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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
SUPER SIZE ME
Director Morgan Spurlock begins his assault on the fast food industry with a spew of horrific
statistics: since 1980, the number of obese Americans has doubled; obesity is second only to
smoking in preventative death; one in four Americans goes to a fast food franchise everyday. He
poses the question, would it be dangerous to eat only fast food every
day for a month? During this experiment - “every eight-year-old’s
dream” - he will not exercise or walk more than the average American.
If McDonald’s sells it, he’ll eat it. And if offered, he’ll order the gigantic Super Size meal, with
retching results. Given the introductory statistical information, what will happen to Spurlock over
the course of the experiment will be of little surprise.
Unlike the righteous anger of Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine), Spurlock’s point
of view
is more of amazement as the state of his health deteriorates, as well
as amusement regarding the prevalence of fast food. One of many interviews includes a group of
tourists in front of the White House muddling through the national anthem, yet one of them
recites - without hesitation - a McDonald’s campaign slogan. (You’ll probably know it, too.)
Even as Spurlock repeatedly calls the chairman/CEO of McDonald’s for
an interview, he knows he already has his answer.
Interspersed talking heads of U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher and Secretary of Health
Tommy Thompson add weight to this fast-paced, humorous rant. Less insightful are interviews
with teenagers, which deal more with body image, and a detour into stomach stapling. Although
Spurlock refreshingly lacks the indignation of Moore, there is a sense of self-congratulation.
Voyeuristic footage of obese people, shot from the neck down, veers toward a freak show.
Still, the film succeeds for the
most part because Spurlock is likable. He’s like a jovial
frat boy binging on burgers instead of beer. Kent Turner
DVD Extras: Apparently the film wasn't long enough for the plethora of information director Morgan Spurlock racked up in his 30-day McDonald's-diet. He hilariously shares many bits of fast food trivia. An example: one fast food chain in one day produces enough garbage to fill up the entire Empire State Building. On a different note, a supermarket guru explains how the store aisles in the U.S. subliminally market junk food to children. Also included are interviews of people whose lives rotate around McDonald's - Bob and Myra Baugher, who have spent 20-some years and about $30,000 on their collection of McDonald's toys and products, and "The McDonald's Project," a team of young product designers who make such innovations as blankets for the homeless made of recycled cheeseburger wrappers. A highlight is an extensive interview with Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, who adds new and more refined details about the fast food epidemic in America today. And for those who want to see just how unnatural fast food is, Spurlock works in another experiment that tests how long McDonald's food lasts - an eye-popping outcome that will change your view of the Golden Arches forever. Hazuki Aikawa, journalist, director of the documentary Yancha
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