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Skewering comic documentary from Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me).

FILM SYNOPSIS: Witty documentarian Morgan Spurlock has recovered from the overeating he did at McDonald’s for his Super Size Me. Now he’s taking on the political world. He trains like a secret agent and travels to the Middle East to do what the FBI, the CIA and all of America’s military might can’t do: find the world’s leading terrorist. Throughout his mission he talks to political and military leaders as well as ordinary citizens of Egypt, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, seeking their views of America and Osama. It’s flippant at times, poignant at others, as Spurlock himself questions America’s political strategy.

PREVIEW REVIEW: I suppose there are two ways of perceiving this film. It could be seen as a biting satire of the ineptness and corruption of our government, not just in its handling of Iraq, but with almost every other American intervention. Or, perhaps the film can be seen as an indictment of all nations in general. Either way, such films – and there have been a bunch of them in the past two years – wallow in America’s faults and foibles without suggesting its strengths. Overall, they give the impression that our enemies have more soul, while we are the devils.

Here the filmmaker says he loves his country, yet I see no indication of that affection. Perhaps he does. So, why not relay some positives to the world concerning our agendas and our makeup. Both our people and our government have been there countless times to feed and inoculate those in need of food and medicine. We’ve sacrificed countless lives in order to stabilize the world and defeat tyranny. And once we defeated those who attempted to destroy us, we turned around and helped rebuild their land and generate their economy. I can’t remember when a filmmaker attempted to remind the world of those facts.

After WWII, when Russia was exacting revenge upon Germany by closing off Berlin from the rest of the world, literally starving that city to death, America and England revealed their Anglo compassion. We came to Berlin’s aid by having our flyers drop supplies at their own peril, including candy for kids. In order to not be confrontational with Russian military, our planes were unarmed. Hmmm, never saw a film about that.

A couple of years after Iran held Americans hostage, that country underwent a devastating earthquake. Who was the first to send aid? Oh, yeah, America. Hmmm. Never saw that movie, either.

Mr. Spurlock’s comedy is amusing, but his perspective is limited and naïve. Though he takes a few swipes at the ignorance and hostility of some in Muslim nations, he seems accepting of anyone’s on-camera quotes concerning America or Osama. Right now when U. S. citizens are most confused about our presence in Iraq, Spurlock’s position seems justified. But does this perspective include all the facts – or has he chosen just those that give strength to his agenda?

Distributor: The Weinstein Company