What Would Jesus Buy?
Religion aside for a moment, there’s a terrible addiction that has swept across this country, and it’s one of the nation’s best kept secrets. Mostly everyone will tell you that it’s a really bad thing, but nobody can seem to stop doing it. And it doesn’t come cheap, nearly sixty percent of us are in long term debt because of it. No, we’re not talking booze, drugs or overeating. It’s shopping. And over 15 million Americans may in fact be addicted to it.
Rob VanAlkemade’s ‘What Would Jesus Buy?’ is a rousing, irreverent and simultaneously sobering documentary about the year round destructive shopaholic obsession that spins into an out of control buying and spending orgy by the time Christmas rolls around. The movie follows performance activist Reverend Billy and his ragtag cross country caravan, The Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, to bring the voice of reason a few holiday seasons ago, to compulsive consumers everywhere. The intent of this countdown to Christmas is to save the holiday from what Reverend Billy has dubbed only slightly in jest, the Shopocalypse. Ironically, many of his group are injured when one of their buses collides on a highway with a truck rushing to deliver Christmas merchandise to stores. Meanwhile, the Reverend muses, ‘everyone in a car is driving to a television.
The What Would Jesus Buy? project is the brainchild of Morgan Spurlock, the same guy who in a less spiritual frame of mind, lost the junk food battle of the bulge against McDonald’s with his Academy Award nominated high calorie investigative doc, Super Size Me, and is now hitting the plexes with Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden. The concerns of What Would Jesus Buy are broader than digestion issues, as Reverend Billy and entourage put out a wakeup call to mall junkies everywhere, exorcising the demons from assorted cash registers and credit cards as he urges consumers to return to a more authentic relationship with Christmas. (Excerpt from amazon.com)
Watch the full documentary now
lol, sorry, it’s 3:00 am and i’ve hat to much to drink….but i thought this was a good post ;) thz
These are what I would call “good Christians.” :)
shopocalypse? How funny! This was good, but a bit long.
Loved it, deliver to all consumers everywhere, a powerful message rapped in humor, 5 stars *****
You mean 10 stars Craig S.
Boring — Good message but cant watch for long
Ok, funny at times, but not much substance really.
A must see anywhere in the world! Very creative idea even though sometimes over the top – in this world how else to get your message out. Keep on preachin’ Rev Billy…
I’m a believer sign me up…
Last yr we paid bills…and enjoyed being together as gifts..It was hard because everyone bragged…But after it was over we felt stronger for it…
God Bless us one and all..
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday baby Jesus
“In Credit We trust” should be our new motto on dollar bills. We our drowning in our riches, whether it be in debt, obesity or hoarding all this stuff we claim to need to have in our huge underfunded houses that we couldn’t afford to buy in the first place. Ya… I got infected by ‘need to buy’ mantra that’s been drilled into us. I owe many tens of thousands of dollars to almost everyone. The days when I don’t work are filled with endless calls from creditors. Even my children have been touched deeply. Deprivation rules the roost these days as daddy can’t even put out for a cheap Mcdonald’s toy. Love to everyone.
Great and amazing. Good to see others feel like I do. Your cause has inspired me!
Fantastic & great documentary. Really enjoyed it. Please slow down and be mindful and the world will be a better place.
Hilarious and eye-opening.
No credit cards for this girl! :]
The message is good, (reminds me of true activism). I do however, disagree with the the mocking of preaching and religious association. Certainly the message is to convey we are focusing way too much on the commercialization of Christmas however you can say that without looking like a preacher or acting like you are in a church….after all Christ is not really what “RevBilly” is even promoting. It has funny moments as well as thought provoking ones. Glad to see the teenagers paying attention to the clothes they were buying, smh that the store had no clue as to what the ladies were asking. The stats were outrageous throughout this movie, People are TRAMPLED TO DEATH each year during the holidays but we still act senseless over a doll, game, a 1/2 sign. People would rather go BROKE then share TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES….WHAT A CONCEPT!
True Walmart is a Mega-Giant and has more issues than the ones presented, a young girl slaves away feeling as though she is going to die for pennies while another in AMERICA another has to work 90+ hours to get ahead in life….point proven! Overall well done!
Cute and Funny! I totally enjoyed! My spirit of Consumer Christmas was broken after watching my Mother cry, year after year because she could not make the consumer quota!