What Would Jesus Buy? (2007) - Movie Review

Just in time for the great annual rush to spend rashly in buying seasonal gifts for those who are near and dear, along comes Rob VanAlkemade’s documentary, What Would Jesus Buy?, to remind us that conspicuous consumption isn’t what the holidays are really all about.

Director VanAlkemade takes us on a nationwide road tour with the Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping as they preach to anyone who will listen to them about the impending shopocalypse (that’s the end of humankind, brought about by consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt--just in case you were wondering).

The Reverend Billy (aka Bill Talen) is actually a very talented performance artist who is all fire and brimstone on the subject of shopping, and the Church of Stop Shopping is a vigorously boisterous gospel group that delivers Sunday standards and Christmas classics with cleverly rewritten anti-shopping lyrics: “Pack the malls with folks with money…’Tis the season to be dummies” and so forth.

Billy and the Church take over all sorts of venues--Macy‘s, Walmart parking lots, Disneyland, the front porches of suburban homes with overly elaborate Christmas decorations, subway cars, street corners, Times Square, various churches and schoolhouses--and turn them into platforms for lively performances in which they play out their point of view. From street corners to shopping malls, Billy rants about chronic shoppers and shopping, while the choir dramatically punctuates his pronouncements with a roof-raising chorus or two.

And, why? Because, as we learn from the voice over-ed stats presented at the beginning of the film, Americans are drowning in credit card debt and our favorite pastime seems to be camping out in ginormous shopping malls that, cumulatively, occupy a large enough territory to hold (says the the film) the world’s population. “We used to be a nation of producers, but now we’re a nation of consumers,” says the narration, with some inference to the dreadful shopocalypse that’s inevitable unless we change our ways.

Of course, energy and food consumption, sweatshop manufacturing and the exploitation of children and third world populations are also targets for Billy’s barbs--a factor that appeals to the film‘s producer, Morgan Spurlock, most famous for calling out McDonald’s in Super Size Me, for which he ate nothing but that chain‘s fast food for a month and become obese.

Like Spurlock, Reverend Billy is brazen in his criticism of consumerism. He is, in essence, on a crusade, and he consistently defies authority in making his position known. He’s been arrested many times--and, he‘s banned from entering any Starbucks in California.

As counterpoint to Billy and the Church choir, VanAlkemade interviews more conventional church leaders to reveal the more spiritual meaning of Christmas and historians, who provide fascinating information about the background of Christmas traditions--including the fact that Santa Claus was invented in the late 18th century to revitalize Christmas after its near extinction following the American Revolution, and to commercialize the holiday. They point out that giving the religious holiday a commercial component is completely artificial.

We're also presented with ample opportunity to observe a diverse selection of men and women who come from vastly varied economic backgrounds and who uniformly conform to the notion that good parenting entails providing their children with too many toys and too much stuff. In other words, spoiling them rotten. Their behavior is ridiculous--and alarming.

If you’re getting the impression that this film’s a real season spoiler, get that out of your head. Let me assure you that it’s very entertaining and spirited. In fact, the film and Reverend Billy are hilariously funny. He‘s a wonderful character, and the film’s style--including the presentation of chapters with old-fashioned placards featuring wacky animations--is upbeat and chic.

Reverend Billy and VanAlkemade approach the fomenting of social change in a very clever, creative and convincing way. The film packs quite a punch while delivering a lot of laughs.

What Would Jesus Buy? is a wonderful film. It’s a must-see pre-Christmas, or at any time of the year.

Film Details:

• Release date: Fall, 2007
• MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material and brief mild language
• Parental Guidance: Content advisory for parents
• Country: USA
• Language: English
• Filming Locations: Bentonville (Arkansas), Times Square (New York) and more
• Company: Warrior Poets Releasing