Super Size Me

2004
PG-13
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

115K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer1:07

2 Videos

99+ Photos

Food Documentary Documentary

While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

115K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 13 nominations total

Trivia
The documentary premiered at Sundance in January, 2004. Less than two months later, McDonald's announced that it would no longer sell any of its menu items in "Super Size", although it officially denied that this move was in reaction to this film.

Goofs
Ray Kroc did not found McDonald's; the McDonald brothers did.

Quotes
[last lines]
Morgan Spurlock: [voiceover] Still, the impact of this lawsuit is being seen far and wide. School districts in New York, Texas, and San Francisco have banned sugary soft drinks in schools. And all-natural healthy options are popping up everywhere. McDonald's joined right in, sponsoring events that showed how health-conscious they've become, and creating a new line of premium salads. At the same time, however, they also masterminded one of their fattest sandwiches to date: the McGriddle. A pancake-wrapped creation that won my heart in Texas, but can pack as much fat as a Big Mac, and have more sugar than a pack of McDonaldland cookies. In fact, their new premium ranch chicken salad with dressing delivers more calories than a Big Mac and 51 grams of fat, 79% of your daily fat intake. Over the course of my McDiet, I consumed 30 pounds of sugar from their food. That's a pound a day. On top of that, I also took in 12 pounds of fat. Now, I know what you're saying. You're saying nobody's supposed to eat this food three times a day. No wonder all this stuff happened to you. But the scary part is: there are people who eat this food regularly. Some people even eat it every day. So, while my experiment may have been a little extreme, it's not that crazy. But here is a crazy idea: Why not do away with your Super Size options? Who needs 42 ounces of Coke? A half pound of fries? And why not give me a choice besides french fries or french fries? That would be a great start. But why should these companies want to change? Their loyalty isn't to you, it's to the stockholders. The bottom line: They're a business, no matter what they say. And by selling you unhealthy food, they make millions. And no company wants to stop doing that. If this ever-growing paradigm is going to shift, it's up to you. But if you decide to keep living this way, go ahead. Over time, you may find yourself getting as sick as I did. And you may wind up here
[emergency room]
Morgan Spurlock: or here
[cemetery]
Morgan Spurlock: I guess the big question is, who do you want to see go first? You? Or them?

Crazy credits
The last credit line reads: With VERY special thanks to my ex-wife's insurance provider for covering all medical costs. Thanks co-pay!

Alternate versions
There are at least two (slightly) different versions of this film, depending on the source. Comparing the streaming versions available on Peacock, Tubi, Freevee and Pluto, for example, the quote from Ray Kroc at the beginning is attributed on Peacock ("McDonald's Founder), but not on the other three services (just says "Ray Kroc").

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Van Helsing/New York Minute/A Foreign Affair/Supersize Me (2004)

Soundtracks
Shimmy She Wobble
Performed by Otha Turner and the Afrossippi Allstars
Written by Otha Turner
Courtesy of Birdman Records

User reviews456

Review

Featured review

8/10

McGurgle

Greetings again from the darkness. My daughter and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this film since first reading about it months ago. Director (and lab rat) Morgan Spurlock takes on a fast food exclusive diet for 30 days and fills us in on the painful steps and sickening conclusion. Many have attacked Spurlock for picking on McDonalds or for not selecting the healthiest thing possible at every meal. These people are missing the point. He explains in the movie that McDonalds is the selection because they so dominate the fast food scene in the world and especially in Manhattan (where he lives). He also explains his meal selection by showing that most McDonalds orders include burgers and fries. Personally, I wondered more about his numerous milk shakes and parfaits. These seem to be the items that were a bit extreme.

For the most part, Spurlock does an excellent job proving that we eat too much fast food, that it is very harmful to our bodies, and that there is evil at work conditioning kids that fast food is real food. The most frightening part of the story was the school cafeteria segment showing how kids eat when parents are not around and when school administrators pay no attention. This is the crux of our problems. The Georgetown professor compared it to the early candy cigarettes that condition kids that cigarettes create happiness. The same can be said for fast food and its happy meals and playgrounds. I did not agree too much with the doctor's comparison of Spurlock to Nic Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas". Cage's character was trying to commit suicide, while Spurlock was running an experiment and even considered quitting when the doctors were begging him to. Overall, a nice documentary without the total disregard for decency and the truth shown by Michael Moore in most of his films. I believe this should be required viewing for all junior high and high school students, as well as all expecting parents. This could be an educational tool to convince people to put a little more effort into their health.