Over the weekend I went to see What Would Jesus Buy?, a documentary about one man's crusade to show how corporate America has hijacked Christmas. Since I get the same enjoyment from documentaries on a small screen as on a big screen I typically wait and rent them on DVD, but the movie's main character was scheduled to appear at the theater for Q&A after the movie so I decided to go. I could immediately see that the audience wasn't your average group of theatergoers. The first clue was that no one in the theater had a corporate logo of any kind on their clothing, but logos for causes such as Code Pink were common. The second clue came during the commercials before the movie, when a four-minute music video ad for the coast guard started. Or maybe it was for the army... I can't say for sure because as soon as it began, the audience shouted to block out the sound and one person stood in front of the projector to cover the screen. An angry mob of pacifists may not be an oxymoron, but it's something I don't see every day. The Q&A afterwards was the best part. It was refreshing to be surrounded by people who care about something other than themselves and who are willing to give up a substantial amount of their time (i.e. a substantial part of their lives) to try to make the world better. On the other hand, I think the fact that the small theater wasn't sold out on opening weekend, even with the movie's main character in attendance, is a sign that the anti-consumerism message faces an uphill battle. The movie itself was good but not quite as good as I had hoped. I tend to like documentaries because I am drawn to the truth and I seek out the information "They" don't want us to know. But this movie was more entertainment than information, closer to The Yes Men than The Corporation. There wasn't really anything new or surprising in it... if you're a regular reader of my blog you probably already know that corporations spread the "spending is the only way to show your love" meme, and you'll probably enjoy the movie but aren't likely to learn anything from it. Like most documentaries, the people who would benefit most from What Would Jesus Buy? are the ones least likely to watch it.