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Written by Raffi Asdourian, January 23, 2011 at 4:09 am 

Morgan Spurlock, who rose to fame after famously stuffing his face with Big Macs and French fries in Super Size Me, returns to form with The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, an exercise in meta-filmmaking as he attempts to get advertisers to finance his film via product placement. He does this by showing the process, from beginning to end, of pitching the concept of the film to advertising firms all the way to actually creating the advertising for the film, before it’s actually released. Throughout he utilizes his candid trademark humor to showcase the trials of tribulations of obtaining funding via advertising, while allowing full transparency into the process.

What makes the film standout is in it’s examination of the psychological effects advertising has on the human psyche, while demonstrating some of the techniques corporations will use to effectively get their products in your brain. In one scene, Spurlock takes us to San Paulo, Brazil where they have recently passed a ban on public advertising on buildings. The effect is profound and makes you contemplate the subtle yet invasive effects advertising has on us everyday.

The combination of some fantastic interviews with filmmakers, professors and the average Joe mixed with the boardroom meetings of controlling advertising executives is a refreshing examination of the process which makes media tick. Both entertaining and informative for audiences who may be aware of the existence of product placement, but are not cognizant of the process it entails will find value in The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. It’ll be interesting to see if this film can recapture the interest of people across the country who were bowled over by the revelations in Spurlock’s Super Size Me. Maybe if the film has some good advertising. Check out our video reaction below.