performance artist who since the late '90s has won notoriety for his character Rev. Billy. Rev. Billy is a wildly charismatic street preacher and self-appointed leader of the Church of Stop Shopping, who began his career speaking out against the gentrification of New York City, the forced renovation of 42nd Street, and his favorite symbol of the evils of international marketing, the Disney Store. Since then, Rev. Billy has expanded his targets to include a number of firms (including Starbucks Coffee and several fast food chains) who engage in unfair labor practices and exploit Third World resources for profit; he also performs with a full gospel choir and a four-piece band as they spread the message of overcoming the consumer culture, speaking with your dollars and questioning what advertising and corporate spokespeople have to say. While Talen's routines started out as comic street theater, he's become recognized as an effective (if deliberately eccentric) advocate for economic justice, and filmmaker Rob VanAlkemade offers an in-depth look at the phenomenon of Rev. Billy in his documentary What Would Jesus Buy? Produced in part by Morgan Spurlock, What Would Jesus Buy? received its world premiere at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

30 Days features a diverse group of participants, each given the opportunity to experience first-hand a world antithetical to their own, comfortable existence. Each episode examines a very different subject and is hosted by Morgan Spurlock. In the final episode, Spurlock is also a participant as he turns the camera on himself. Episodes Include: "Immigration", "Outsourcing," "New Age", "Pro-Choice/Pro-Life", "Atheist/Christian" and "Jail" Bonus Features: Audio Commentary on Immigration and Jail

Four educators muddle through another year at a typical American high school in this mockumentary comedy. Mr. Lowery (Troy Schremmer), Mr. Stroope (Chris Mass), and Coach Webb (Janelle Schremmer) are three teachers doling out knowledge at a high school in Austin, TX. Mr. Lowery is new to teaching, and has to deal with his own inexperience as well as a decided lack of enthusiasm for history among his students; it doesn't help Lowery that the kids quickly learn how to push his buttons. Mr. Stroope has been on the faculty for three years, and is zealously campaigning for the honor of "Teacher of the Year." Stroope has enlisted his students to help him win the prize, even though they seem less than impressed with his academic abilities. Coach Webb teaches Girl's Gym, and despite her short hair and severe manner, she frequently and enthusiastically insists that she's heterosexual. Webb also insists on following the school's regulations to the letter, and has unusual ideas about how to make Gym seem hip and fun for her charges. Meanwhile, Mrs. Reddell (Shannon Haragan) has recently been promoted from the teaching staff to her new position as assistant principal, which has put a tremendous strain on her friendship with her colleagues, especially Webb. Chalk received the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

First-time director Morgan Spurlock takes a look at the subject of obesity in the United States, specifically zeroing in on the business and culture surrounding the nation's fast-food industry in this 2004 documentary. In addition to studying the marketing of fast food to American children and unsuccessfully attempting to gain an interview with McDonald's executives, Spurlock attempts to become one of his own subjects by documenting a one-month binge during which he survived only on items from the McDonald's menu, forcing himself to eat three meals a day and try every offering at least once. Super Size Me premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide