Credited cast: | |||
Joe Cross | ... | Self | |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Amy Badberg | ... | Self - Doctor |
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Merv Cross | ... | Self - Joe's Father |
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Virginia Cross | ... | Self - Joe's Mother |
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Joel Fuhrman | ... | Self - Nutritionist |
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Tammy Hamlin | ... | Self - The Markey Health Food Store |
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Stacy Kennedy | ... | Self - Senior Clinical Nutritionist, Brigham & Women's Hospital |
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Siong Norte | ... | Self |
Terry Pennington | ... | Self - Owner of Terry's Gun and Pawn | |
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Ronald Penny | ... | Self - Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of NSW, Medical Director, Good Health Solutions (as Prof. Ronald Penny) |
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Mandy Reinking | ... | Self - Hotel Staff |
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Austin Staples | ... | Self - Phil's Son |
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Barry Staples | ... | Self - Phil's Brother (as Barry 'Bear' Staples) |
Phil Staples | ... | Self | |
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William Staples | ... | Self - Phil's Father |
100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well- with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK and NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health. With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long-term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle. While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it's at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers... Written by Jamin Mendelsohn
Great documentary in the style of "Super Size Me." I could have done with less of the cheesy animation but other than that, well done. It definitely made me want to go out and buy a juicer and take a closer look at what I'm eating even though I don't need to lose any weight.
Australian Joe Cross is likable enough as we follow him on his 60 day cross America road trip and juice fast. He's trying to get off the meds, lose weight and get healthy again. Healing himself from the inside out. Along the way he meets and talks to random people.
Where this really gets interesting is in the second half when we meet Phil, an obese truck driver who hits his bottom (or top weight) and phones Joe for help. We then follow him through his first weeks of a new lifestyle of exercise and juicing and you can't help but cheer him along. The mindset in America regarding food is kinda horrifying.