VICTORIA TIRADO
ENG 2010
ARGYLE
Review
Supersize Me, the 2004 documentary that shocked
American, revealed just how much fast food can affect us.
Supersize Me is a documentary about Morgan Spurlock who ate
food from McDonalds each meal for thirty days. It documented
how this type of lifestyle affected Mr. Spurlock's physical and
psychological well-being.
One reason this movie was made was because of how
rapidly obesity has spread among the United States. Another
reason was because several law suits were made against
McDonalds claiming that they were selling food that they knew was unhealthy. And the courts
ruled that the plaintiffs would have a valid claim if they could prove that eating McDonalds was
bad for a person’s health. That’s when Spurlock personally explored the consequences of his
health by having a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
“This Sundance Film Festival Award winner examines not only what fast food did to
Spurlock but also what it is doing to our school lunch programs, our nutritional education, and
our corporate culture” (Hagloch120). “In 1992 about 13 per cent of Americans were clinically
obese. Only 10 years later that figure had rocketed to 22 percent and in the three fattest states,
Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia, it was over 25 percent” (Motluk).
Many critics have said that the movie repeated something that everyone already knew,
that fast food is bad for us. The movie did meet common expectations. For we know that if a
person ate nothing but fast food for a month that there would be some negative side effects. This
is common knowledge. And yet the movie went into more detail showing how Mr. Spurlock on
the second day of his experiment had already started to feel discomfort in his stomach.
I remember when I first saw this movie when I was in middle school as part of my health
class. Supersize Me helped to show us how having a healthy diet that consisted of the main food
groups was better for us compared to a meal from McDonalds which was a strategic move by my
teacher. Due to the fact he obesity rate among U.S. youth is twice what it was two decades ago.
One eighth of all American children are currently obese; a quarter of them are overweight
(McCormick).
While watching the movie there is a scene in which they show how long it takes for
McDonalds French fries to decompose. After about eight weeks the fries look like they had just
been made. And it was because of all the chemicals that go into it. This is food that we eat more
often then we should. This is partly due to our easy access, and some say obsession to fast food,
in the U.S.A. McDonalds alone isn’t to blame for our obesity crises. Many other factors are a
part of the problem. But it does have a huge part along with many other fast food chains and
company that sells unhealthy snacks, drinks, candy etc.
The movie was effective since it showed us in a funny comedic way how bad our choices
are. We seem to point fingers and not realize that we are all committing the same mistake. In the
movie we can see with our own eyes how fast Mr. Spurlock gained weight in a short amount of
time. The movie goes on to explain how he starts to feel depressed and sick and that the only
way to cure those symptoms was to eat more McDonalds. That’s describing an addiction, how
you’re body feels sick and can’t function properly if it doesn’t have what it’s addicted to.
Overall this movie did succeed in showing and informing the viewer on obesity. It
showed the negative side effects like excessive fat, a palpitating heart and other health issues that
can easily be avoided. Want to learn a bit more about obesity then Supersize Me is the right
movie, I also suggest not eating fast food before seeing it for those with a weak stomach.
Works cited
Supersiza Me.Dir.Morgan Spurlock.Kathbar pictures,2004.DVD
Hagloch, Susan B. "Supersize Me: A Film Of Epic Proportions." Library Journal 130.2 (2005): 120.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 July 2012.
McCormick, Patrick. "Supersize Me." U.S. Catholic 67.3 (2002): 46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 July
2012.
Motluk, Alison. "Supersize Me." New Scientist 184.2471 (2004): 46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9
July 2012.