What Would Jesus Buy?
by Rob VanAlkemade
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DVD details
Actor: Reverend BillyDirector: Rob VanAlkemade
Brand: HART SHARP VIDEO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-27
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Arts Alliance America
Product features:
- In this hilarious documentary produced by SUPER SIZE ME's Morgan Spurlock, Reverend Billy takes on American corporate giants such as Wal-Mart and Disney. But the commercialization of Christmas and life itself is the real target for Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping, as they demonstrate the dangers of living a life driven by money and possessions. No company is safe from Reverend B
DVD Reviews of What Would Jesus Buy?
DVD Review: I saw it twice last night...
Summary: 4 Stars
I really appreciated the statistics it spoke about and the incredible indebtedness due to consumerism which goes into hyperdrive during the Christmas season. I, personally, make a point to buy nothing on Black Friday and have watched friends downloading sale items from their computers and mapping out their plan of attack. I've done little shopping for Christmas over the past few years and quit wrapping things. This year I've ordered a set of "Found Magazine" and plan to have adult children choose one of them. Got a few books from Costco for my 3 year old grandchild and that's it for this year. I try to buy what's made here, shop locally so money stays in my community but it's getting more and more difficult to do that. All corporations care about is enriching the folks at the top and nothing else. They should be held to a much higher standard when they try to get chartered. They should be incentivized to keep jobs here through tax policy. There are ways to force them to be better citizens and people should refuse to support them.DVD Review: Christmas and Consumption
Summary: 4 Stars
What Would Jesus Buy? is a funny film about the impact of materialism on Christmas and on U.S. society in general. The film follows Reverend Billy and his followers as they cross the U.S. and engage in performance art as a way of bringing attention to the "Shopocalypse."
WWJB? is very funny. My wife and I laughed out loud many times. Reverend Billy and his followers have the moxie to stage "guerilla" raids on American's biggest corporations. Two of the best scenes, in my opinion, were uninvited appearances at The Mall of America and Disneyland's Main Street. During the performances, the looks on the faces of the patrons are priceless.
The only negative in this film is when the filmmakers strayed a bit too far from their main topic and discuss at length the labor practices of large corporations. While this is an important issue, I suspect that most viewers will think that they cannot change the world economy; viewers can, on the other hand, change the way that their families celebrate the holidays.
What Would Jesus Buy? is a funny, thought-provoking look at America's out-of-control spending for Christmas. I highly recommend it.
DVD Review: WWJB
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie contains power, life-changing message about consumerism. When my family (teens too) watched it the first time over a year ago, it made our family re-think Christmas/ society norms and changed our traditions - bringing them back to the true meaning of Christmas. Scenes from the movie will stick in your mind, especially while you are shopping. I bought this one to share with friends.DVD Review: Manages to be darkly humorous while still making a serious point
Summary: 5 Stars
You don't have to be a Marxist to see something wrong with the degree to which we have embraced consumerism. As they note early in this superb documentary, even Christians today focus more on shopping than they do on religious activities. If you go onto the parking lot of a megachurch, you will be blown away by the number of expensive automobiles and astonished by the jewelry worn by the men and women inside. Even Christians, who follow the One who said to the Rich Young Man that if he was going to follow Him he needed to give away all that he had. I honestly don't have a problem with people buying stuff. I think we buy stuff that we don't need and that we haven't given much thought about. And we have fetishized the buying of things to such a degree that in America those who don't buy are considered weird.
This documentary focuses on the Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir's attempt to protect Christmas from the Shopocalypse. Reverend Billy frankly comes across as something of a charlatan. He is more an entertainer than spiritual leader and the whole affair comes across more like performance art than anything. I think it is really important because the film helps raise consciousness of the dangers of focusing our lives on spending. Reverend Billy is an actor, like when he is filling up the church's bus with diesel fuel and he starts shouting that he feels like Jimmy Swaggart was caught with a prostitute. This quickly gave way to shock when their bus was hit by an 18-wheeler, causing 13 people to be taken to the hospital and threatening their tour.
Personally, I have tried to opt out of the entire system. I must be among the few Americans anywhere who has refused to get a credit card. I'm terrified of running up debt. I do not buy cards for any holidays. I don't buy Christmas cards, Valentine cards, birthday cards, or anything else. I buy Christmas presents for my daughter, but that is it. To the greatest extent possible, I'm tried to be less and less of a consumer. I do buy books and DVDs, but i don't think I have many physical items that I don't really need. I do think that we would be better as a society if we focused our spending on things that we truly need.
Whether or not you agree with their message of anti-consumerism -- and even Christians, who have become increasingly focused on buying things (there are some mega churches with fast food chains inside and the larger churches even give generous clothing allowances to their ministers, who are expected to dress in the finest possible style), should agree with a message of decreasing the amoung of consumerism -- this is a hugely enjoyable film. Rarely has any film been both so moralistic and funny at the same time.
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DVD Review: Activism can be fun and entertaining!! Reverand Billy proves it.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very funny and entertaining movie, with an important message. I plan on showing this to all my friends before they go out and get sucked up into the frenzy of the debt cycle. Watch this and give the gift of your time and your love, rather than the fraud of materialism and debt which has nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas.
Description of What Would Jesus Buy?
Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land ... Disneyland. Bonus Features: Deleted Scenes, Original Theatrical Trailer, Public Access Show featuring Reverend Billy and Morgan SpurlockGeneral DVDs
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