Film Analysis: Super Size Me

The United States of America has long been considered a “big nation”, whether is has the biggest cities, houses, and on a negative note, biggest people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a healthy-bodied film director, set on a quest to show America the detrimental effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness on the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where McDonald’s meals were consumed for every meal of the day for thirty days. His film was released to movie theatres so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald’s on his body in a very short time span. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained twenty-five pounds, developed a thirteen percent

The Morgan super-size me film that investigates that if fast food chain, Mac Donald’s is contributing to the obesity in America because of the food that is serves. The director, Morgan Spurlock conveys that, in America, people are becoming more obese due to the consumption of too much fast food. Throughout the film, Suprlock uses several film techniques such as graphics, interviews and voice over and direct narration to persuade the audience of his point of view that a person can get really sick from having a diet that relays on MacDonald’s food in a variety of substantial ways.

The topic was “McDonald's Takes Olympic Stage to Announce Advances in Children's Well-Being, Menu Innovation and Access to Nutrition Information”. The message was communicated by McDonald’s US President and CEO, Don Thompson, McDonald’s U.K. CEO, Jill McDonald, Chief Brand Officer Kevin Newell; and, McDonald's Executive Chef Dan Coudreaut. Along with the press release, McDonalds opened up 4 Olympic Restaurants that served various menu items with an assortment of tastes and nutritional values (Hary,R 2012).

Supersize Me is a documentary about a guy named Morgan who went on a 30 day high fat diet. He wanted to see the effects of fast food would have on a person’s health. But little did he or the doctors know the repercussions and the damage of this experiment would do to one’s body. 60% of all US adults are overweight or obsess. America is the fattest nation in the world could fast food be to cause of this, this is what Morgan set out to find out.

     Morgan Spurlock decided to make this documentary to investigate the fast food companies, and the effects of certain fast food chains products, particularly McDonalds, on the health of society. This Documentary explores the United States growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes as well. Morgan decides to eat nothing but McDonald's food for thirty days. He must eat one of everything on the menu at least once, and when asked to super size his meal he must do so. Another stipulation of Morgan's experiment is that he can only take 5,000 steps a day to replicate the exercise that most average Americans get on a daily basis. He must also eat three meals a day, no exceptions and if McDonalds doesn't serve it

The viewers were able to witness the pain that he was going through and the emotional toll the challenge had on him. Spurlock told Newsweek when the film was released, “My body just basically falls apart over the course of this diet.” (Lambert, 2004). It was also effectively shown in the documentary how Spurlock’s relationship and sexual intimacy with his girlfriend was affected by the challenge, so again, the viewers were able to feel the emotion that he was feeling. As if these were not enough, the documentary also showed how being overweight can have such a big impact on people’s lives as there are around 400,000 deaths associated with obesity illnesses annually (Spurlock, 2004). Spurlock was effective in appealing to viewers when he stated that diabetes is now more common in children every year as a result of fast food and the numbers will just keep rising if nothing is done to stop

Since Super Size Me is a documentary primary focused on the ideas of its director, Morgan Spurlock, we must be able to perceive him as a credible and trustworthy source. Using himself as

In a society that is facing numerous problems, such as economic devastation, one major problem is often disregarded, growing obesity. As the American society keeps growing, so does growth of the fast food industry and the epidemic of obesity. In order to further investigate the main cause of obesity, Morgan Spurlock, the film director and main character, decides to criticize the fast food industry for its connection with obesity in America. In his documentary Spurlock performs a radical experiment that drives him to eat only from McDonald's and order a super-sized meal whenever he is asked. By including visual and textual techniques, rhetorical appeals, and argumentative evidences, Morgan Spurlock was able

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is a documentary by Joe Cross directed towards to an overweight, unhealthy audience of fast-food world corporate America.

Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. It is also a major health issue affecting many adults and children in the US every year. In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko sympathizes with children who are suing McDonald’s making them fat. In his own experience as a “latchkey kid”, he knows how easily fast food makes teenagers put on weight with a steady diet of fast food meals. Zinczenko argues that both lack of fast food alternative companies and lack of providing nutrition information contribute to childhood obesity.

Contrary to the popular belief of the time, Morgan Spurlock’s amateur documentary “Supersize Me” pushed reform in both fast food culture, and eating habits of citizens, being one of the first catalysts in a new movement in America. This 2004 film, being the first of his works to establish Spurlock as a filmmaker, focuses on Spurlock’s 30 day journey in which he vowed to eat solely McDonalds for three meals a day, and track his overall mental, physical, and social changes over this span of time. Throughout the film, Spurlock consults three doctors (a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, and a general practitioner) as well as a nutritionist to monitor physical change and gather quantitative data supporting his claim. The film often exhibited

Morgan Spurlock’s motivation to create his documentary emerged from a certain court case, in which two teenage girls sued McDonald's for selling them products that resulted in them being obese for their age group (Spurlock). McDonald’s testimony stated that the girls could not fully prove that it was the McDonald’s product that were making them overweight and that eating their products for every meal would be seemingly dangerous (Spurlock). Spurlock to this statement into his owns hands and a decided to conduct a month long experiment, in which he would go on a thirty-day long binge of McDonald’s food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to prove if and how fast food can make a person obese (Spurlock). It is well known within the general public that fast food in not a healthy option for a meal but for many, fast food is the only

Fast food is unhealthy and does not provide the necessary nutrients needed for a daily diet, however Mcdonald's, a fast food empire claimed in a 2004 lawsuit against them that fast food can be a part of a healthy diet. The court ruled that the plaintiffs would have a serious claim if they could prove that eating fast food for every meal is dangerous for the person and their health. Morgan Spurlock, writer, director, producer, and star of 2004 documentary Supersize Me set out to prove that fast food is dangerous for a person's health. The documentary follows Morgan on his 30 day challenge of only eating fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Through Morgan's challenge his weight skyrockets, his health declines and feels terrible all the time. Many people believe that fast food companies are to blame for America's obesity but the individual must take responsibility for what they put into their bodies instead of blaming fast food companies for their unhealthy eating habits .The documentary explores the idea that people should avoid eating fast food because Fast food, although more convenient and easier is worse for you than making your own meals. Fast food leads to many health risks and is not a good substitution for traditional meals. People should avoid eating

In 2003 Morgan Spurlock launched on an experiment of sorts to fully understand the effects that fast food, in this case specifically McDonald’s food can have on one’s physiological and mental health by eating nothing but McDonald’s food for thirty days. Before embarking on this quest, Spurlock visited a general practitioner, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, a dietician, and an exercise specialist. He began his McDonald’s journey with exceptional health, by the end of the thirty days he had suffered serious health consequences both physically and mentally. From an addiction to McDonald’s food to a major increase in cholesterol levels there is no doubt that Spurlock’s health greatly declined in the month long period. Spurlock documented his journey in a film entitled Supersize Me, which has served as a call to action for the years since its release.

Today’s society and culture is becoming more and more McDonaldized. This paper will illustrate what the process of McDonaldization is. In addition, this paper will show how today’s society has adapted to this process along with using the theories from Max Weber.