An entertaining look at America's obesity epidemic and a lively exploration of personal versus corporate responsibility.
Super Size Me (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:164
Fresh:152
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Entertaining doc about the adverse effects of eating fast food.
Theatrical Release:10-09-2004
Synopsis: Why are Americans so fat? Find out in Super Size Me, a tongue in-cheek - and burger in hand -- look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food. Ominously, 37%... Why are Americans so fat? Find out in Super Size Me, a tongue in-cheek - and burger in hand -- look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food. Ominously, 37% of American children and adolescents are carrying too much fat and 2 out of every three adults are overweight or obese. Is it our fault for lacking self-control, or are the fast-food corporations to blame? Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock hit the road and interviewed experts in 20 U.S. cities, including Houston, the "Fattest City" in America. From Surgeon Generals to gym teachers, cooks to kids, lawmakers to legislators, these authorities shared their research, opinions and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth. During the journey, Spurlock also put his own body on the line, living on nothing but McDonald's for an entire month with three simple rules: 1) No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!) 2) No supersizing unless offered 3) No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once It all adds up to a fat food bill, harrowing visits to the doctor, and compelling viewing for anyone who's ever wondered if man could live on fast food alone. The film explores the horror of school lunch programs, declining health and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to lose weight and regain their health. Super Size Me is a satirical jab in the stomach, overstuffed with fat and facts about the billion-dollar industry besieged by doctors, lawyers and nutritionists alike. "Would you like fries with that?" will never sound the same! [More]
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Studio: Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films
Reviews for Super Size Me
A wild and wicked film that should make anyone think twice before grabbing that Egg McMuffin on the way to work or 'treating' their kids to a meal almost engineered to make them sick.
So fast and funny that you almost forget how fundamentally stupid the whole thing is.
[A] gripping, often funny, unfailingly gut-wrenching burp of a documentary about America's fast-food industry and one man's (his) greasy descent into its cholesterol-clogged bowels.
This is the documentary that caused a sensation at Sundance 2004 and allegedly inspired McDonald's to discontinue its 'super size' promotions as a preemptive measure.
[Spurlock’s] like a jovial frat boy bingeing on burgers instead of beer.
One thing you'll definitely think twice about is going out and grabbing a burger on the way home.
At once both hysterical and stomach turning, Morgan Spurlock's documentary about living on fast food is a poignant achievement.
Hilarious, honest and heartfelt documentary about America's obsession with fast food offers plenty of food for thought.
Super Size Me packs a lot of good information, witty visual aids and expert testimonials into its fast 96 minutes, and all the bad eating certainly makes for compelling if at times repugnant viewing.
Works despite itself, both as sensationalist, occasionally nauseating entertainment, and as an emphatic condemnation of the golden arches.
For all of the huffing and puffing and hurling, the film doesn’t really make the sort of lasting impact that a truly effective work might have.
An entertaining, and occasionally horrifying, statement of the obvious.
Tasty while you take it in, but larded down with empty cinematic calories.
Latest News for Super Size Me
May 09, 2008:
RT Interview: Morgan Spurlock on the Personal, the Political and Osama bin Laden
The documentarian comes over all Kandahar as we talk his latest, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?. More...
December 06, 2007:
Freakonomics Headed to a Theater near You
Perhaps you've heard of Freakonomics, the bestselling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and thought it sounded interesting, but never found out, on account of how... More...
December 20, 2005:
"Super Size" Guy to Take on "Science"
Morgan Spurlock, director of the hit documentary "Super Size Me," will soon turn his cameras towards a documentary adaptation of Chris Mooney's "The Republican... More...
September 09, 2005:
Spurlock Signs on to "Class Act"
Morgan Spurlock, who famously endured a month of eating nothing but burgers and fries and capturing his experience in the documentary "Super Size Me," is reuniting... More...
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