Super Size Me (film)
"Super Size Me" is a documentary film released in 2004, directed by Morgan Spurlock, which explores the impact of fast food on health, particularly in relation to the obesity epidemic in the United States. In an effort to investigate the fast-food industry's role in rising obesity rates, Spurlock conducted an experiment where he exclusively consumed McDonald's food for thirty days. His regimen included eating at McDonald's three times daily and accepting "super size" options when offered. The documentary captures Spurlock's alarming physical and mental decline during this period, highlighting significant weight gain and health issues such as elevated cholesterol and mood swings.
Through his personal experience, Spurlock critiques the fast-food industry's marketing strategies, particularly how they target children, and prompts viewers to consider the responsibility of consumers in making informed dietary choices. The film garnered significant attention, winning a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and leading to changes in McDonald's menu offerings. Despite the film's impact, it has faced criticism regarding the validity of Spurlock's methodology, with some arguing that his results were not representative of typical fast-food consumption. In later years, Spurlock's credibility was further questioned due to personal controversies, which have sparked ongoing debate about the film's findings and messages.
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Super Size Me (film)
Identification: A documentary film focused on the fast-food industry and its effects on consumers
Director: Morgan Spurlock (b. 1970)
Date: Released in 2004
The rising obesity rate became a major concern in the United States during the early 2000s. The issue piqued writer and director Morgan Spurlock’s interest, and he began looking for potential causes. Believing that the fast-food industry was largely to blame for the growing epidemic, Spurlock initiated an experiment during which he ate nothing but McDonald’s fast food for thirty days. He recorded his experience on film for his debut documentary, Super Size Me.
The documentary Super Size Me (2004) challenged viewers to take a closer look at the fast-food industry. However, Spurlock challenged himself first by sacrificing his own health and well-being to undertake a thirty-day diet consisting of nothing but McDonald’s fast food. Spurlock set up a number of guidelines for the experiment—he had to eat at McDonald’s three times each day, and he had to try everything on the menu at least once. Additionally, if a clerk asked if he wanted to “super size” his meal, Spurlock had to say yes.
The documentary focused on Spurlock’s rapid physical and mental decline while on the diet. A series of documented visits to the doctor showed that Spurlock was swiftly gaining weight and that the fast-food diet was damaging his liver. During the course of the experiment, Spurlock gained nearly twenty pounds, suffered from mood swings and lethargy, and saw his cholesterol levels soar. In addition to his examination of the physical effects of fast-food consumption, Spurlock also analyzed the effects of the industry’s marketing techniques on consumers, which often targeted children.
In his film, Spurlock presents an array of statistics supporting his case against fast food, but some considered his investigation flawed due to the improbability that someone would eat fast food for every meal. Despite this, Spurlock questions why, given all the evidence pointing to its detriments, American consumers continue to patronize fast-food restaurants. Spurlock’s overall message to viewers is that it is their responsibility to educate themselves about the potential health risks of fast-food consumption and not succumb to the industry’s marketing strategies.
Impact
Spurlock’s film drew attention to the potential hazards of the fast-food industry while also stressing the larger issue of obesity. His attempt to connect the fast-food industry to the rising obesity epidemic interested moviegoers and critics. Super Size Me won a Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination in 2005. Several weeks after Spurlock’s film was released, McDonald’s removed the “super size” option from its menu. The chain also reworked its menu to include healthier options, such as more salads and wraps, and younger franchise owners, in particular, began investigating their supply chains and actively responding to critics. As for Spurlock, it took fourteen months to lose the weight he had gained during thirty days of filmmaking.
A decade after the film's release, in 2014, an Iowa science teacher repeated Spurlock's experiment with his own twist: like Spurlock, he ate at McDonald's three times daily, but he restricted himself to no more than 2,000 calories per day and tried to follow dietary recommendations for macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrate) and cholesterol. He also walked for forty-five minutes per day. After ninety days, his cholesterol levels had fallen and he had lost thirty-seven pounds. Some took this to be a substantive rebuttal to Spurlock's assertion that fast food is inherently hazardous and proof that adhering to nutrition and fitness guidelines is more important to health.
Spurlock released a sequel to Super Size Me in 2017 called Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, in which the director opened his own fast-food restaurant to further explore claims that the industry had been made healthier since the release of his original documentary. In subsequent years, however, Spurlock's original film continued to be questioned and discredited by many observers. In 2018, claims surfaced that Spurlock had been heavily abusing alcohol during the time of his McDonald's experiment, leading critics to question whether his negative health outcomes, especially the effects on his liver, were unrelated to his McDonald's consumption and whether any of his claims could, in fact, be trusted. The previous year Spurlock also admitted to a history of sexual harassment, further tainting his reputation.
Bibliography
Jargon, Julie. "'Super Size Me' Generation Takes Over at McDonald's." Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones, 8 Mar. 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
McAleer, Phelim. "A Big Mac Attack, or a False Alarm?" Wall Street Journal, 23 May 2018, www.wsj.com/articles/a-big-mac-attack-or-a-false-alarm-1527114255. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
NBC News. “McDonald’s Phasing Out Supersize Fries, Drinks.” NBC News. NBCNews.com, 3 Mar. 2004. Web. 2 Aug. 2012.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton, 2001. Print.
Spurlock, Morgan. Don’t Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America. New York: Putnam, 2005. Print.
Tauscheck, Mark. "Science Teacher Creates Documentary Based on McDonald's Diet." KCCI News. Des Moines Hearst Television, 3 Jan. 2014. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.