One of the interesting things about the Internet is its sense of
kinship, and the manner in which communal devotion to certain sites —
be it Evite, Ebay or CNN.com, all the way down to the littlest user
group — is slowly eroding
the shared experience of other
entertainment… like films, let’s say. It’s somewhat ironic, then, that
director Michael Ferris Gibson chose to make a documentary about
craigslist.org, the seventh most visited site on the Web.
24 Hours on Craigslist
is a weird and fascinating little flick, jointly illuminating and
disposable. For young hipsters on the move and those seeking to swap
all manner of goods and services alike, the site is a one-stop
emporium: with a few clicks and keystrokes, you can find a new
apartment, job, furniture, pet and lover. Eight million users a month
post classified listings, and it’s not just Joe and Jane Consumer
looking to unload their crappy collection of vinyl Christmas albums.
Businesses big and small alike post on craigslist.org because they
recognize its widespread communal appeal and devoted client base.
Started by Craig Newark in San Francisco in 1995, the site features
all your typical regionalized classified listings, and literally a
subcategory and/or specialized niche of interest for every type of
person. Gibson wanted to document a random day in the life of the site
and its users, and 24 Hours on Craigslist was born. Hiring
eight film crews — through postings on the site, naturally — and
submitting to a date drawn randomly by Newark himself (that would be
August 4, 2003), Gibson oversaw a filming process that generated more
than 200 hours of footage. Letting users in the San Francisco area on
that day opt in by checking a box during their postings, the film
represents a truly haphazard sampling of tech-age Americana.
And the results are out there. An Ethel Merman drag queen searches
for the perfect backup band for her Led Zeppelin covers; a metal chef
who names all his dishes after Slayer songs lands employment; a woman
who just lost her friend in a car accident searches for a new roommate;
and “normal” folks look to unload six strollers and 250 pairs of Army
surplus women’s pants, respectively, the latter for a bag of freshly
made cookies. Heck, there’s even a diabetic cat support group.
It isn’t necessarily deep on plumbing sociological insights, but where
24 Hours on Craigslist
really comes alive is in its voluminous slate of DVD extras — over four
hours of deleted scenes and bonus footage, including a 15-minute
making-of documentary on the marshalling of resources, a 16-minute look
at the staff of craigslist.org and, yes, an interview with Newark
himself. Still, will people find this entertaining?
Will they pay money
to extend their “brand” experience and watch a movie about a web site?
Don’t bet against it. At the very least they’ll swap it on the site.
C+ (Movie) A- (Disc) 
