Super Size Me
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Movie Reviews of Super Size Me
Movie Review: Entertaining, disturbing, and eye-opening
Summary: 5 Stars
Every single person needs to watch this documentary. I don't care if you never eat fast food. It's still a must-see.
It's an incredible documentary that explores the dangers of fast food and how disgustingly unhealthy it is for you.
It also shows the corruption of big companies like McDonald's and other fast food chains. They KNOW that their food is making America the fattest nation in the world, yet the choose not to do anything about their hazardous food.
What's more, they specifically market to little children so that the kids are hooked for life.
Now I'm not saying they force us to eat their food. Obviously everyone has the choice to abstain, but most people don't. McDonald's capitalizes on this and profits from the skyrocketing obesity rates of our country.
They only want your money, and don't care if you eat yourself to death.
In fact, that is what they'd prefer; buy so much of their food that it makes them richer.
Seriously, if you get the chance you should rent or buy 'Supersize Me'. The guy eats 3 McDonalds meals per day for 30 days, and the results are alarming as they outline the long-term effects of people eating it just 2 or 3 times a week.
It adds up, folks. Do your research, starting with this film.
It's a funny documentary at times, serious when he's confronted by his doctors, and thought-provoking all around.
The only thing that upset me a little is an offensive picture of a mockery of The Last Supper. On the eve of his 30 day Mcdiet, he eats some healthy food prepared by his vegetarian girlfriend. The picture before that scene is... quite rude. Enough to offend those who believe as I do.
Oh yeah, apparently eating too much McDonalds kills your libido and performance as well. His girlfriend went into a little too much detail and for some reason they felt the need to include it here.
But other than that I was blown away by its quality. Morgan Spurlock does an excellent job of asking the right questions and getting the answers that aren't all that pretty.
The love of money is the root of all evil. I'll tell you what's evil: capitalizing on the poor eating habits of Americans so that they get fatter and fatter while people starve to death in other countries.
People are still accountable for the things they eat, and are just as guilty for not caring about the bodies that God gave them. This doesn't lessen the guilt of chains like McD's, though.
Obesity is set to overtake smoking as the number 1 preventable cause of death. The rest of the world already hates us, and soon we will be the laughing stock of the entire planet as we eat ourselves to death.
Movie Review: A film that changed America
Summary: 5 Stars
Movies come out all the time that are intended to change the world, such as Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" that tried to affect the outcome of the 2004 presidential election. However, rarely does a film succeed in changing things the way this little movie did and contntinues to do so.
By now you must know this movie is one filmmaker's personal journey through fast food America, living for 30 days on McDonald's and "super sizing" every meal when requested. His health deteriorates and he is a changed man 30 days later, a testimony to the changes fast food has wrought on America.
While this film brought great respect and admiration to one filmmaker, it did far more -- it changed the way American fast food operates. In effect, "SuperSize Me" coalesced three forces in American society and brought them immediately to the attention of the public and boards of directors of America's fast food delivery agents. Those forces are:
-- A staggering increase in the levels of obesity in American children.
-- A growing knowledge that most poor children receiving national health care, or Medicaid, eat French fries almost every day.
-- Warnings by offialdom in American government to change the dietary habits of newborns and children, leaning out the fat and loading up on vegetables and other nonfat foods that aid growth and development.
These events all coalesced around the release of this remarkable little film, which did more than anything in history to document the nutritional failure of fast food and its "super size me" culture. Even though the company denied it, there was no coincidence that McDonald's went to a healthier menu immediately upon release of this movie and now aggressively promotes healthier alternatives in its food offerings.
The rest of fast food America gathered in lockstep and followed the giant's lead by adding salads, carrots and other low fat high nutrition menu items and recommending replacement of French fries as their staple food item.
We all owe enterprising filmmaker Morgan Spurlock a great debt of gratitude for exposing unnutritional American habits in a way that is funny, entertaining and interesting. This movie grips you from the very beginning and doesn't relent, all the time entertaining while exposing. The DVD offering includes extra footage on the changes in fast food culture that double the message of the movie.
Here is indeed a moment in time when pop culture America changed health America in a very positive way. This is one of the best uses of cinema since the eight-hour "Shoah" exposed the lingering feelings of some Germans about the Holocaust.
Movie Review: This is a GREAT dvd. Well worth the money.
Summary: 5 Stars
I rented this dvd and watched it several times (including with commentary), then I purchased it and gave it to my nephew. And now I'm going to buy another copy for myself. I also bought The Great American Detox Diet which was written by Alex Jamieson.
People who says things like "this stuff is obvious!" or "this is dumb!" are missing the point in my opinion. Parts of this dvd are meant to be entertaining and are more comedic, other parts are serious, but it's all informative. You can't make a movie that says nothing but "McDeath! McDeath!" for an hour and a half and expect people to learn anything. They balanced many, many things and did it REALLY well.
On the commentary track, he mentions that he knows most people don't eat EVERY meal at McDonald's, but they might eat breakfast at McDonald's, lunch at Burger King, and dinner at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Or they might eat dinner at home which consists of Cheetos, pizza, and Diet Pepsi. It happens more often than people want to admit! The point is that we should think about what we're putting into our bodies and make educated choices. Also, heavy meat consumption can cause impotence, so if nothing else (like death) gets your attention maybe that will.
Also, I think McDonald's using birthday parties, playgrounds, nutritionally devoid Happy Meals with the ever present "free" toy, is pretty creepy when you really look at what they're doing to kids. (Think Joe Camel.)
I guess parents are supposed to be the villains that say "No Johnny! You can't have the (fill-in-the-blank) Happy Meal! You're gettin' a SALAD!!! The sound you're now hearing is Johnny on the floor shrieking at the top of his lungs. Bon Apetit. Well now they let you substitute apple slices for the fries in Happy Meals, but I think it comes with sugary caramel dipping sauce, so I don't know if that's really an improvement or not.
Anyway, watching Morgan deteriorate over the 30 day period is like watching a time lapse video of a slow suicide. Some people wonder why they gained 40 pounds after high school, "when they weren't looking". Well, the amount of exercise we get (if any) and our food choices are to blame.
I think Morgan's main complaint with McDonald's is their claim that their food is healthy and meant to be eaten every day, their limited amount of healthy food choices, and the way they market to children by using clowns and TV shows.
P.S. This isn't an anti-meat dvd because Morgan loves his pork, especially ham!!! And you CAN eat somewhat healthier food at fast food restaurants if you exercise a little will power. Just lay off the kids Micky D's.
Movie Review: I'm going to be sick
Summary: 5 Stars
I always liked fast food ever since I was a kid, but this movie (along with the book Fast Food Nation that came out a few years before) taught me to hate it.
Morgan Spurlock was an extreme example of what can happen if and when you eat fast food. He was a healthy, active man who ate vegan (thanks to his girlfriend being a vegan chef) and lived in New York where most people walk miles rather than spend on transportation. Until recently it was hard for me to believe that there are lots of "heavy users" out there, people who eat fast food everyday. It was even harder for me to believe that people ate it for every single meal. When you start working full time, though, you WILL believe. It is a testiment to an unwillingness to choose wisely, lack of discipline, and for instant gratification. Our waistlines are expanding like never before, and we are having to fight fat practically from the craddle. Who is responsible? WE ARE.
If the ad says BUY THIS, will you buy it? You don't have to if you don't want to. It's the old addage: If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Hopefully the answer is no, but we aren't saying no to this.
The experts made some very valid points in terms of marketing measures that McDonalds (and other fast food companies) have taken that are causing these problems: Portions are out of control huge, there is a McDonalds restaurant around every corner, prices are cheap, etc. We're supposed to love McDonalds. We are conditioned to eat there from childhood on. But it's two steps away from eating dogfood out of a can and they fill it with flavorings to make it taste so good. We turn a blind eye to so many things just because it tastes good.
One thing that really amazed me was when Spurlock was under a psychiatrist's care, as I experienced something similar. He said he felt very depressed during this experiment for no reason, and they only time he felt happy again was when he was eating this food. I immediately stopped eating fast food after that, as I suddenly understood what he was talking about. And I'm not depressed or tired anymore for no reason. Plus I have more energy because I'm not filling my body with rocket fuel anymore.
It takes effort to be successful, whether it's your job, your personal life, or, in this case your diet. If you make an effort to eat at least one piece of fruit or one vegetable everyday you will be head and shoulders above 85% of the population. And it's not easy, as there is a McDonalds around every corner, but you'll be happier that you resisted a temptation like that.
Movie Review: McNastiness
Summary: 5 Stars
The current trend towards obesity in the US is not a difficult one to notice, and yet so many people turn their backs on it. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock does just the opposite. He throws it in the faces of the movie-going public with a unique and intelligent fervor, akin to that of Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. Spurlock states "Super Size Me is one man's journey into the world of weight gain, health problems and fast food. It's an examination of the American way of life and the influence that has had on our children, the nation and the world at large." Furthermore, "It's a film about corporate responsibility and personal responsibility," and indeed this film is just that.
Spurlock spends 30 grueling days eating nothing but McDonalds food, and exploits the health risks accompanying such a lifestyle in the process. Under the supervision of three medical doctors and a nutritionist, Spurlock's health steadily declines, his weight steadily increases, and his cholesterol skyrockets. All the while, his vegan chef girlfriend, Alex Jamieson, is in the background rolling her eyes.
Interspersed throughout the documentation of Spurlock's McDiet are highly intriguing facts regarding the food industry and its somewhat less-than-benign ventures, as well as interviews with key people who have attempted to urge the public to change their eating habits for the better (such as author John Robbins and former Surgeon General David Satcher). Though this film is chock full of facts and statistics, Spurlock is not without witty repartee and humor. In other words, this is not your average snore-inducing PBS special.
I must agree with the criticism this film has received for not being as scientific as it could have been, as his personal results may not be representative of what others would experience (the Big Mac fanatic Eric Gorske is a prime example of this). Nonetheless, his results are still rather eye-opening and almost vomit-inducing. The public should be aware of the things they are placing in their mouths everyday, and the effects those things could potentially have on them.
This is definitely a movie worth buying and watching over and over again, particularly when you get the urge to go grab a meal from a local fast food joint. This film caused McDonalds to put an end to Super-sizing before it even entered theaters, and that in itself should say something. For more information on the malevolence of the fast food industry, go and read Fast Food Nation as well!