Freakonomics: The Movie is a feature documentary based on the New York Times bestseller by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner. Using a combination of economics and pop culture, Freakonomics is an innovative and insightful exploration using statistical data to shatter our preconceived notions of how the world works. This film adaptation will bring together some of today’s foremost documentarians including: Eugene Jereki, Alex Gibney, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, Seth Gordon and Morgan Spurlock. Each director will adapt one of the chapters from the book, together forming the complete film.
We will be adapting the chapter: Would a Roshanda by any other Name Smell as Sweet. In this, we will explore whether your name has any impact on the person you will ultimately become. Using Morgan Spurlock’s unique brand of populism and pop-culture, our examination will include various naming trends, socio-economic factors and a brief history of some of the most egregiously terrible names in history. Our section will employ graphics and animation to enliven the statistical data that that has been the hallmark of Freakonomics. We plan on shooting in a variety of neighborhoods and speaking to an eclectic mix of ethnicities, economic classes and various people who believe that their name has had a direct impact on how their life has turned out.
The book relied heavily on the research of Harvard Economics Professor, Dr. Roland G Freyer and he will also serve as an integral part of our story as well. In addition to Dr. Freyer, we will speaking to a variety of experts, human resource professionals, baby naming consultants, midwives, and astrologers in order to determine whether one name truly has more power than another.
What really happened to that boy named Sue? Did Robert Lane really name his sons Winner and Loser? Did it really affect their entire destinies? A Roshanda by any other name may smell as sweet, but naming your kid Loser, well that’s just plain criminal.
