SUPER SIZE ME (Theatrical Release USA 2004)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.0|5.0 Stars ìììì

Super Size Me—a documentary meant to be an eye opener and, yes, it’s worth your money—tells about changes in the fast food industry and school lunch rooms. The film has some sexual references, but is mostly okay for the teen/adult audience. This film attempts to address the question: Is America’s love for ingesting fast food the main reason behind its populations’ burgeoning weight?

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Morgan Spurlock decides to eat nothing but McDonald’s fast food for 30 days to measure the effect on his weight and his health. He stops his usual exercise routine and completely switches from a healthful dietary routine to a completely fast food diet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  He gains 24 and ½ pounds in 30 days, suffers from bouts of depression and decreased libido, and finds personal energy severely depleted. Three doctors and a nutritionist record the state of his health at the beginning of the diet. The internist recommends stopping the experiment before the 30 days completes due to Spurlock’s rapidly deteriorating health.

Additional Thanks

Great work for Director Morgan Spurlock. Thank you to Executive Producers Joe Morley and Heather Winters for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Morgan Spurlock as Morgan Spurlock and Alexandra Jamieson as Morgan Spurlock’s girlfriend.

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. The film seems informative, but this experiment does not follow good scientific procedure, has an exceptionally small sample size (one person), and may not portray the whole story truthfully. It is unknown whether Morgan Spurlock’s sugar/fat intake follows the average pattern of a McDonald’s customer or if his diet follows a higher sugar/fat intake than the usual McDonald's customer. Because the experiment has not followed usual scientific study processes, the conclusion becomes flawed, irrelevant and classifies the film as a propaganda film that seems to serve other interests.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers