The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011) on Netflix

PG-1320111h 30mComedy Documentary

Morgan Spurlock wants sponsors to pay for his documentary. He makes sales presentations to brands, and the effort to land that money becomes the film itself.

Netflix3.5/5
IMDb6.6/1015,410 votes
Rotten Tomatoes72%

Trailer

Plot summary

Morgan Spurlock sets out to finance his documentary entirely through sponsors, and the search becomes the film. He devises presentations to entice brands into sponsoring the production. He signs non-disparagement clauses with most of the companies shown but keeps final cut. POM Wonderful agrees to pay one million dollars for above-the-title billing, the full amount tied to box office, downloads and media impressions. Mane 'n Tail appears prominently without paying, supplying free products used in the production.

Cast

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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.

Sponsor POM Wonderful agreed to pay $1 million for the above-the-title credit "POM Wonderful Presents," but only in full if the documentary grossed $10 million and hit half a million downloads and DVD sales; by late August 2011 the film had earned only about $638,476.
To help promote the film, the Pennsylvania city of Altoona, home to sponsor Sheetz, officially changed its name for 60 days to "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pennsylvania," for a payment of $25,000.
Director Morgan Spurlock signed non-disparagement agreements with most of the brands he featured in the film, yet still managed to keep final cut of the documentary for himself.
Hair-care brand Mane 'n Tail appears prominently throughout the film, but its own end-title disclosure reveals it never actually paid for the placement, only supplying free product instead.