By Adam Rabiner
Morgon Spurlock supersized himself in 2004 when, as an unknown filmmaker, he became seriously sick eating all his meals at McDonald’s for an entire month. His film, Super Size Me, humorously and frighteningly chronicles this misadventure that propelled him to fame.
Super Size Me, together with Eric Schlosser’s film Fast Food Nation, released two years later (the book was published in 2001) focused the country’s attention on the ties between the prevalence of obesity, the country’s growing health crisis, and our love affair with fast food. These two early films laid the groundwork for an emerging genre of food movies critical of junk food culture and mainstream food systems.
Morgon Spurlock deserves a lot of credit for the film’s success. He came up with the perfect vehicle for an educational film, becoming a guinea pig in a scientific experiment whose consequences were unknown, even to his three doctors and nutritionist. And unlike Michael Moore’s gottcha film, Roger and Me, where Moore palpably disdains General Motors and its CEO Roger Smith, Spurlock actually likes McDonald’s. When you observe him biting into his first Egg McMuffin on day one he’s earnest, not judgmental nor ironic; he digs in without expression but you sense he’s enjoying it.
But very soon Spurlock’s body begins to tell its own story. Starting at 186 pounds, he’s now eating 5,000 calories a day, double what he’s used to or needs. His rule is to never refuse a Supersize meal but he’s unaccustomed to 42 ounce sodas, not to mention enormous Supersize stacks of fries. At a drive-in, 15 minutes after ordering he’s only half way through his meal. At 22 minutes he has developed a massive McStomach ache, proclaims, “I’m dying,” but is still trying to finish. Finally he burps and throws up through his car window, the camera cutting to vomit sprayed on the street. It’s a shocking and revolting scene, not just in this movie, but in any.
Supersize Me makes the point that Spurlock’s body is reacting to junk food much like it would to a drug. At day seven he experiences pressure in his chest. By day nine he feels depressed. But when he eats, he immediately feels better; in fact he feels great. By day twelve he’s up to 203 pounds, having gained 17, and his concerned nutritionist is urging him to drink only water. His film crew has dubbed him “burger boy.”
Spurlock now tires easily and by evening is exhausted. By day eighteen he’s having headaches, declares “my body hates me,” is impotent, and continues to feel unhappy and lethargic, except when he eats which make him feel 100% better. His blood pressure has gone up, as has his cholesterol which had been a terrific 160 but is now 225. The doctors declare his liver fatty and sick and advise him to stop. On day twenty-one he wakes up feeling hot with heart palpitations and is having trouble breathing. By day twenty-seven Spurlock has eaten more McDonald’s food in one month than most nutritionists advise in eight years!
Spurlock, despite his own and everyone else’s concern, made it to day thirty. Then, wearing a McDonald’s t-shirt (now, perhaps, ironically), he joyfully presided over his Last McSupper, joined by friends and family. At this point he topped off at 210 pounds, was depressed and tired, had headaches and cravings, and had done serious harm to his body. He went from 11% to 18% body fat (which is still better than average) and had doubled his risk of heart disease. According to his girlfriend, a vegan chef who was anxious to put him on a detox diet, they no longer had any sex life to speak of.
Supersize Me ends on a somewhat happy note. We learn in the final credits that Spurlock’s liver recovered and he returned to his former weight after six weeks. But the film had lasting impact. Some give it credit for McDonald’s decision to do away with Supersize meals. And today, according to Freedom from Fries: Can fast food be good for you?, an article by Michael Specter in the 2015 Food Issue of the New Yorker, McDonald’s continues to adapt to a more health and nutrition conscious public, abandoning margarine for butter, no longer selling chickens that have been raised with antibiotics or milk from cows treated with growth hormones, and introducing artisan grilled chicken sandwiches. McDonald’s may not be able claim the health food mantle, but these are indeed supersized improvements.
Morgon Spurlock supersized himself in 2004 when, as an unknown filmmaker, he became seriously sick eating all his meals at McDonald’s for an entire month. His film, Super Size Me, humorously and frighteningly chronicles this misadventure that propelled him to fame.
Super Size Me, together with Eric Schlosser’s film Fast Food Nation, released two years later (the book was published in 2001) focused the country’s attention on the ties between the prevalence of obesity, the country’s growing health crisis, and our love affair with fast food. These two early films laid the groundwork for an emerging genre of food movies critical of junk food culture and mainstream food systems.
Morgon Spurlock deserves a lot of credit for the film’s success. He came up with the perfect vehicle for an educational film, becoming a guinea pig in a scientific experiment whose consequences were unknown, even to his three doctors and nutritionist. And unlike Michael Moore’s gottcha film, Roger and Me, where Moore palpably disdains General Motors and its CEO Roger Smith, Spurlock actually likes McDonald’s. When you observe him biting into his first Egg McMuffin on day one he’s earnest, not judgmental nor ironic; he digs in without expression but you sense he’s enjoying it.
But very soon Spurlock’s body begins to tell its own story. Starting at 186 pounds, he’s now eating 5,000 calories a day, double what he’s used to or needs. His rule is to never refuse a Supersize meal but he’s unaccustomed to 42 ounce sodas, not to mention enormous Supersize stacks of fries. At a drive-in, 15 minutes after ordering he’s only half way through his meal. At 22 minutes he has developed a massive McStomach ache, proclaims, “I’m dying,” but is still trying to finish. Finally he burps and throws up through his car window, the camera cutting to vomit sprayed on the street. It’s a shocking and revolting scene, not just in this movie, but in any.
Supersize Me makes the point that Spurlock’s body is reacting to junk food much like it would to a drug. At day seven he experiences pressure in his chest. By day nine he feels depressed. But when he eats, he immediately feels better; in fact he feels great. By day twelve he’s up to 203 pounds, having gained 17, and his concerned nutritionist is urging him to drink only water. His film crew has dubbed him “burger boy.”
Spurlock now tires easily and by evening is exhausted. By day eighteen he’s having headaches, declares “my body hates me,” is impotent, and continues to feel unhappy and lethargic, except when he eats which make him feel 100% better. His blood pressure has gone up, as has his cholesterol which had been a terrific 160 but is now 225. The doctors declare his liver fatty and sick and advise him to stop. On day twenty-one he wakes up feeling hot with heart palpitations and is having trouble breathing. By day twenty-seven Spurlock has eaten more McDonald’s food in one month than most nutritionists advise in eight years!
Spurlock, despite his own and everyone else’s concern, made it to day thirty. Then, wearing a McDonald’s t-shirt (now, perhaps, ironically), he joyfully presided over his Last McSupper, joined by friends and family. At this point he topped off at 210 pounds, was depressed and tired, had headaches and cravings, and had done serious harm to his body. He went from 11% to 18% body fat (which is still better than average) and had doubled his risk of heart disease. According to his girlfriend, a vegan chef who was anxious to put him on a detox diet, they no longer had any sex life to speak of.
Supersize Me ends on a somewhat happy note. We learn in the final credits that Spurlock’s liver recovered and he returned to his former weight after six weeks. But the film had lasting impact. Some give it credit for McDonald’s decision to do away with Supersize meals. And today, according to Freedom from Fries: Can fast food be good for you?, an article by Michael Specter in the 2015 Food Issue of the New Yorker, McDonald’s continues to adapt to a more health and nutrition conscious public, abandoning margarine for butter, no longer selling chickens that have been raised with antibiotics or milk from cows treated with growth hormones, and introducing artisan grilled chicken sandwiches. McDonald’s may not be able claim the health food mantle, but these are indeed supersized improvements.