★ 6 / 10
Click here for a video version of this
SierraKiloBravo
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/GDnLyf2Dr18 When it first came out in 2004 _Super Size Me_ was a hit due to its simple concept…
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/GDnLyf2Dr18
When it first came out in 2004 _Super Size Me_ was a hit due to its simple concept and exposé of the fast food industry, specifically McDonalds. To refresh your memory about this documentary classic, here is the official description:
_Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to a diet based only on McDonald's fast food three times a day for thirty days without exercising to try to prove why so many Americans are fat or obese. He submits himself to a complete check-up by three doctors, comparing his weight along the way, resulting in a scary conclusion._
It is a pretty straightforward documentary, Spurlock films himself eating McDonald's for a month and intercuts this with doctor's visits, information on the fast food industry and McDonald's as a company, and conversations with various health professionals. One of the stand out parts for me was when he paid a visit to a school showed the rubbish the kids were being served, and the reaction of the school administrators was interesting. One tried to justify it and laugh it off, whereas one of the ladies from the kitchen was quite resigned to having to serve up this stuff to the kids. She even says something along the lines of "the kitchen tool we use here the most is a box cutter to open this stuff up". Spurlock doesn't just leave it at that, he shows another school that serves healthy lunches to its students for around the same price, to show that it can be done.
Throughout, Spurlock doesn't put his own spin on things, but relies on the information presented to speak for itself. The physical effects his diet had were quite shocking. It is by far not a scientific experiment or approach, but it does show what effect regular long term consumption of fast food can have on your body. As such it is a useful reminder of information we already know. Heck, we knew it back then, and if anything, the consumption of junk of shows no signs of slowing down.
I enjoyed watching this again, and definitely think its worth checking out if its been a while since you saw it. In fact with a sequel now out, perhaps this is a great time for a second look.
Read full review
★ 7 / 10
Not a GREAT movie, but definitely a good and important one. (***)
Ronin47
Fast food is good. I freely admit to running through fast food drive-thrus (Wendy's, Taco Bell and McDonald's being my top 3) often, sometimes several times a…
Fast food is good. I freely admit to running through fast food drive-thrus (Wendy's, Taco Bell and McDonald's being my top 3) often, sometimes several times a week. And I'm not the only one. I'm also one of the many millions of people in the country who are, uh...not thin. Think there's a connection?In "Super Size Me", a documentary from talented debut filmmaker Morgan Spurlock that manages to be both entertaining and horrifying, he attempts to draw a parallel between the fast food culture we live in and the rampant (and ever-increasing) rate of obesity in America. To do this, he launched into a little science experiment. A 33 year-old New Yorker in excellent health, he would eat nothing but McDonald's for an entire month, to gauge the effects on his body. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonald's and whenever they asked him to supersize, he would have to accept. Before starting, he consulted three doctors, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner, all of whom said this experiment obviously wouldn't be GOOD for him, but that the damages would be minimal. Instead, the results were pretty shocking. Spurlock gained almost 30 pounds (over 10 in the first week), saw his cholesterol skyrocket, and experienced frequent nausea, chest pains, mood swings and loss of sex drive.During this month he also drove around the country, interviewing several different people on the topic (including a "Big Mac enthusiast" who has eaten over 19,000 Big Macs). His research on our fast food culture definitely yields some interesting information, especially when he interviews a group of 1st-graders, and more of them can identify Ronald McDonald than Jesus or George Washington. "Super Size Me" isn't perfect. It's a little repetitive and has a certain thinness to it (no pun intended!) that prevents it from being one of the truly great comedic documentaries of recent years like "American Movie" or "Bowling For Columbine". But even if it falls short of greatness, it's an entertaining and thought-provoking film (especially if you're, uh...not thin).Spurlock is a witty and engaging host (sort of like Michael Moore but not as much of a windbag), and I also liked his girlfriend (a vegan chef!) who looks on his experiment with a mixture of amusement, horror, and dismay. Just like we do.
Read full review
92%
TOMATOMETER
· 168 reviews
72%
AUDIENCE
· 250K ratings
7.2/10
115.7K
•••
i love mcdonalds french fries. when i die, they are going to fill my casket with them before they close the lid forever....