The dizzying throng bursts into Wal-Mart, tramping one another like a stampede of desperate, hungry animals. Their ire is raised at each aisle as the throng bursts forth, pouring through the rows and lanes of the box store with desperation and glazed-over pupils. Focused entirely on Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii, the throng reaches the apex of their journey and collides in a violent heap, pulling and pushing one another and forcing elderly women to the ground for a better vantage point. The fray reaches its climax when one of the blue-vested villains shouts, “We’re all out.” And that’s when all hell breaks loose…
It’s just another Christmas. The obsession over getting the perfect gift has reached a fever pitch and people are willing to do just about anything to be the Holiday Hero, even if it means acting like a complete fool.
Enter Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping. This crew of exuberant performance artists and activists has formed around the enigmatic figure of Reverend Billy (Bill Talen) and is practicing their brand of fighting the commercialism of the holidays. Using the form of revival meeting and exuberant preaching, Billy and his supporters congregate in box stores, chain stores, and on sidewalks to preach the message of “Stop shopping!”
What Would Jesus Buy? is a 2007 documentary that follows the exploits of Reverend Billy and his church as they journey to the “Promised Land” on Christmas Day. The Promised Land in this case is, of course, Disneyland. Directed by Rob VanAlkemade and produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), this film is wildly funny and thought-provoking, shedding light on the enigmatic character of Reverend Billy and showing the real face of Bill Talen at the same time.
The format is that of a basic documentary, as small sound-byte organized interview segments fill the gaps between the footage of Reverend Billy and his church on their journey to Disneyland. Along the way, there is a bus accident and a few incidents that bring Billy close to being arrested. He preaches outside of a Target, for instance, and “baptizes” a baby in the spirit of anti-consumerism. Billy’s church actually has nothing to do with religion, though, and his followers simply congregate to fight the “evils” of commercialism and corporate greed using the lexicon of religious language and dogma.
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