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:

The first ever reality-based movie ... everything begins and ends in 30 days!

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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

Morgan Spurlock shot 250 hours of footage. About 0.66% of this footage appears in the final cut.

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Goofs

The Blue Danube Waltz is by Johann Strauß not by Richard Strauss.

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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

Spoofed in Jack Me (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Shimmy She Wobble"
Performed by Otha Turner and the Afrossippi Allstars
Written by Otha Turner
Courtesy of Birdman Records

User Reviews

Not a GREAT movie, but definitely a good and important one. (***)

Fast food is good. I freely admit to running through fast food drive-thrus (Wendy's, Taco Bell and McDonald's being my top 3) often, sometimes several times a week. And I'm not the only one. I'm also one of the many millions of people in the country who are, uh...not thin. Think there's a connection?

In "Super Size Me", a documentary from talented debut filmmaker Morgan Spurlock that manages to be both entertaining and horrifying, he attempts to draw a parallel between the fast food culture we live in and the rampant (and ever-increasing) rate of obesity in America.

To do this, he launched into a little science experiment. A 33 year-old New Yorker in excellent health, he would eat nothing but McDonald's for an entire month, to gauge the effects on his body. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonald's and whenever they asked him to supersize, he would have to accept.

Before starting, he consulted three doctors, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner, all of whom said this experiment obviously wouldn't be GOOD for him, but that the damages would be minimal.

Instead, the results were pretty shocking. Spurlock gained almost 30 pounds (over 10 in the first week), saw his cholesterol skyrocket, and experienced frequent nausea, chest pains, mood swings and loss of sex drive.

During this month he also drove around the country, interviewing several different people on the topic (including a "Big Mac enthusiast" who has eaten over 19,000 Big Macs). His research on our fast food culture definitely yields some interesting information, especially when he interviews a group of 1st-graders, and more of them can identify Ronald McDonald than Jesus or George Washington.

"Super Size Me" isn't perfect. It's a little repetitive and has a certain thinness to it (no pun intended!) that prevents it from being one of the truly great comedic documentaries of recent years like "American Movie" or "Bowling For Columbine".

But even if it falls short of greatness, it's an entertaining and thought-provoking film (especially if you're, uh...not thin).

Spurlock is a witty and engaging host (sort of like Michael Moore but not as much of a windbag), and I also liked his girlfriend (a vegan chef!) who looks on his experiment with a mixture of amusement, horror, and dismay. Just like we do.