We bought a few used DVD's the other day at Blockbuster. Super Size Me was one of them. Going into watching this, I was already a big fan of documentaries, and had heard good things about this one in particular.
The gist of the movie is that the filmmaker, Morgan Sperlock, would embark upon a month long adventure of only dining at McDonald's. That means that every meal ... breakfast, lunch, and dinner ... would be items off of their menu. When he started, he was 6' 2", 185 lbs and in good health. When he finished, he weighed 210, his cholesterol had taken a major hit, his percentage of body fat had doubled, etc. The movie follows the daily adventures and steady degradation of his health. Throughout, his health is monitored by 3 doctors, a nutritionist and his vegan girlfriend.
His filming style is very similar to Michael Moore's. It is very funny and flashes back and forth between experts and man-on-the-street type interviews. He is the major star of his documentary ... a lot like Moore's movies. Even though it is funny, it is in a sad way because it is exposing a serious issue: the increasing obesity of our population and specifically, our children. It goes into how we are all indoctrinated into gross consumerism even at a young age. Who doesn't know a child that can identify the golden arches by the time they are 3? Plus, the food industry is not interested in having a healthy populace but rather just wants to maintain generation after generation of consumers.
If you like Michael Moore documentaries, you will like this film. It is irreverent and doesn't take itself too seriously. So, if you are afraid of this being some stuffy, scholarly type documentary, don't worry. I highly recommend it (and you can borrow our copy if you'd like).
4 hours ago
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