What Would Jesus Buy? (2007)--2/5

With his name in the credits as a "presenter" of "What Would Jesus Buy?," Morgan Spurlock is to gimmicky documentaries with a conscience as Quentin Tarantino is to neo-grindhouse movies. The film is a scattershot screed against--what, exactly? It's hard to tell. Tucked between scenes of Reverend Billy's revivalist-inspired anti-shopping sermons are chestnuts from other recent documentaries.

1) Wal-Mart is evil and it's destroying small-town America. That's from "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price."

2) Credit cards lead to endless individual debt. "Maxed Out" already took on credit card companies.

3) Products are made in sweatshops. Michael Moore confronted Nike and other corporations, in "The Big One."

Reverend Billy is onto something by focusing on ugly Christmas shopping hysteria. Sickening shots of near-riotous after-Thanksgiving sales illustrate his point. "What Would Jesus Buy?" should have stuck with this theme.

The Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir confuses more than it raises legitimate questions. Most people think the choir is from a real church. Those that investigate are puzzled by the message--shouldn't it be the "Shop Less Gospel Choir"?--and frightened by the messenger.