What Would Jesus Buy?

"No one has ever consumed as much as Americans today. And at no time do we consume more than at Christmastime. As the holiday shopping season grows longer, and the malls open earlier, we're losing something we may never get back. Performance Activist Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping are on a mission to Save Christmas from the Shopocalypse. Backed by his Gospel Choir, the Reverend travels coast to coast to address the shopping addictions which afflict us. The Church saves souls through parking lot revivals, cash register exorcisms, and more; ultimately leading to the Reverend's arrest on Christmas Day. Our exploration also includes informative visits from psychiatrists, politicians, kids and their overspent parents, and others, each helping to examine our holiday season and other conditions challenging Americans year-round." (from http://2007.sxsw.com/film/screenings/film/F8639.html)

http://www.wwjbmovie.com
http://www.revbilly.com

I saw this last night at SXSW and even met Rev. Billy. I really wanted it to be a great film, but I was not satisfied. It does present what I think is a much needed view of the American Christmas consumer craze, and it does so in an entertaining way. I believe that most people who see it will be shocked by the mob scenes at malls, the jaded kids surrounded by lavish gifts, the closet stuffed with designed clothes for a dog, and the overwhelming spending and debt statistics. They need to be shocked and I'm very glad that the creators of this film have presented agree.
However they don't seem to offer a solution. Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping choir are present throughout the film as a warning sign against this craze, but they're just that: present. They are observed but not investigated, not understood. Is he a comedian? An activist? I cannot tell. It seems that Rev. billy is a character, a performance artist. But why does he perform? What are his goals? His motivations? I believe that he is passionate about his message. I believe he truly wants people to spend less and give more. But this film did not give me much to support my belief.

Check it out and let me know what you think.