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| What Would Jesus Buy? | 
 enlarge | Director: Rob Vanalkemade
Actor: Reverend Billy
Studio: Arts Alliance America
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $7.70
You Save: $17.25 (69%)
New (31) Used (8) from $7.70
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 5053
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time: 91 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: HSPD670495D
UPC: 829567049525
EAN: 0829567049525
ASIN: B0013K2ZDQ
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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| Customer Reviews:
 Asks questions; lets you ponder them June 18, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Rev. Billy and his traveling gospel choir from the Church of Stop Shopping bring up a lot of questions which they cannot necessarily answer, but the point is to allow us to ponder those questions and decide how we might change our ways.
With his loud, outrageous and daring antics, Billy invades Disney store, Starbucks, Disneyland and various American cities and malls as he crusades for an end to the shopping frenzies and consumerism that have taken over the lives of too many Americans--especially during the Christmas season. It's not possible to know how many people he has influenced or if they are really thinking about what he's saying, but perhaps he will simply need to do this every year until more people start listening.
The questions are: why do we think we must shop till we drop for Christmas? Why do we go into debt this way? What makes us think our kids will love us only if we bombard them with toys and the latest electronics? Who really believes that if we don't shop and spend, the terrorists will win? Why do we buy products that we know were made in third world sweatshops by kids? Why are we so obsessed with brand names and designer labels?
And what would Jesus buy? I don't think he would buy anything. He would give of himself, sacrifice, spend time with others, and not be concerned at all with any selfish desires.
This is worth a viewing and some pondering.
So, What Would Jesus Buy? June 9, 2008
"X-box 360."
"Definitely X-box 360."
"A Wii, or an X-box 360 if the store's out of Wii's."
"Probably not much. I don't think he would buy shoes, but it's pretty cold outside right now, so he might buy a pair of socks."
These answers provide a pretty good representation of our society's attitude toward Christmas, and, in a very real sense, toward our role as consumers in general. An attitude that some people might say is unhealthy: specifically, the people attending the worship service/show of a New York City based church/performance group.
Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir hold a weekly service, and witness in the streets of Manhattan singing, proclaiming, and acting out their message: "Slow down your consumption, America!" But they do more than just nit-pick at passing shoppers; these people can put on quite a show. Combining the language of anti-consumerism with that of evangelic preaching (i.e. "Shopocalypse") Reverend Billy goes about warning shoppers of the danger at hand and exorcising the credit cards of those will listen.
As fun as it is to watch the antics and musical abilities of Reverend Billy and his Choir, what sustains our interest is the well-timed documentary moments interviewing teenagers about their shopping habits and informing us about the real needs felt by those who work in third-world factories to make many of the products we buy. Particularly moving to me was the comment of an elderly lady remembering how special Christmas used to feel and how much it meant when her father would supply enough peaches for everyone for the family's Christmas dinner. Now Christmas is primarily an excuse for everyone to feel good about their dependence to acquiring and giving out a bunch of 'things' that no one has a real need for.
The message of ending our addiction to constant stimulation is one our society can truly benefit from. Corporate interests drive our country's decision making in everything from politics to elementary education (who do you think is behind all the standardized tests?). Consumerism distracts us from being the creative individuals that, as Reverend Billy so wonderfully reminds us, we are meant to be.
Stop shopping! June 6, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Great stuff, but if you are looking at this you are probably a convert already. The sound and picture are out of sync on both the first and the replacement copy of the DVD from Amazon.
i'm seriously convicted May 31, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Last Fall, when this movie was in the theaters, I asked my 18-year-old daughter to join me, as a special favor. She went to please her mother, not because she really thought it would be good. After all, it had "Jesus" in the title, and my Sunday-school-raised child had long since decided that church and Jesus wasn't really for her. Well, she (and I) laughed heartily at this movie, many times, as it also seriously convicted us, challenged us to evaluate our spending. My daughter is now looking forward to sharing this film with friends. She wants to have friends over to the house to view it. It's been 6 months since we watched it, and thoughts of seeing it again brings forth laughter and reminders to be aware of our spending habits, our wants and our perceived "needs." This film touches on all ages -- children, teens and adults, challenging everyone to take a serious look at their motivations. Hooray for those that have the courage to point out how extreme our consumerism has gone.
 Manic street preacher April 21, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Produced by Morgan "Super Size Me" Spurlock (who I like to refer to as "Michael Moore Lite") and directed by Rob VanAlkemade, this film documents the public antics of improv performer/anti-consumerism activist Bill Talen, better-known as his alter-ego, Reverend Billy, the "spiritual" leader of the "Church of Stop Shopping".
Talen honed his act in San Francisco, originally creating the Reverend Billy as a sketch character, who dresses like a flashy, big-haired TV evangelist and performs with the fearless, in-your-face conviction of a sidewalk preacher. The Reverend doesn't preach the traditional gospel, however. His "mission" is to rail against the evils of the corporate retail giants. Talen calls attention to corporate sanctioned sweat shops, abused and underpaid store employees, and the cradle-to-grave brainwashing of American consumers by the advertising media-to anyone who will listen. His favorite targets include Disney (Rev. Billy considers Mickey Mouse "the Antichrist"), Starbucks and Wal-Mart.
Back in 2005, Talen and his troupe of musicians and "choir" members left their New York City home base to embark on a nationwide bus tour to spread the good word: "Stop shopping!" VanAlkemade and his film crew tagged along, as the Reverend and his troupe executed their blend of street theatre and social activism. The traveling church members stake out malls and retail chain stores, treating unsuspecting shoppers to impromptu sermons and Weird Al-style rewordings of well-known hymns and Christmas carols. They also rent local public halls for "revivals".
As the group treks across the fruited plains, they make stops at the likes of the behemoth Mall of America. We watch the performers repeat the same drill several times: Billy, armed with a megaphone and backed by his choir, plants himself in center court and proceeds to call for an immediate cessation to mindless spending. Groups of shoppers eventually begin to gather, some "getting" it, but most registering a "WTF?" expression. Next comes the arrival of the beer-gutted, walkie-talkie wielding mall security personnel, who unceremoniously escort the group from the premises.
The final whistle stop is Anaheim, where the reverend and his flock descend on Disneyland. Just before he is (inevitably) escorted out by the Disney brown shirts (seriously-they are disturbingly fascistic in dress and demeanor), Billy delivers the best line in the film through his megaphone: "People! Main Street, U.S.A. is made in China!"
Mission accomplished? Hardly, but you do find yourself admiring Talen's conviction and dedication to his activist principles, despite the fact that his message is apparently falling on deaf ears. As I watched the film, I realized that Talen is the heir apparent to the tradition of guerilla theatre, as practiced by the likes of the San Francisco Mime Troupe and the Diggers back in the 1960s, with a pinch of Abbie Hoffman.
This film may not necessarily teach us anything new; the "Stop the presses! Christmas is crassly commercial!" revelation is at least as hoary as "Miracle on 34th Street" or "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Also, there have already been several documentaries produced that do a better job covering the "corporate exploitation of workers" issues ("Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and "The Big One" come to mind); but this is still an entertaining documentary with a worthwhile message.
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