Super Size Me Review

Director: Morgan Spurlock
Screenplay: Morgan Spurlock
Starring: Morgan Spurlock
Gross Revenue: $20,641,054
Rotten Tomatoes Tomato meter: 93%
IMDB Rating: 7.6
 Everyone knows that fast food is bad for the body.  It is high in saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, and other things your body doesn't need in mass quantities.  But what would happen if someone ate nothing but fast food, McDonald's to be specific, for 30 days?  That is the question that journalist Morgan Spurlock sets out to answer in his youth-oriented documentary.  What follows is an interesting, albeit predictable journey into the dark world of fast food.
     Morgan Spurlock was inspired to do this documentary, after watching a news broadcast about two girls who were suing McDonald's for "supposedly" making them fat.  What an interesting concept.  Why sue the fast food companies for something that is a conscious decision based upon the will of the consumer?  No one is making someone buy the fast food, it is based on their own free will....supposedly.  However, this same argument could be used in arguments against the tobacco companies, which were successfully sued against...and the companies lost.  So is fast food any different?  And how bad is fast food....really?  After interviewing THREE different doctors, Morgan is told that eating nothing but fast food for 30 days should not have any major effects on his body.  And thus the experiment begins...
     The results are quite alarming.  He gained around 20 pounds, and his cholesterol and several other body levels shot up to very unhealthy levels.  He started having heart and liver problems.  Continuing past the 30 day mark could have severely endangered his life.
    Despite the alarming findings, I am a little skeptical of Morgan Spurlock's opinions.  I am not convinced that there is a psychological addiction built into the food like there is in drugs.  It is undoubtedly unhealthy, but no sane person would eat that much fast food in such a short period of time.  (He was told he ate the same amount of fast food that normal people eat over an eight. year time span...in one month).  I do believe that fast food companies are contributing to the massive obesity problem among America's youth, and need to provide healthier alternative options, (which as of this writing, they do) so that kids aren't bombarded with an unhealthy message.  However, I believe that it is ultimately the responsibility of the consumer what kind of food they put into their mouth, and it is not the fault of the fast food companies that one eats so much fast food that they become overweight.

    Morgan Spurlock's documentary style is perfect for a younger demographic, ranging from pre-teens to teenagers.  His subject is directly related to youth concerns (fast food) and does not contain concepts and themes that are too dark or heavy for a young audience.  It even contains cute little aniamtions to help better illustrate Spurlock's talking points.  Another feature that I enjoyed is Morgan's interaction with the camera.  He was very much the subject of the documentary, which helped guide the narrative.  The methodology of the documentary was also ingenious.  Consuming fast food for 30 days is a much better hook for viewers then a simple expose on the fast food industry.  It separates it from the average run-of the-mill documentary.
    In summary, despite some disagreements on the main points, Super Size Me is an enjoyable documentary. Morgan Spurlock is very dedicated to his subject material, as noted by his consumption of McDonald's for 30 days.  His witty commentary combined with the relatable subject material makes for an educational and entertaining documentary for all ages, but particularly the youth.   3.5/5
"Who do you want to see go first?  You...or them?" - Referring to whether Americans want to see fast food companies die first, or the people.