What Would Jesus Buy?

As someone who resists consumerism, I was psyched to see What Would Jesus Buy? I've seen the Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping featured on television before, so I was excited to learn more. Unfortunately, this movie turns to be more like Borat or Brüno than a hard-hitting documentary. That is, Reverend Billy puts on a costume, puts on an accent and puts on a show that freaks out middle America. I wish the movie went a little deeper, but the film keeps it light.

What Would Jesus Buy follows Reverend Billy in the month before Christmas as leads impromptu mock-revival church services in the Disney Store, Starbucks, Walmart headquarters, the Mall of America and other locations with the intent of pointing out the rampant consumerism that has infected Christmas. There's also interviews with "Christmas experts" that talk about how much Christmas has changed and some consumer experts that add a little knowledge about consumer debt. But, the film avoids getting too informative.

The documentary primarily focuses on the Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping on a personal level, and not on their mission, their goals, their performance nor consumerism in general. Instead we learn about the members of the group, including Reverend Billy himself, and not their activism or the reason behind it. Most unfortunately though they tend to focus minimally on the performances themselves, which are rather entertaining.

Lastly, the film follows Reverend Billy during Christmastime, which is an easy target when it comes to critiquing consumerism, but, unfortunately, it is also a sacred cow. Therefore, it takes a special kind of balance to poke fun at Christmastime spending. Unfortunately, this film doesn't have that balance.

When creating a message movie like this there are two routes-keep it light and potentially attract a wider audience or make it hard-hitting and preach to the converted. This film keeps it light and didn't give me much to sink my teeth into. However, I look forward to checking out another movie about Reverend Billy, simply titled Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping.