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How Morgan Spurlock Is Opening Up A Big 'N' Tasty Can Of Worms With His Award-Winning Doc SUPER-SIZE ME

Published at:  May 05, 2004 1:08:26 AM CDT

Father Geek here posting a great interview by Elston Gunn... but be prepared, you may never look at your burger and fries the same again...

Its rather weird that just as this report arrived in my E-mail here at Austin's Geek Headquarters a knock on the door drew me away from my work station... what awaited the opening of the heavy headquarter's Spidey adorned oaken entrance? Ahhhh, a mere whisp of a lass in a UPS outfit holding a large box from Theatrical Distribution Services out in Van Nuys, California.

Oh, joy... what tremendous Tinseltown treasures have been sent to the hard working AICN staff this evening, what saucy seductive swag lay within the white shipping carton... its heavy and from the box shape and size my guess is... a large assortment of pre-release DVD's, at least a couple of dozen 2-disc sets... I love this job! NOPE!!! Wrong! The box is cold, very very cold... I rip it open... first I encounter foil, then foam, then DRY ICE (5 lbs of it), then... then infamous White Castle Hamburgers! Yes, my fellow geeks, in their infinite wisdom someone (Director Danny Leiner?) shipped us some of the legendary burgers just as I'm reading the interview below with SUPERSIZE ME Director Morgan Spurlock. Now THAT is weird! I'll say it again... I LOVE THIS JOB!!!

Now here's Elston...


BIG MACS, SMALL BUDGET, REGULAR GUY:

by Elston Gunn


You may have recently seen the self-explanitory headlines which read
"McDonald's Drops Super Size Servings" and "McDonald's Adult Happy Meal Aims
To Improve Image." However, the company claims it has nothing to do with the
release of the film SUPER SIZE ME, a dark comedic documentary by Morgan
Spurlock ("I Bet You Will") wherein the filmmaker subjects himself to a
month-long experiment of eating nothing but McDonald's meals three times a
day without exercising or taking vitamins. The results, shocking or not,
are disturbing. Shot on a shoestring budget, the film shows more than just
the cause-and-effect of McEating for a month. Spurlock, a native of West
Virginia (which has the third highest obesity rate in America), also manages
to look at the obesity problem in the U.S. from multiple angles as well as,
thankfully, possible solutions. On top of that, the film earned the
filmmaker a documentary director's award at Sundance and will open this
Friday, May 7, in limited theaters and will later expand to the largest
number of screens ever for a documentary. Spurlock agreed to answer some
questions for Ain't It Cool News:


[EG]: What kind of things were you working on before MTV's "I Bet You Will"
and SUPER SIZE ME?

[MS]: I was basically directing and producing anything I could,
commercials, industrials, music videos. Anything that was paying enough for
me to keep The Con alive. I was also still hosting programs on camera like
the U.S. Open of Snowboarding and the U.S. Open of Surfing. (I was doing
this during the production of the film as well. All the money I made went
right into the movie.)


[EG]: You've said you were inspired to do this film on Thanksgiving -- a
day synonymous with indulgent food consumption -- when you saw on the news
about the families trying to sue McDonald's because their kids were
unhealthy as a result from eating there. What was the process like from
that moment to the first day of shooting?

[MS]: Beginning the day after Thanksgiving 2002 when I got the idea for the
movie, I dove into pre-production immediately. I was knee deep in research
before we even returned to NY and by the time we started shooting on the
last week of January 2003, I had three research assistants helping me track
down information.


[EG]: What was your goal with the experiment?

[MS]: I didn't know what was going to happen, so my main goal from the
start was to make the best and most honest film I could.


[EG]: Were you honestly surprised with the results?

[MS]: Of course I was surprised. I had three different doctors tell me
that very little was going to happen, so needless to say, I was
flabbergasted.


[EG]: Some critics of the film have basically said there is some flawed
logic presented. One, in particular, said that no one is going to eat at
McDonald's for three meals a day for thirty days. And even if you picked
something healthy like broccoli and ate it for the same amount of time, you
would most likely get sick as well.

[MS]: First, let me just say that no where in the world does anyone market
broccoli as a "meal", let alone a "value meal." Second, I said from the
very beginning that what I do is an extreme example, but here's the
question: there are people (22% of McDonald's customers who eat there at
least 2.5 times a week, 10 times a month, and they call them "Super Heavy
Users"). So, are you trying to tell me that these people, who eat at Micky
D's 2.5 times a week and up, are going home and cooking up tofu veggie stir
fry for their other meals? Are you trying to make the rest of the world
actually believe that these people are surrounding themselves with fruit and
vegetables for their other meals during the week? Of course not, they're
eating like shit the rest of the time as well and that's my point: we live
in a nation that overeats and under-exercises. My film is representative of
a snap-shot of your entire life, if you eat a high fat, high sugar, high
caffeine diet and don't exercise, you could end up with heart disease, liver
problems, diabetes and more. The film is a wake-up call to America.


[EG]: So, do you feel the problem is marketing; consumers not knowing all
the facts or, simply, not caring; America's love of convenience; not
executing "moderation," tasty product; all or none of the above?

[MS]: It's all of the above. We can't just point fingers at one another
anymore and say "it's your fault." Corporations are recognizing that they
play a part in this epidemic and need to do even more to change their
options and educate the public. I love when people say, "it's not the
responsibility of the company to educate its consumers." That's complete
bullshit. If you feed more than 46 million every day like McDonald's does,
you not only have a responsibility, but an obligation to feed your consumers
well, market appropriately toward them and children and to assist in the
education of proper eating habits.

Will you ever hear a fast food joint tell you how often to eat their food?
Of course not, because that will effect their bottom line. Should they put
fat / sugar / calorie content on the board where you purchase items?
Absolutely. Why? Because when you go to buy a Double Quarter Pounder with
cheese and see that it has 690 calories, you will change you're mind, and
that's the last thing these companies want.


[EG]: Do you think McDonald's should diversify their menu a little more so
people could eat "healthier" if they wanted to stop in for a quick meal?

[MS]: Yes they should diversify their menu. And they should market them
appropriately. Targeting kids with healthy options and not junk food and
toys. People will buy what you sell them, McD knows this. If they pump and
sell healthy food, they will make money, they just have to be more steadfast
in their decisions and they should not just turn out junk with healthy
looking possibilities, but food that is not loaded with preservatives and
that will nurture the body and the mind at the same time (that's right
Ronald, you need to dump the sugar fix you have in almost all your food).


[EG]: Maybe include some soy, lentils, fruits, whole grains, green tea,
miso soup, etc.?

[MS]: These are all good ideas. Now you just have to get them to pour some
of that big McBudget into marketing these things the way they do burgers,
fries and toys. People would jump on board if they believed.


[EG]: What was your favorite item on the menu during the experiment?

[MS]: Big Mac, by far. But the problem is I can'y eat that stuff any more.
It doesn't even taste like food to me. The French fries taste like smoked
plastic and the fountain cokes leave a chemical aftertaste in my nasal
passages for hours. In fact, if I smell a Big Mac, I want a bite
immediately. Only problem is, after I bite it, my mouth fills with this
gummy McFilm and I can't eat anymore.


[EG]: Least favorite?

[MS]: The Filet-o-Fish, by far. These things are terrible, two out of
three of the ones I ate tasted awful. Here's another question, here's a
company that spends millions of dollars on R&D to make products, they sunk
millions into making that "McGriddle" the magical, tasty little evil
creation that it is, so what I want to know is why, with all that money,
they can't make that damn Veggie Burger even slightly edible?!


[EG]: Have you eaten at McDonald's since you shot the film?

[MS]: I haven't been back in about a year and really don't plan on going
anytime soon. We surveyed nutritionists in the film and asked them how
often people should eat fast food and of the ones who said that you should
eat it at all, most of them said that you should go there about once a
month. Based on that number, I've eaten enough McDonald's to last me eight
years.


[EG]: I don't think you're really telling audience members "Don't eat at
McDonald's," so what are you hoping they leave the film thinking?

[MS]: We as a nation tend to overeat and underexercise. What I hope is
that people leave the theatre and actually start to think about and make
different decisions about what they eat, how often they eat, how much they
eat and how much they do or don't exercise. The movie is really a wake-up
call for all Americans.


[EG]: What specifically did you do after the experiment to get yourself
back into a healthier state?

[MS]: Alex (my Vegan Chef girlfriend) put me on a Detox Diet to flush me
out. She basically cut out all meats, dairy, sugar, caffeine, white flour
and processed foods. I was eating a ton of greens and fruits and beans and
grains and, before you knew it, she had lowered nearly all my body functions
back to zero.


[EG]: Did you ever consider using other restaurants for the film?

[MS]: I did, but I settled on only using McDonald's because:

a. They're the biggest chain in the world (more than 30,000 restaurants in
more than 100 countries on 6 continents)

b. Every other chain follows their lead

c. They are iconic of all fast food and fast food culture

d. They were the ones that I believed could most easily institute change.


[EG]: If you were to do a sequel, who would you like to hit next?

[MS]: How about SUPER SIZE ME 2: PIZZA HUT BOOGALOO?


[EG]: What was your biggest obstacle getting the film made?

[MS]: I gotta tell you, I didn't really encounter any major roadblocks. A
rarity, I know, but things on this film just seemed to work.


[EG]: It looks as though you shot a lot of SUPER SIZE ME cinema verite
style, just catching whatever happens in a simple, unobtrusive manner. What
kind of crew did you have during the shoot?

[MS]: Almost every time we shot it was almost always Scott Ambrozy the DP
and me, an that's it. Doesn't get much more intimate than that.


[EG]: Do you think this will open the floodgates for people at home with
camcorders and editing equipment on their laptops to produce some engaging
documentaries?

[MS]: God, I hope so. Especially at a time when the news is only giving us
their angle on the news. We need filmmakers to spread the truth around a
little.


[EG]: Any advice for inspiring documentarians?

[MS]: Persistance, Time, Belief, and Patience. Things don't happen
overnight, stay the course, be true to yourself and never give up. The road
to success gets a lot shorter the longer and harder you work.


[EG]: Do you think the success of BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE opened the door for
documentaries as far as getting them distributed to a wider audience?

[MS]: Absolutely. I also think Reality TV played a part by making regular
folks in Iowa say "Wow, you know what. A regular story about a regular guy
like me is pretty damn interesting. I need to watch more of these!"


[EG]: Like there was a sense of "if I'm going to make a documentary, now is
the time."

[MS]: I think the rest of the world has finally caught up with docs.
They've been good for a while. I think we've all just caught up with them.


[EG]: What documentarians/filmmakers have influenced you?

[MS]: Michael Moore, Errol Morris, Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky; as well
as regular folks like Kubrick, Kazan, Capra and Blake Edwards.


[EG]: I assume your Sundance participation was an amazing time. Other than
the Director's Award (Documentary), what did you bring from that experience?

[MS]: I really got an inside look at the greatest festival in America. I
know better now how to market and promote a film as well as what to say and
what not to (always a great thing to know).


[EG]: Did you meet Mr. Sundance himself?

[MS]: I did and when Redford tells you he loves your movie, you have to go
change your shorts immediately. I mean, come on, HE'S REDFORD! It's
SUNDANCE! And you what? You loved my movie?!?!? That's all I needed to
hear. After that, everything else was gravy.


[EG]: If so, did he say anything insightful?

[MS]: He said "we need more people making movies like this" and "I agree
with you."


[EG]: What other projects do you have in the works?

[MS]: A TV show for FX as well as a scripted drama for them. I'm also
looking to direct a scripted film next spring and then doing another doc
starting next fall. The docs I want to do are very involved and will take
at least two years, so I'd like to get some other creative work done first.


[EG]: So, there are more documentary plans in your future.

[MS]: Yes, but if I told you, I'd have to kill you.


[EG]: And you are wanting to move into features and more television.

[MS]: I love the medium. Entertainment is all I've ever wanted to do. I
love movies and TV, so if I had to pick between the two, I'd pick movies
just because that's something I really want to do and I haven't really
pushed myself creatively in that world.


For more information on SUPER SIZE ME (including stills, trailers and more),
visit the film's official website href="http://www.supersizeme.com">SuperSizeMe.com


SUPER SIZE ME THEATRES THIS 5/7:

  • Yorktown 18 - Lombard, IL
  • Camera 3 - San Jose, CA
  • Century 25 Twin - San Jose, CA
  • Century Cinearts 6 - Evanston, IL
  • Cine Arts @ Palo Alto Square - Palo Alto, CA
  • Cine Arts 5 - Pleasant Hill, CA
  • Sequoia Twin - Mill Valley, CA
  • Cinema Arts Theatre - Fairfax, VA
  • Chelsea Cinema 9 - New York, NY
  • Coolidge Corner - Brookline, MA
  • Angelika Film Center - New York, NY
  • Del Mar Cinema 3 - Santa Cruz, CA
  • University 6 - Irvine, CA
  • Monica 4-plex - Santa Monica, CA
  • Playhouse 7 - Pasadena, CA
  • Bethesda Row - Bethesda, MD
  • Century Center Cinemas - Chicago, IL
  • E Street Cinema 8 - Washington, DC
  • Embarcadero Center Cinema - San Francisco, CA
  • Embassy Cinema - Waltham, MA
  • Piedmont Cinemas - Oakland, CA
  • Renaissance Place Cinema - Highland Park, IL
  • Seven Gables - Seattle, WA
  • Shattuck Cinemas - Berkeley, CA
  • Westside Pavilion Cinemas - Los Angeles, CA
  • Harvard Square 5 - Cambridge, MA
  • Shirlington 7 - Arlington, VA
  • Uptown Cinemas - Seattle, WA
  • 72nd Street East - New York, NY
  • Esquire Theater - Chicago, IL
  • Lincoln Square 12 - New York, NY
  • Georgetown 14 - Washington, DC
  • ArcLight Hollywood @ The Dome - LA, CA
  • Galleria 16 - Sherman Oaks, CA
  • The Grove Stadium 14 - Los Angeles, CA
  • Rockville Center Stadium 13 - Rockville,
  • UA Twin Stonestown - San Francisco, CA




Elston Gunn

elstongunn@hotmail.com

Father Geek back again... I've just been informed that May is National Hamburger Month... Cooooool!



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    Readers Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 1:09:46 AM CDT

    I need

    by c4andmore

    to go to bed.....

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 1:22:05 AM CDT

    I need

    by flossygomez

    ...floculation. I want to cover my organs in chemical fat deposits so that I am planetary shaped. Pop a McZit so biiiiiig and the special sauce melts through my mirror. Draw the shades its video game time, man, I have to walk 1 whole block to get a damn donut. The sun hurts my oil filmed flesh. oh so painful to be supersized. I SMELL LIKE HAM!
    I want to see this fine horror movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 1:23:16 AM CDT

    It's also in Toronto this 5/7

    by stanley spector

    at the Cumberland 4, Winston Churchill 24, and Kennedy Commons 20 cinemas.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 2:03:11 AM CDT

    McDiculous

    by kahiki

    From the Esquire May 2004 article by Chuck Klosterman

    A new film that blames fast food for America's weight problem is clever, entertaining, and totally misguided
    by Chuck Klosterman

    STAYING ALIVE IS COMPLICATED. There is just so much in this wicked world that can kill us: cancer, avalanches, liver failure, street gangs wearing baseball uniforms, gravity, electric chairs, Rwandan death squads, hammerhead sharks, werewolves, hemlock, and a boundless cornucopia of other coldhearted entities that exist solely so that we may not. Everything is bad for you. Food is bad for you. Food

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 2:15:48 AM CDT

    FIFTH

    by elguapo78

    I just had mcdonalds tonight and I am worried that after seeing this movie I won't be able to eat there again. WHY?!? We Americans are such fat fucks! Good for you (insert director's name) I love that you got McD to remove the super sized portions! Take that Michael Moore.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 2:18:30 AM CDT

    no subject

    by dead cowboy

    I'm surprised Harry ran this. After years of eating specially-ordered triple Big Macs with chocolate shakes the size of KFC buckets, you think he'd just run a review declaring it worse than the Punisher and spend the next few weeks running equally disparaging reviews. I don't know, maybe he's more of a Carl's Jr. or Burger King guy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 2:19:54 AM CDT

    This clown doesn't deserve any press

    by malibuhydro

    The entire premise of this documentary is supposed to be a "scathing attack" on the "evils" of the fast food industry. Ludicrous. By focusing the attention on the "powerful megalomaniacal corporations" and not even touching upon something as silly and trivial as, oh I don't know...HUMAN FREE WILL not to EAT BIG MACS for a month straight, the film's creator has falsely demonized an industry that doesn't deserve it.
    Oooh oooh I have a premise for a new film, I'm going to drive my Chevy everywhere for a month going at least 80 miles per hour, then film a documentary on the dangerous "evils" Chevy imposes on consumers by making a car capable of going 80 miles per hour. Then get rich and famous off the proceeds! Wheeeee!

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 2:40:02 AM CDT

    I always spend a good twenty minutes groaning after I eat at McD

    by raul monkey

    What the fuck is up with that "McDonald's syndrome" that makes you feel like absolute garbage after you eat there? You feel a little gross after eating a lot of deep-fried food, but McDonald's disease is in a whole 'nother league. What's going on?

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 3:24:13 AM CDT

    You guys are gonna laugh at me.

    by ethandarkseid

    But a couple of years ago when mcdonalds was running their beanie baby campaign I went there everyday and bought a happy meal in order to get the beanie baby. Now, this was when that damn beanie baby thing was at its peak and I wanted them all because, well, I was a mommas boy and wanted my mom to have them all. now, mcdonalds was doing the different beanies in sucession...meaning that once one beanie ran out it was on to the next one. Soooo....In an effort to get them as they rolled out I went there every day and got a freaking happy meal and of course I'd gobble the food inside. Now, I'm a big boy and have always been. But what happened after a week caused me to jog my fat ass like a mo-fo. I gained over 15 pounds in ONE week just off the damn KIDS food from mcdonalds. I mean, I could actually FEEL the fat forming from one day to the next in some un-conscience way....'till by the next week it dawned on me and I said to myself "dude, you've put on some POUNDS" Now I know you people will say "ethan thats a happy meal thats meant for little kids with high metabolisms equal to a field mouse and will be running like crazy in the playland area in the back and then running around like crazy outside". I can agree with you on this. But kids don't really DO stuff like that anymore. Kids these days are going home and getting on the internet, xbox, gamecube, PS2, dvd player, gameboy, etc. and not playing outside. So what's my point? McDonalds food is just too fattening. eat there ONCE every few months and leave it at that. And as for those fucking beanie babys...they are'nt worth SHIT now. lol.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 3:37:49 AM CDT

    Those McGriddles are indeed evil & tasty.

    by daddylonghead

    I try hard to eat right, and generally do, but I work third shift and when I'm exhausted and hungry after work I have been known to swing by Mickey D's and vacuum down a McGriddle or two... mmm, mcgriddles right before bed... so unhealthy BUT SO FUCKIN' DELICIOUS. In other news, I love aicn Talkbacks for the exact reason that somebody like ethandarkseid will post about eating kids meals every day to get his mom beanie babies. God bless you.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 5:00:08 AM CDT

    i'm thick james, b--oh, nevermind

    by acne scarface

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 5:38:57 AM CDT

    I got your supersize right here

    by varakor

    You know I think this planet is goingto hell in a handbasket. what kind of a world do we live in where a guy who gobbles down nothing but Mickey D's for a month, and nothing else gets all this press and praise for a film which should label him a complete and total idiot? I'm sorry but i don't agree with this film and all that it's supposed to stand for. Dudes, It's fast food! Is it delicious? yes! should u eat it everyday! Hell no! But don't let me stop anyone who wants to, it's certainly your choice! But don't blame the company for what it sells, they are just doing their job (and very well I might add). The loss of the super size is definitely a sad day, because i will admit I love the super size only because the fries kick ass. Come on admit it people, u know u love them fries. But people it's all about choices here, which we are now forgetting that we have. No one forces anyone to eat fast food everyday, no matter how tempting the ads may be, it all comes down to what you do. Besides we should be greatful that we even have Mcdonalds. You know there are kids starving in africa? STARVING I tell ya!

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 6:06:37 AM CDT

    Shocking news! WHO KNEW eating mass quantities of overly proces

    by vikingkitty

    Next they'll tell me that the fine people at the American tobacco companies have been lying, and that nicotine DOESN'T cure cancer.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 7:31:29 AM CDT

    16th

    by judge doom

    A-ha! No one ever done it before!

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 7:55:46 AM CDT

    I grew up eating mcdonalds daily..

    by jon e cin

    I wonder if its there fault I didnt get laid until I was 22.
    hmmm.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 8:03:29 AM CDT

    Saw the doc and it's great...

    by johnny ahab

    Spurlock is laid-back funny while doling out the facts -- and I laughed a lot throughout the whole film. Very much worth checking out. And yes, you will never look at Mickey Dees in the same way.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 8:55:55 AM CDT

    Yorktown shout out

    by some dude

    I grew up in the shadow of that theatre. Tears.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 9:16:54 AM CDT

    Sounds awewome, can't wait to see it...so how come there's no st

    by minderbinder

    Yep, they're worried about losing tax breaks from their government buddies, among other things.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 12:17:53 PM CDT

    I approve this documentary...

    by blacklist

    but only if they create a follow-up documentary detailing the efforts of fat people trying to sue fast food restaurants as a result of seeing this movie. Trial lawyers are licking their lips. NEWSFLASH: 8 Big Macs a day ISN'T good for you, contrary to conventional wisdom!

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 12:22:18 PM CDT

    Let me get this straight...

    by mr.underwater

    Didn't this guy's I Bet You Will show consist of him running around New York paying homeless people $10 to eat dog shit?
    So McDonald's is bad, but dog shit is okay.
    Glad I straightened that up.
    And, why am I supposed to take him seriously again?

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 3:43:01 PM CDT

    Ronald, McDonald's, & You...

    by entrailsoup

    Kudos to this dude Morgan... he must frequent the talkback boards, apparent from his use of the "Supersize Me 2: Electric Bugaloo" comment. Just wish this would show in my backwater town. Oh, and I recommend that everyone here write a sternly worded e-mail to whomever it was that stretched out this talkbalk, I hate it when that happens.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 4:16:56 PM CDT

    This is news?

    by shigeru

    "I'm gonna eat McD's for a month three meals a day" HOLY SHIT THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR YOU??!!? NO FUCKING WAY. fuck.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 7:33:34 PM CDT

    Free will and oversimplification.

    by thetsordiline

    Breaking America's obesity problem down to free will grossly oversimplifies the issue. I haven't seen the film but I've read some interviews, and Spurlock clearly says he chose to make a film about McDonald's because it's iconic of a much larger problem. Do people have to eat McDonald's? Of course not. Do they have to eat what's available at the grocery store? No, but they probably should if they don't want to die of starvation. And much of what's available at your corner grocery is just as processed, artificial and generally unhealthy as fast food. It's a socioeconomic thing. Eating healthy costs money. More and more Americans don't have that money. They live in blown-out urban areas where their food options are limited to what's within walking distance or, if they have the time and the patience, within the use of public transit. And it's a lifestyle issue. People aren't active. They sit in front of television sets eating shit. You can say, "That's just personal responsibility," but writing off such a broad and propulsive national trend with such a simplistic and glib statement doesn't add much to the discussion at all. Spurlock has said in interviews that his film is designed to be a wake up call to America: to show people what they are doing to themselves by playing out a complete lifestyle change within a few months, on camera. I think it's a good idea that's already having an affect. Personal responsibility is indeed important, but sometimes people need to think a little bigger and be socially responsible, and that's what Spurlock is doing. When so many people are making so many of the same lifestyle choices at the same point in history, there's more to it than personal responsibility. Spurlock has made an attempt to find out what that is, and that's hell of a lot more productive than tapping out glib asides on a messageboard.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 9:50:51 PM CDT

    I liked it better...

    by don lockwood

    ...the first time when it was a book called "Fast Food Nation".

    Obviously this guy is living in a fantasy world that his "foxy vegan girlfriend" has brainwashed him into believing.

    First of all, he jumps from saying that doctors told him that nothing would happen to saying that he had trouble even finding a doctor who said it was advisable to eat fast food once a month.

    Second of all, McMiso Soup? "I'll have the Big McSoy with a super-size order of McLentils and a large green tea, please."

    NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 9:51:33 PM CDT

    PLANT!!

    by polyh3dron

    just joking :)

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 05, 2004 10:32:20 PM CDT

    So, I have this asshole to thank for not being able to get a sup

    by osmosis jones

    FUCK THIS MOVIE.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 06, 2004 12:45:51 AM CDT

    Pleeeaase...

    by yossarian

    Corporate america, the government, documentary filmmakers,...anybody! please think for me, I can't bear to.

    Reply to Talkback

  • May 06, 2004 1:16:31 AM CDT

    I've got to chime in on this. . .

    by han ol' buddy

    I think the director has a valid point in producing this movie. There are a LOT of people around this country who do eat McDonald's every day. Maybe not every meal, every day, but everyday. A recent article in USA Today ( http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-05-02-diet-cover_x.htm ) stated that low-carb diets are too expensive for most lower-income persons/families to afford. An Atkins diet averaged $14.27 a day or almost $100 a week. Compare that to about $9/day plus change for Value Meals (10 to choose from!). Plus, there's no preparation and there's literally a McDonald's every other mile. Nobody's trying to say that it's supposed to be good to eat McDonald's for a month straight. What's going to happen? Of course, you're going to get fat. But what about the underlying health problems? Did this guy really get that sick, that quick? I'm interested in this movie to learn more about that. Has anyone else had that strange longing or urge to eat at McDonald's the day after you eat there for the first time in a while? I have. I've always been suspicious about that. What is it that causes that craving, even though I feel like ass after eating a 10-piece McNuggets, a medium fry and a Coke. The plain and simple fact is that McDonald's has ALWAYS tried to sell itself as child-friendly, family-friendly, wholesome and to a lesser degree, part of an active lifestyle (how many overweight people do you EVER see in their commercials? NONE!). The new commercials with guys playing basketball and then gobbling down a Big Mac and soda before going back out to play again. The RAIL-THIN hipster 20-somethings who buy a dozen things off the dollar menu and give them out to their neighbors. That's not real life. It's the families in the mini-vans, coming home from school, grabbing a sack of burgers and fries because they don't have enough time to make dinner, because they work two shifts because the husband's job just got sent over to India. It's the "food deserts" - to copy a phrase from the USA Today article - in the inner-city where a true grocery store is 5 miles or a 30 minute bus ride away and all there is for dinner is the nasty canned stuff (also an incredibly unhealthy thing to eat) in the convenience store down the block or the McD's up the street. I wouldn't be surprised if many families find McDonald's or similar fast-food restaurants to be their primary source of sustenance. I believe that the director, other than creating a buzz by doing something so extreme, is commenting on the state of the nation today. Read Fast Food Nation. We truly are one. Fast food was once an innocent thing, set up for convenience and a treat every once in a while. Now, it's something that affects local and global economies, keeps hundreds of thousands of people living at the poverty level without any health benefits or the possibility of unionizing, causes disease outbreaks (Mad Cow and antibiotic resistence anyone?!?) and contributes to the soon-to-be-#1 killer in the United States today, obesity. That's my 2 cents. Thanks.

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  • May 06, 2004 1:44:24 AM CDT

    FYI

    by han ol' buddy

    A 10-piece Chicken McNuggets (w/ two sauces), Medium fry and a Medium Coke = 1490 calories and 41 grams of fat. That's fucked up. Daily requirement for a 200 lb, 6'-1" tall man is 2500 calories. Think about it. And check out the messed up Q&A on the McDonald's website. http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/nutrition_faq.html How about this one: Q: How does the quality of McDonald's food compare to the food I serve at home? A: Many of the products we serve at McDonald's are the same trusted brands you might purchase at the local grocery store and serve in your own home. We take pride in the foods we serve you and your family. That's why we seek out fresh lettuce and tomatoes, quality buns and potatoes, pure ground beef, select poultry and fish and wholesome dairy products. Messed up.

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  • May 06, 2004 2:24:45 AM CDT

    Spurlock is blaming McDonalds for making people fat about as muc

    by snapt

    AKA NOT AT ALL. Stop being simple-minded, folks.

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  • May 13, 2004 11:49:35 PM CDT

    just got back from seeing it. Friggin hillarious.

    by tall_boy

    sure there's lots of "holy shit facts" and finger pointing and blah blah blah. But the best part is just watching him KEEP EATING McDonalds. Its friggin awesome. Espically when he hits day 20 and everyone tells him "For the love of God, STOP!" but he keeps going anyway. You may not like the politics behind it, but watching the guy torture himself for 30 days straight and flat out get addicted to the stuff is awesome. Really funny.

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