Shock horror: fast food is bad for your health! (Super Size Me (DVD))

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Super Size Me (DVD)
Date:	22/04/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: engages debate

Disadvantages: tells us nothing new

It should come as little surprise to hear the overarching message of this documentary: McDonalds is unhealthy. Inspired by the news story of two children sueing the company over their weight problems, Morgan Spurlock charts the shocking effects on his body of eating nothing but McDonalds foods for one whole month.

The documentary is a mix of 'fly on the wall' coverage of Spurlock eating McDonalds every day, and the effect it has on him, with informative sequences about the history, ingredients and effects of the company.

We use this DVD in school to raise discussion and debate, and it is rather juvenile in its take on the subject-matter; its results are not surprising - if you eat fast food every day it will not be good for you. It could be argued that the topic is fairly naive and unneccessary, but aims to sensationalise information that we all know anyway.

In typical American fashion, it's a very dramatic documentary, but it reveals little or no hidden secrets. Spurlock's experiment can be seen to over-dramatise the story, with little need for the guy to put him through eveything he endures.

Spurlock is a likeable guy, and narrates his way through the whole thing with an entertaining mix of reportage and annecdote. The people he meets along the way, such as a man who has eaten a McDonalds every day for 20 odd years, lack any real interest, and Spurlock misses a trick in choosing exciting guests.

The documentary is set in the USA, and so some of the measures and sizes are not recognisable here, which makes it a little difficult to compare to the UK, where we clearly eat in smaller portions anyway.

All in all, this is probably a good tool for teaching young adults something of the importance of healthy eating, but serious film-lovers will find little to interest them.

Summary: up to you