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Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?
The Weinstein Company

5.4 based on 28 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 14 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

FILM:

• Super Size Me

• Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Morgan Spurlock

If Morgan Spurlock has learned anything from more than 30 years of movie-watching, it's that if the world needs saving, it's best done by one lonely guy willing to face danger head-on and take it down, action hero style. In Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker 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. So, with no military experience, knowledge, or expertise, he sets off to do what the CIA, FBI, and US military have all 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 bin Laden, he first needs to learn where he came from and the environment and influences that shaped him. 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 experiencing their cultures in ways 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. Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? goes beyond shedding light on the one man that has shaped the world's perception of a region and its people. Spurlock risks life and limb to uncover the truth about bin Laden, and in doing so explores the lines that divide, those that unite, and the countless shades of grey between. (Weinstein Company)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
WRITTEN BY:	Jeremy Chilnick Morgan Spurlock
DIRECTED BY:	Morgan Spurlock
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 26, 2008  Theatrical: April 18, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	93 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	France

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona

Filmmaker-gadfly Morgan Spurlock is back with the warm, amusing -- and decidedly mistitled -- "Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?"

70

Film Threat Mark Bell

The film is, like "Super Size Me," extremely entertaining and, again, Spurlock shows that if it's one thing he knows how to do well, it's the first 10 minutes of a documentary.

67

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

No doubt this is a sincere film. But its wobbly technique prevents it from ever reaching a point.

67

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

So kudos to Spurlock for going into enemy territory and coming back with the message that there really is no enemy territory. It almost – almost – makes up for the fact that Where in the World is marred by one of the worst endings in movie history.

67

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Spurlock is good company: a more likable, less abrasive, less manipulative Michael Moore.

63

USA Today Staff [Not Credited]

Though entertaining, Spurlock's lighthearted approach doesn't work as well here.

63

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Could as easily be called "Spurlock: Cultural Learnings Of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of America."

63

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Spurlock's intermittently entertaining travelogue ultimately reveals that people in disparate countries of different religions and wildly divergent ideologies are more alike than not.

60

Empire Damon Wise

A frustratingly soft documentary that would sooner teach the world to sing than get to the bottom of the Bin Laden enigma.

60

Time Richard Corliss

Non-headline-making but often entertaining docu-travelogue.

60

Slate Dana Stevens

With his goofy interview technique and easy laugh, Spurlock has a way of putting his subjects at ease even as he tests the audience's patience.

50

The Hollywood Reporter Justin Lowe

Although he makes an amusing comic foil, Spurlock is ill-equipped to either evaluate or report on Middle East foreign policy. His methodology is disturbingly casual and conclusions woefully simplistic.

50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason McBride

Exasperating and goofy documentary.

50

New York Magazine David Edelstein

The film is a hodgepodge, and it closes with a whimper. But along the way some lucid voices slip through.

50

Variety John Anderson

Morgan Spurlock, of the "Super Size Me" phenom, serves up a rehash of others' 9/11 reportage, bin Laden biography, Islamic theology and suicide-bomber psychology, in a tone so aghast you'd assume he knew nothing about the War on Terror -- which should make pic very appealing for those who know nothing about the War on Terror.

50

Village Voice J. Hoberman

An affable action hero in search of the planet's arch supervillain, Spurlock is less irritating than his obvious model, Michael Moore, but also less politically astute; assuming the role of a faux-naïf stranger in a strange land, he's more benign and not nearly as funny as unacknowledged analogue Sacha Baron Cohen.

50

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

In casbahs and desert villages, in kibbutzim and around the campfire, Spurlock has a way of getting people to open up, to use their real voices and express their real opinions, the likes of which never make it onto network news. That's his gift, and when he uses it, "Where in the World zzzzz-zzzz" opens up into a miraculous document.

50

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The facetiousness of this project is charming at first -- as is the conceit of depicting the hunt for Mr. bin Laden using video-game animation -- but the charm wears off pretty quickly.

42

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

This movie is a case of arthouse bait and switch. Its true subject is one decent Yank's desire to believe that Everyman and Everywoman - Everywhere! - are as warm and amiable as your average American Joe: him, Morgan Spurlock, the regular guy as fearless globetrotter.

42

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

While the film's gags don't always jibe with its sincere interviews of Middle Eastern citizens, or its worrisome encounters with the soldiers serving in dangerous territory--the constantly shifting tone provides as many hit bits as misses.

42

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A primer no one needed, Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? should have been called "The Post-9/11 World for Dummies."

40

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

After a clever start, Spurlock turns self-serious, aiming to teach us something about our enemies and ourselves.

38

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

I was not a fan of Albert Brooks's "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" (2005), but Brooks, at least, seemed willing to concede before it was over that his movie was a terrible idea. Spurlock seems opportunistically optimistic.

33

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Everywhere he goes he asks if anybody knows bin Laden's whereabouts – as if anybody is going to tell him! Why should we accompany him on his self-aggrandizing trip?

30

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The narrative emphasizes how much danger Spurlock is in and how noble he is to embark on all this while his wife is back in the U.S. expecting their first child; it's a little insulting to all the real reporters who've died in the field looking for hard information, not weak indie comedy.

25

Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves

Morgan Spurlock is a living, breathing cautionary tale. Take a good, long look, kids: This is what happens when society validates really annoying people.

25

New York Post Lou Lumenick

One of my critical brethren opined that this sort of dumbing-down and low comedy may be the only way to sell the public a movie about the Iraq war. If that's true, God help us.

25

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

A film so self-centered that even the director's most dedicated stalkers might find it a bit too narcissistic.

The average user rating for this movie is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Charles P. gave it a7:
I enjoyed the premis and was impressed with Spurlock's ability to connect with an assortment of people. The ending was a bit weak, but so is the so-called "war on terror."

Ken G gave it a7:
I found this interesting and somewhat informative. I don't know why a lot of critics have a problem with this movie, other then maybe they found it to be politcally incorrect in some ways. This wouldn't be the 1st time critics attacked a movie for that reason. In fact, a lot of critics seem to have missed the point of this movie. Despite the title, it had little to do with an actual search for Bin Laden, (although, that played a little into it). Most of this had to do with exploring the cultures that created Bin Laden, and see what various people in those cultures had to say about Bin Laden, terrorism, and America. It had to do with trying to understand the world that Bin Laden grew out of.

Christian B. gave it a9:
Spurlock does it again. I like him a lot more than Michael Moore nowadays. Spurlock puts himself on the line and you got to respect that. His latest is both entertaining and enlighting. And people who think this actually is about finding Osama will be disappointed. That's just a brilliant excuse to do this sort of documentary that otherwise would have had a hard time keeping the story together. The point of this documentary was very clear to me in the end. Ordinary people live everywhere in the world. Even in "enemy territory". And that's what you miss out on when you watch Fox News 24/7.

Jay H. gave it a6:
I liked the various cultures and areas of the middle east where Morgan Spurlock explored and visited and the various opinions from those areas. But Spurlock's focus on Osama Bin Laden misses the mark and seems rather pointless. It's still interesting throughout.

Chad S. gave it a6:
The filmmaker knew beforehand when his baby was due, but he went ahead with his trip to the Middle East anyway. In a motel room, it's sharing time; only now does the filmmaker have second thoughts about his globetrotting in potentially hostile territory, while the stateside wife goes it alone and holds the fort during her time of need. And we see his wife, in "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden", as a way of manipulating the audience. The general conceit behind this, yes, Michael Moore-like documentary, is that he's going to capture the Taliban head honcho in order to make the world a safer place for his unborn child. We're supposed to empathize with both the expectant father- and mother-to-be, because a higher calling(he's going to save the world) has torn them apart. Late in the film, the filmmaker takes a few steps towards the camera, and says, "It's just not worth it." He returns stateside. He's there, we're there, too, for their big day. Not only does "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" feel calculated from the start, there's a narcissism that would be absolutely intolerable if it wasn't for the genuine likability of the filmmaker. His personal matters are both extraneous, and unnecessary, in lieu of his wonderful ability to get an assortment of people to open up and share their personal experiences and opinions about life in a war zone. "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" faintly recalls Mark Moskowitz's "Stone Reader", the 2002 documentary about a book lover's quest to track down a one-and-done novelist named Dow Mossman, who wrote an obscure book called "The Stones of Summer". Moskowitz could've used a search engine to find his subject, but he just wanted an excuse to talk with people about books. Bin Laden is the filmmaker's excuse to converse with strangers in strange lands. To hear what these strangers say, despite the filmmaker's pandering to gamers(and people who wouldn't like old-school documentary filmmaking), is the main reason to see this flawed, but important, pop non-fiction film.

TJ J gave it a10:
I think Roy B voted for Bush so I blame him for the mess we're in. He missed the whole point of the movie much like Bush missed whole point of intelligence. This movie reminds us of the culture that created bin Laden and we must understand that before we can win against the extremists.

Priscilla D. gave it a0:
A disaster of the worst kind. Lazy storytelling. Pedantic narrative. Good intentions but the pedestrian course of this movie, along with a noncoherent and fratboy mentality, make this movie tank.

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