Super Size Me (2004)

While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.

Director:

Morgan Spurlock

Writer:

Morgan Spurlock

Stars:

Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Lisa Ganjhu

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Morgan Spurlock	...	Himself
Daryl Isaacs	...	Himself (as Daryl M. Isaacs MD Internal Medicine)
Lisa Ganjhu	...	Herself (as Lisa Ganjhu D.O. Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist)
Stephen Siegel	...	Himself (as Steven Siegel MD FACC Cardiologist)
Bridget Bennett	...	Herself (as Bridget Bennett R.D.)
Eric Rowley	...	Himself - Exercise Physiologist
Mark Fenton	...	Himself - Former Editor: Walking
Alexandra Jamieson	...	Herself - Morgan's Girlfriend (as Healthy Chef Alex)
John Banzhaf	...	Himself - Lawyer (as John F. Banzhaf III)
David Satcher	...	Himself - Former Health Minister (as Dr. David Satcher)
Lisa Young	...	Herself - Nutrition Professor (as Dr. Lisa Young)
Kelly Brownell	...	Himself
Jacob Sullum	...	Himself - Journalist
Tommy Thompson	...	Himself - US Secretary of Health
William J. Klish	...	Himself - Medicine Doctor (as William Klish)

Storyline

Several legal suits have been brought against McDonald's Restaurants that they are knowingly selling food that is unhealthy. Some of the court decisions have stated that the plaintiffs would have a claim if they could prove that eating the food every day for every meal is dangerous. As such, documentarian Morgan Spurlock conducts an unscientific experiment using himself as the guinea pig: eat only McDonald's for thirty days, three meals a day. If he is asked by the clerk if he would like the meal super sized, he has to say yes. And by the end of the thirty days, he will have had to have eaten every single menu item at least once. Before starting the experiment, he is tested by three doctors - a general practitioner, a cardiologist and a gastroenterologist - who pronounce his general health to be outstanding. They will also monitor him over the thirty days to ensure that he is not placing his health into irreparable damage. He also consults with a dietitian/nutritionist and an exercise...

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Plot Keywords:

fast food | experiment | meal | obesity | restaurant | 

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Taglines:

A film of epic portions.

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, sex and drug references, and a graphic medical procedure

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 2004 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Malbouffe à l'américaine

Filming Locations:

Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$34,052 (Hong Kong) (12 November 2004)

Gross:

$55,297 (Hong Kong) (19 November 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kathbur Pictures, Con, The, Studio On Hudson

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the animated sequence that explains the details of McDonalds "Heavy Users" and "Super Heavy Users", one of the cartoon figures is Don Gorske.

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Goofs

John Banzhaf's name is spelled "Banzahf" and "Banzhaf" at different points in the movie.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Children: A Pizza Hut! A Pizza Hut! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! A Pizza Hut! A Pizza Hut! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! McDonalds! McDonalds! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! McDonalds! McDonalds! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! I like food! I like food! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! You like food! You like food! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut!

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Crazy Credits

Among the many people and entities thanked at the end of the movie is the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech and freedom of the press.

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Connections

Referenced in Supersize She (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Blue Danube Waltz"
Performed by Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra
Written by Johann Strauß (as Johann Strauss)
Courtesy of Amadis
By Arrangement with Source Q

User Reviews

It's McFunny 'cuz it's McTrue!

This movie is a documentary for those who hate documentaries. Funny, relatively fast-moving, and a cautionary tale without being preachy. Spurlock is a funny guy and treats his subject with good humour, making us laugh and shake our collective heads over our own poor decision-making. There is no "Ronald is Satan" message here, and no "look how bad Americans are." It is simply a down-to-earth, well paced, insightful and humorous look at how insidiously entrenched The United Corporation of America has become in our institutions and minds, and the consequences therein.

One of my favorite scenes was a peek into a school where the now-famous (and irritating) Jared Fogel (you know...fat guy becomes skinny guy !thanx! to Subway) does a "get fit" speech. Spurlock interviews a mom and her significantly overweight daughter, and the daughter actually laments that of course SHE cannot lose weight like Jared because...and this is priceless...SHE cannot afford to buy/eat two Subway sandwiches a day! So this girl walked away actually believing that the ONLY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT would be to follow Jared's example, VERY SPECIFICALLY, and eat two Subway brand sandwiches each day. So for her, even the SOLUTION to her problem had a corporate logo! Amazingly, she could not even envision the general message of "eat right/exercise more."