Sunday, April 20, 2008
A+E, Movies, Reviews
‘Islam for Dummies
Morgan Spurlock makes agreeable ‘Islam for Dummies’
CREDIT: Courtesy of the Weinstein Company
Morgan Spurlock
“WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?”
Directed by Morgan Spurlock
Rated PG-13
Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
Documentarian Morgan Spurlock successfully follows “Super Size Me” with “Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?” Like a Big Mac, it could benefit from having some fat trimmed, but some viewers will need extra time to get the message that the people of the world can get along just fine. It’s our leaders who cause trouble.
Spurlock has the cheek of a thinner, less abrasive Michael Moore. Learning he’s to be a father, he decides to hunt down the world’s most wanted terrorist to keep his child safe. (Hey, every movie needs a premise.)
He doesn’t find bin Laden (sorry for the spoiler), but Spurlock talks to people in Egypt, Morocco, Israel (including the Palestinian Territories), Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, and travels with a U.S. Army unit into Pakistan, widely considered bin Laden’s hiding place. A Hamas official defends the terrorists; others explain how poverty produces suicide bombers. Some believe America’s aim is world domination.
Spurlock points out that Muslims, like cholesterol, can be good or bad. Most of his subjects are good Muslims who call terrorism a distortion of their religion. They may resent America invading their region, but they’re wise enough to distinguish between the American people and our government.
Throughout, Spurlock entertains with off-the-cuff humor and an animated videogame-style battle between him and bin Laden. His “Islam for Dummies” approach suits the typical American’s understanding of world affairs.
The War on Terror is no laughing matter, but Spurlock’s spoonful of sugar helps serious information go down, giving us hope that as long as parents worry about the world their children will grow up in, peace is within our grasp. 3 STARS—Steve Warren