Published: April 17, 2008 09:50 am      

‘Osama bin Laden’ gimmicky, occasionally enlightening

“Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?” — To say that “Super Size Me” director’s Morgan Spurlock latest documentary is a gimmick would be a gross understatement. It’s also a given — that’s Spurlock’s trademark modus operandi.

Just as no one put a gun to his head and made him eat McDonald’s for 30 days straight in his amusing 2004 debut, no one forced him to visit some of the most dangerous places on the globe seeking the elusive al-Qaida leader. The journey — which takes him from his New York home to such countries as Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan — isn’t just reckless but selfish. He says he was inspired by the impending birth of his first child to find bin Laden and hoped to make the world a safer place. Yet he leaves his wife at home to worry about him as he repeatedly puts himself in harm’s way over several months.

The one useful thing to emerge from Spurlock’s travels are the discussions he has with regular folks about bin Laden, America, world relations and their personal dreams. These parts feel enlightening and real, and reflect Spurlock’s regular-guy relatability, which has always been his strongest asset. He does seem genuinely interested in getting to know these people, and humbled by their hospitality. Then he bangs us over the head with voiceover, informing us of something we’ve surely deduced on our own already: It’s a small world after all.

The film is rated PG-13 for some strong language and has a running time of 90 minutes. Two stars out of four.