Morgan Spurlock sells himself well in documentary 'POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold'
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Morgan Spurlock gets into the spirit of product placement in "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."
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On "Days of Our Lives," a woman introduces her fellow picnicker to Chex Mix -- front of the bag facing the camera, of course -- and they tussle over the crunchy snack.
Jerry Seinfeld regularly offered visitors to his apartment Snapple, while Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, preferred Dr. Pepper. On "Modern Family," Phil Dunphy wanted just one thing for his birthday and that was an Apple iPad, while members of Team Edward had the chance to win a Volvo just like the one Robert Pattinson drove in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."
- Rating: PG-13 for some language and sexual material.
Welcome to the world of product placement, which Morgan Spurlock supersizes in his entertaining, eye-opening "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."
The filmmaker who ate nothing but McDonald's food for a month tackles questions of product placement, marketing and advertising in his documentary that is an exemplary example of all of the above and a fast-paced, fun investigation.
It won't produce the level of outrage that "Super Size Me" did, but it should give movie or TV watchers pause the next time they spot the telltale Coke or Pepsi colors in the background or notice the car or clothing or brand of athletic shoes a character is wearing. It's a sly lesson in media literacy.
Mr. Spurlock set out to make a movie financed by advertisers and sponsors, and we watch him make cold calls, pitch his ideas in meetings and negotiate the terms of the appearance of, say, Sheetz convenience stores or JetBlue Airways.
He doesn't drink the Kool-Aid but the pomegranate-based drinks made by the California-based POM Wonderful, which ponied up $1 million to have its name be part of the title. What a smart move that turned out to be, especially in light of some unpleasantness with the FDA regarding the company's health claims about its juice and supplements.
First Published May 20, 2011 12:00 am
