What Do The Critics Say?

"Armed with little more than a great title and limitless confidence, documentarian Morgan Spurlock sets off in search of the world's biggest bad guy. He comes up empty in more ways than one." Elizabeth Weitzman NEW YORK DAILY NEWS "Kudos to Spurlock for going into enemy territory and coming back with the message that there really is no enemy territory." Josh Rosenblatt AUSTIN CHRONICLE "Spurlock applies his brand of humorous social activism to the War on Terror, and the results are funny and humanist." Sean Means SALT LAKE TIBUNE "Sadly, the subject matter might not make this the kind of movie that anyone would rush out to see, but it's a successful effort at informing while entertaining." Edward Douglas COMINGSOON "The trademark in Spurlock's method is humor. He establishes this early through an animated prologue that describes his impending fatherhood and then morphs into a video-game style that pits him against the evil image of Osama Bin Laden." Adam Fendelman CHICAGOHOLLYWOOD

"The aim of Spurlock's mission is less a matter of actually finding the man than exploring the everyday beliefs and attitudes of Muslims around the globe." Amy Biancolli HOUSTON CHRONICLE "The film does offer a glimmer of hope that behind all the bellowing by politicians and thugs, there are millions of people in the Middle East who simply yearn for peace." Peter Howell TORONTO STAR "Morgan Spurlock aims his latest docu-stunt at those who haven’t read a newspaper since the Clinton administration." Ben Kenigsberg TIME OUT NEW YORK "Spurlock is good company: a more likable, less abrasive, less manipulative Michael Moore." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "Morgan's achievement in hitting and maintaining the right tone in a film that is as much a guerrilla exercise as a social revolution. As a pregnant father, he wants to find how other fathers in the world feel and think. He asks naïve questions - which is why he becomes our eyes and ears. Morgan is not a heavyweight political journalist froma major US network, nor is he a politician, nor is he putting himself forward as the guy who'll find the answers - or bin Laden." Andrew L Urban URBANCINEFILE

The Inside Story If Morgan Spurlock has learned anything from over 30 years of movie-watching, it’s that if the world needs saving, it’s best done by one lone man willing to face danger head on to take it down, action hero style. So, with no military experience, knowledge or expertise, he sets off to do what the CIA, FBI and countless bounty hunters have failed to do: find the world’s most wanted man. Why take on such a seemingly impossible mission? Simple-he wants to make the world safe for his soon to be born child. But before he finds Osama bin Laden, he first needs to learn where he came from, what makes him tick, and most importantly, what exactly created bin Laden to begin with. In "Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?" Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock takes on a franchise even more lethal than McDonald's - Al Qaeda. And after this real life action thriller is over, the world may never be the same. Following Bin Laden's trail through some of the most dangerous places in the world, Spurlock encounters both the rational and the radical faces of the Middle East. He interviews many people who embrace him on the streets and welcome him into their homes, often gaining impressions that sharply contrast with the conventional media images of the region. Spurlock finds they're not that different from American families, sharing the same hopes and fears for their children that he has for his own. In a world where we are constantly being told that we're on the verge of the ultimate showdown between good and evil, Spurlock risks life and limb to uncover the truth about Osama Bin Laden. But along the way, he discovers the lines that divide us aren't nearly as black and white as the heroes and villains we see in the Westerns. Morgan Spurlock is the writer/producer/director of the Academy Award nominated film "Super Size Me". The feature length documentary film was named in more than thirty five "Top Ten" lists in 2004 and is currently the eighth highest grossing documentary of all time. The film was also awarded the inaugural Writers Guild of America Documentary Screenplay Award, and the Best Director Prizes at the Sundance and Edinburgh Film Festivals. Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, on November 7, 1970, Morgan Valentine Spurlock was raised in Beckley, West Virginia. An average student in high school, he was rejected by film school at USC five times before being accepted at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, from which he graduated with a film degree in 1993. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta national fraternity (Nu Epsilon chapter, New York University). Graduating with a film degree in 1993, Morgan Spurlock moved to Los Angeles where he performed stand-up comedy briefly and was, at one point, homeless. Spurlock got his first big break in the late 1990s when he directed the full-length play "The Phoenix". In 2000, he created an online reality show called "I Bet You Will", a popular Internet webcast of five minute episodes that paid ordinary people to do disgusting, unusual, or embarrassing stunts for money. With over a million hits in the first five days, the webcast was a success and was later bought and aired by MTV in 2002. "I Bet You Will" didn't work so well on TV and was cancelled after one season. In 2006, Spurlock’s New York based production company, Warrior Poets, was named in Reel Screen Magazine’s Global 100; which listed the top 100 producers of non-fiction entertainment in the world. Also in 2006, Spurlock and Arts Alliance America created a film and distribution partnership which releases films, theatrically, on television and on DVD, that they see as groundbreaking and important films that had been overlooked by the majority of filmgoers. Their first film, the Independent Spirit Award nominee, "Chalk", a mockumentary about school teachers, premiered theatrically in the summer of 2007 and was followed by the "Confessions of a Superhero" (2007), "Czech Dream" (2007), "Class Act" (2007), "The Future of Food" (2007), "The Third Wave" (2008), and "What Would Jesus Buy?" (2008). Spurlock has just finished filming the third season of his highly acclaimed F/X original series "30 Days". The show examines social issues in America by immersing individuals in a life that requires them to "see the world through another’s eyes", and has been praised by such diverse groups as the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Sargent Shriver National Centre on Poverty Law. In 2006, the series was nominated for a Producer’s Guild Award and won a GLAAD Media Award for best non-fiction television series. Also, this year, "30 Days" was nominated for an IDA (International Documentary Association) award in the category of Best Continuing Documentary Series. When not producing or directing, Spurlock is involved with many charities, including the Life Rolls On Foundation, where he is a member of the Board of Directors. He married long time girlfriend vegan wife Healthy Chef Alexandra Jamieson on May 3rd 2006. They live in Brooklyn, NY with their son, Laken James Spurlock who was born on December 9th 2006. Spurlock will next be seen (as himself) in two upcoming documentaries, Cass Warner's "The Brothers Warner" and Jason Brown's "Them That Work". The Verdict

Those who do their homework will quickly realize that Morgan Spurlock didn't find the highly elusive terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden. After all, the film was shot way back in 2006, and as we all know, there is still a reward of $US50 million (the US House of Representatives voted unanimously, 414-0, to double the original bounty) for information leading to his capture. Fact is, we don't even know if he is alive. That doesn't stop Morgan Spurlock from undertaking his search, after all, isn't it the responsibilty of every prospective father to ensure his unborn child is entering a world that is safe to live in? So dedicated father to be Spurlock takes us through a fruitless search, travelling through countries where personal safety is thrown to the wind. Well that's the impression one gets. What he discovers is what you'd expect. People suffering because of Bin Laden. A lot of fear. Promises of restoration that have never come to fruition. A concensus that the world would be a better place without terrorism. While there is nothing new in all that, Spurlock's journey is still an entertaining experience and one worth joining him on. Well worth a look at! 3 1/2 STARS.

Crew Bytes Writer/Producer Jeremy Chilnick has worked in the New York entertainment industry since graduating from Syracuse University in 2003. In a short period of time, he has risen to become the Head of Production and Development for Morgan's Spurlock Production Company, Warrior Poets. He Co-Produced the Sri Lankan tsunami documentary The "Third Wave", which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Stacey Offman is an accomplished documentary and non-fiction television producer based in New York City. For the past eleven years, she has produced numerous feature length documentaries and a variety of programs and series for the IFC, Comedy Central, F/X Network, History Television and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Recently, Ms Offman produced the critically acclaimed "What Would Jesus Buy?" Prior to producing with Spurlock, she served as supervising producer for Emmy-nominated Borderline TV ('03 - '05) and was senior producer for five years with Academy-Award nominated Paperny Films ('98 - '03) in her native Canada. Currently, she is producing a feature documentary Faster, which advocates the immense healing power of fasting.
Director of Photography Daniel Marracino is a first generation Italian American Michiganite from a humble restaurant family. Daniel grew up as a DP on MTV Beach House and Cribs. He also shot VH1’s On Parole with Old Dirty Bastard and the Emmy Award winning, DMC: My Adoption Journey (2006). Daniel crossed America for Rob Vanalkamades’ What Would Jesus Buy? and shot scenes with Michael Moore in England and France for the acclaimed documentary "Sicko".
Editor Gavin Coleman moved to New York almost three years ago from Dublin, Ireland where he had been working on a wide variety of non-fiction and fiction projects. He came to "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?" directly from editing the critically acclaimed feature documentary "What Would Jesus Buy?" It was produced by Morgan Spurlock and Warrior Poets, and directed by Rob VanAlkemade.
Jon Spurney has composed incidental music for "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, and was awarded a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Film Festival for his commercial scoring work. He has performed and recorded with David Byrne, John Cale, and Natalie Merchant and provides live piano accompaniment for silent films at the Museum of Modern Art. He is currently serving as co-musical director for the new Broadway musical "Passing Strange" that will open at the Belasco Theatre in February. "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?" is his first feature film score.
Alexandra Jamieson is a holistic health counselor and personal chef, who works with individual clients all over the world, offering personalized recommendations and support while integrating appropriate food choices with lifestyle options. Having graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Alexandra was attracted to a path of study to learn how to heal with food, positive lifestyle changes and complimentary medicine because of her own battles with sugar addiction, fatigue, migraines, and candidiasis. Cookery School, Alexandra began cooking professionally in Milan, Italy. Working under Chef Mohamed Tourkey, Alexandra expanded her skills creating regional, vegan, macrobiotic and seasonal organic menus. Alexandra has appeared on "Oprah", "The Final Word", "30 Days", "The National Health Test" with Bryant Gumble and the award-winning documentary "Super Size Me". Run Time 90 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Icon Film Distribution - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.