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Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

(2008, Rated PG-13, Documentary, Starring Morgan Spurlock, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Super Size Me guy heads to the Middle East.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–15

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Spurlock chastises world leaders (especially recent U.S. politicians) and holds forth on the world's peoples "getting along." His comedy is received generously, save for a scene in Israel, where men on the street yell and gesture aggressively to get him to leave. Some animated representations of "terrorists" show them in caricatured ways (bearded, scary).

  • Violence:

    Frequent discussions of terrorism and recent terrorist acts (including attacks on the United States). When Spurlock takes self-defense training, he pretends to duck grenades and roll around to avoid gunfire; one fake scenario shows a man with his head "exploded" (red paint splatter on the wall). One scene shows conservative Israeli Jewish men behaving aggressively toward Spurlock and his cameraperson; other scenes show tanks and men with guns in Palestine and the Gaza Strip. Spurlock and his crew follow a police squad called to check a possible bomb; the object is exploded safely.

  • Sex:

    Some images of Alexandra (Spurlock's wife) pregnant and giving birth in a tub. Some nudity, but nothing racy/sexual.

  • Language:

    Occasional language includes "f--k" (a couple of times), "bitch," "son of a bitch," and "s--t."

  • Consumerism:

    Starbucks (in Israel).

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Some interviewees smoke cigarettes.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

Parents need to know that even though this documentary includes animation and director/star Morgan Spurlock's trademark humor, it's not aimed at younger children. It deals with difficult themes -- terrorism, morality, birth, and death -- in ways that are both entertaining and sophisticated. Violence is a theme throughout the movie, coming up in conversations about terrorist attacks, suicide bombers, and U.S. aggression. Actual violent images are infrequent; conservative men in Israel who resent the film crew's intrusion act aggressively, and there are shots of tanks and armed men in Gaza. There's brief imagery of Spurlock's wife giving birth in a tub; language includes a couple of "f--k"s and other profanity.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the movie's primary message -- that learning about other cultures and traditions leads to understanding and loss of fear. Do you agree? How does the movie use comedy to address serious ideas like violence, terrorism, poverty, and global politics? Is that approach successful?
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