What Would Jesus Buy? (2007)

Why so much hype?

People are voting emotionally.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The Reverend Billy is clearly a man on a mission: namely, to convince American consumers to tear up their credit cards and stop shopping. Since the Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil, the right good reverend has taken it upon himself to preach the gospel of No Shopping to a world drowning in a sea of Madison Avenue marketing and debt. His congregation even calls itself the Church of Stop Shopping, and every Christmas season, his devoted flock fans out to local malls and shopping centers to preach against the evils of consumerism and to lead exhausted and beleaguered shoppers to redemption.Rob VanAlkemade's "What Would Jesus Buy?" is a lively and colorful documentary that follows the CCS and its leader as they travel around the country spreading the word to the masses. In the prologue, we're informed that, whereas America "used to be a nation of producers, now we're a nation of consumers." Our savings rate stands at zero, as we groan under mounds of ever-increasing personal debt. Psychologists, in fact, estimate that 15 million Americans may be "clinically addicted" to shopping, and we're told that the nation's citizens spend five times more time shopping in stores (and now on the internet) than praying in church.This is the situation that Reverend Billy is hell-bent on rectifying. Part religious zealot and part crowd-pleasing showman, Revered Billy is in the time-honored tradition of all those big-haired, fire-and-brimstone preachers who stand on street corners or in the pulpits of churches thunderously decrying the evils of the world and offering personal salvation – only, in his case, it's salvation from the demonic forces of wanton spending. Combining a social message with street-theater and performance art antics like singing anti-commercial Christmas carols to bemused and befuddled audiences, Reverend Billy and his minions have been arrested numerous times for invading retail stores in an attempt to bring a halt to the commerce taking place within them. At one point, they even mount an assault on the nation's ultimate shoppers' Mecca, the Mall of America, where countless pilgrims go every year to bow down and worship the almighty god of consumerism. But Reverend Billy saves his greatest opprobrium for the Walt Disney Corporation, which he sees as a false god – even going so far as refer to Mickey Mouse as his own personal antichrist - dedicated to making money at any cost, including exploiting underpaid workers in Third World countries. The movie also slams what has come to be known as the "Walmart-ization" of America, as more and more mom-and-pop retailers are driven out of business by massive corporations whose sole concern is the bottom line and, thus, have no qualms about shipping many of their jobs overseas.This affectionate, humor-filled movie makes us complicit in the group's actions, which means we also get to be present for those rare moments of quiet reflection when the participants question just how many people they are actually converting to their creed. But far more often, we see how nothing – not overzealous security forces, not unresponsive crowd, not even a serious bus accident (at which we are present) – can dampen their commitment to their cause.Of course, the movie, in its passion and zeal for Reverend Billy and what he is advocating, neglects to address the rather obvious counterargument that if people were to stop shopping entirely – especially at Christmas – the economy might come to a screeching halt, resulting in far-reaching harmful consequences for the nation as a whole.Still, it's hard not to buy at least some of what "What Would Jesus Buy?" is selling.

While this film has amusing and humorous elements, it is NOT a comedy and to call it one is to delegitimize it. This documentary explores the commercialization of the Christmas tradition, which it rightly concludes has lost most of its spiritual meaning in favor of gift giving and the shopping that precedes it. The film further engages the viewer to consider the possibility that this obsession with commercialization bleeds into everyday life.While many of the points are made by examining the sermons of the dubiously respectable self-styled "Reverend Billy" and his Church of Stop Shopping, which often makes for laughs, to say it is a comedy does not do it justice. This is a true documentary about a true phenomenon in America and a political organization that seeks to challenge it.

This film is just another distortion, among many distortions, on the so-called 'sins of consumerism'. Please note that 'Reverend Billy', an actor (Bill Talen), is nothing more than a bureaucrat against the 'sins of consumerism'. We might want to ask are questions, like: What does 'Reverend Billy' do for a living? How does he make his money? Does he make his living off his 'tax-deductible' organization? How does the Internal Revenue justify this as a 'tax-deductible' church or organization? Everyone knows that Christmas is commercialized, but it affords one day out of a whole year in which people have an opportunity to be charitable, and allows a significant number of people to spend time with their families, friends, or extended families. Everyone is not charitable. Everyone does not spend time with their families, friends, or extended families. But, holidays and vacation time give people that chance and opportunity. Yes, America does have more than its share of problems--but, with perseverance, Americans have and always make it through great difficulties. And, even in times of strife, America has proved itself to be the greatest country in the world. That happens when Americans pull together and unite, rather than to separate and divide. Yes, there are problems with corporations and monopolies, but it will take Americans to bring back the small businesses, along with the ethics to responsibly care for people living in our individual communities. Yes, globalization has brought us its share of problems, but it will take Americans to bring production back to America. Americans and the U.S. government need to learn how to stay on a budget, no matter how large or small it may be, and we must stop our dependence on credit. Our over-reliance on credit will make, and keep us poor, from the cradle to the grave. It is important to buy--but, if we buy less, we will rely less on credit. And, if we are able to save, even a small amount of money, we will have money for a rainy day. Not to say that, as Americans, we will gain an equal share of wealth. Wealth is not guaranteed, and has never been guaranteed. But, stratification teaches us that only a small percentage of Americans hold most of America's wealth. There is a good proximity that you or I can reach the level of the upper, middle class. And, who knows what can happen from there?!? Be positive, work hard--and, at the very least, you and I will be able to reach at least some (if not all) of our dreams. In life, nothing is guaranteed, but we always have that something to reach for. And, if you or I don't have dreams, we might as well be dead. In America, there is always room for plenty of hopes and dreams. As individuals, we are a part of the pack, but we always can become the leader of the pack.It has always been my experience that churches and religion do offer nothing more than additional distortions, but I pay dignity and give respect to people with other beliefs, values, and perspectives. But, as far as the distortions expressed, within this film, I do not have any faith in such beliefs, values, and perspectives. I rank this film with a 1 out of 10--but, in all honesty and truth, this film deserves a zero. This film has no integrity, and I cannot recommend it.

Bill Talen is wacko! This consumer-activist movie was way funnier than I expected. i went because the issue of celebrating Christmas by shopping is one i relate to. Talen's performance-art shtick acting like a Pentacostal preacher did not bother my Christian sensibilities at all, but there were some pieces of chapter-title artwork that blew my mind: the Holy Mother presenting the Christ Child with a tickle-me-Elmo? They were hysterical, creative, topical, surprising, and provocative in the best way. Some went by fast and I'll have to wait for the DVD release to examine them more carefully. (What WAS that demon doing to those poor doomed shoppers anyway?) Full of great interviews, informative "reporting", and Billy's bizarre antics made this way more entertaining than expected. Enjoy!