What Would Jesus Buy? Your reviews of the movie:
I would be interested in hearing people's thoughts/reviews of the following movie opening this weekend:
The charismatic Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir take us on a cross-country crusade to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse! Their mission begins on Black Friday, when families bloated from their Thanksgiving turkeys spend the night freezing in mile-long lines to trample each other at early bird sales. Reverend Billy is here to invade the parking lots and temples of commerce, to liberate consumers from their corporate trances. From preaching at the Mall of America, to exorcising the demons from Wal-Mart Headquarters—Reverend Billy takes his gospel to the Promised Land. Changelujah! The Shopocalypse is upon us…Who will be saved? Must-see viewing before you head to the mall. Produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) and directed by Rob VanAlkemade. Official Web Site
It's opening this weekend at Landmark Midtown at the following times:
posted by Tom at
11:15 AM
3 Comments:
why don't some of us go together?
Arghh! I just read your note - however, only after I went and saw it with some good friends I haven't seen for a while. Well worth seeing.
Review will be forthcoming!
So, here is my long awaited review:
I really enjoyed this docu-drama that chronicled the life of Rev. Billy and members of The Church of Stop Shopping. Political activism usually rubs people the wrong way - too in-your-face, guilt-ridden, and filled with angry cliches. However, in this movie we see how humor can be an effective tool to awaken our societies liaise-faire attitude toward its own capitulation in our consumerist culture. Christmas is the perfect stage upon which to launch a satirical attack upon the meaning we attach to what we buy for ourselves and others.
I loved the way Rev Billy is able to laugh at himself while making some important claims about the affects of the McDonalization of America. For example, one scene from the movie shows them going into a Starbucks and casting out the demons that reside in such a paradigmatic monolith of our consumer-driven culture. There's many other examples from the movie that could be shared, but I don't want to spoil the movie for you!
Sure, we all are consumers who purchase items of perceived or real necessity. What this movie brought to the surface for me is how trapped I am in the cycle of needing more. What's worse is how my present life of relative poverty has made me feel like a failure. I haven't entered a mall, which has become our public religion's equivalent of "church", with the ability or intent of making a purchase for a couple years. After watching this movie I am feeling a sense of thankfulness about not going to this "church" - taking something that I'm unable to do and moralizing it into a practice of my Christian faith.
I don't know what it takes to become a member, but I want to join the Church of Stop Shopping!
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