I knew my decision never to eat fast food again was a good one. I got that notion from the superbly written book "Fast Food Nation" (and yes, it's been over a year and a half, and I've kept my promise). Others can get the same wake-up call from watching this documentary film. Morgan Spurlock's semi-scientifically rigorous experiment to see what eating McDonald's food for a month will do to you, is almost heartbreaking to watch. He doesn't eat the healthy stuff on the menu, he eats far more at a sitting than I ever could even when I'm pigging out (and I can seriously pig out), he gets the Super Size option whenever asked. It's revolting. Interspersed with scenes of him eating and feeling like crap because of it are interviews with lawyers, doctors, corporate watchdogs, political lobbyists, and his girlfriend -- a vegan chef completely horrified by this "study." We are shown statistics on how often people eat fast food and how prevalent obesity in our country is, although I wish he had also mentioned that the main reason people eat this food (besides the fact that it tastes good) is because it is cheap and quick. You're a single mother barely raking in 20K a year and trying to feed 2 kids. What would you do? It costs a great deal to eat healthy food. And while school systems are apparently still serving pop, chips, candy and fries in their lunch rooms, some schools have taken a healthier route, hiring companies that actually cook food on the premises rather than re-heating frozen processed foods. Spurlock has a breezy documentary style that makes watching the film as fun as eating a Big Mac, but when they got to the graphic description of a gastric bypass I had learned my lesson. Again. (Oh, and do not, I repeat, do not miss the bonus feature Smoking Fry.)
year: 2004
length: 100 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/combined
My archive of film reviews from 2003 to 2007. I may or may not keep adding to these. Twist my arm.
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2 comments:
In the last year, I've lost 40 pounds by virtually eliminating fast foods, pizza, fried foods, and soda from my diet. Any thinking person realizes that if you don't pay attention to the fatty foods you put into your body, eventually you will gain weight. Spurlock does a good job of spotlighting why it is important to pay attention to these issues - on both a personal and societal level. The temptation to eat fatty food is everywhere, to eat a full-time healthy, balanced diet requires committment. As a nation, we are becoming more obese and parents are passing on terribly dietary habits to their children. The scenes spotlighting school lunch programs are downright appalling and do not allow one to feel optimistic about the future. This is an important film. Given the amount of money spent by Big Food to promote their junk, it is essential that a competing message be heard. This film should be screened in schools, community centers, and to politicians. Something must be done to combat the thoughtlessness with which people gobble up junk food and the staggering level of mass ignorance regarding what constitutes a healthy diet. Following through on the attention generated by this film, Spurlock has personally lobbyied politicians and spoke at educational forums promoting the changes outlined in the film. There has been some in-roads. Just last week, the state of Connecticut passed a sweeping law promoting healthy food alternatives in school cafeterias, eliminating the ready availability of junk food in the process. Every little bit helps. Take note that Spurlock's new project is a documentary series on the FX cable channel - this programs will focus on a wide variety of topics.
So true that it costs money to eat healthy. I buy organic as much as possible but, man, when organic peppers are $9 a pound, I do without. No single mom, or anyone bringing in even twice $20K, can make a grocery budget stretch that far. I keep buying organic, thinking that increased demand will eventually drive down prices. Maybe it has. I bought organic strawberries at Arbor Farms last week, $3 for a pound, a pretty amazing price in my view (though still not a cheap food). But it's the same story -- poor people get screwed. Drive around Detroit or Flint and you'll see huge sections of the cities (where poorer people live) without a single grocery store or any place to buy fresh produce. The only places selling "food" are gas stations or convenience stores. Pretty awful.
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