Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: April 18, 2008

6.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

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JayH.Aug 18, 2008

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. 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.… Expand

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ChadS.May 4, 2008

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 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.… Expand

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