A terrific film that takes the seemingly not-so-sexy subjects of health, nutrition, and corporate greed and turns them into informative entertainment.
Super Size Me (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:164
Fresh:152
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Entertaining doc about the adverse effects of eating fast food.
Theatrical Release:May 7, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $11,014,972
Synopsis: Why are Americans so fat? Find out in Super Size Me, a tongue in-cheek - and burger in hand -- look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food. Ominously, 37%... Why are Americans so fat? Find out in Super Size Me, a tongue in-cheek - and burger in hand -- look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food. Ominously, 37% of American children and adolescents are carrying too much fat and 2 out of every three adults are overweight or obese. Is it our fault for lacking self-control, or are the fast-food corporations to blame? Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock hit the road and interviewed experts in 20 U.S. cities, including Houston, the "Fattest City" in America. From Surgeon Generals to gym teachers, cooks to kids, lawmakers to legislators, these authorities shared their research, opinions and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth. During the journey, Spurlock also put his own body on the line, living on nothing but McDonald's for an entire month with three simple rules: 1) No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!) 2) No supersizing unless offered 3) No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once It all adds up to a fat food bill, harrowing visits to the doctor, and compelling viewing for anyone who's ever wondered if man could live on fast food alone. The film explores the horror of school lunch programs, declining health and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to lose weight and regain their health. Super Size Me is a satirical jab in the stomach, overstuffed with fat and facts about the billion-dollar industry besieged by doctors, lawyers and nutritionists alike. "Would you like fries with that?" will never sound the same! [More]
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Studio: Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films
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Reviews for Super Size Me
Proves something many of us suspected - that fast food is poison. Tantalizing, low-cost poison. Oversaturated, grease-sopped poison. Mass-marketed, addictive poison.
Although Spurlock's movie is thought-provoking and downright funny, he doesn't exactly play fair.
...it's unfortunate that the place of pride belongs to Spurlock's self-mortification.
Super Size Me can be frivolous and slightly smug, but it certainly puts the question of America's health squarely on the table -- and in a wonderfully entertaining way.
A wonderful achievement -- entertaining, engrossing, and never far from grossing out.
Super Size Me is McBrilliant and may be one of the most important documentaries you'll ever see. Read on->
This reviewer, for one, hasn't been back to the Golden Arches since seeing the film.
In a way it functions as the mental, emotional, and aesthetic equivalent of junk food; two hours after you see it, you're hungry again, even though your brain has gotten fatter.
This is the documentary that caused a sensation at Sundance 2004 and allegedly inspired McDonald's to discontinue its 'super size' promotions as a preemptive measure.
Tasty while you take it in, but larded down with empty cinematic calories.
Underscores the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own health, and it does so in a frequently humorous and self-deprecating way. Plenty of food for thought.
Latest News for Super Size Me
May 09, 2008:
RT Interview: Morgan Spurlock on the Personal, the Political and Osama bin Laden
The documentarian comes over all Kandahar as we talk his latest, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?. More...
December 06, 2007:
Freakonomics Headed to a Theater near You
Perhaps you've heard of Freakonomics, the bestselling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and thought it sounded interesting, but never found out, on account of how... More...
December 20, 2005:
"Super Size" Guy to Take on "Science"
Morgan Spurlock, director of the hit documentary "Super Size Me," will soon turn his cameras towards a documentary adaptation of Chris Mooney's "The Republican... More...
September 09, 2005:
Spurlock Signs on to "Class Act"
Morgan Spurlock, who famously endured a month of eating nothing but burgers and fries and capturing his experience in the documentary "Super Size Me," is reuniting... More...
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