I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was. I expected a documentary about a man who eats McDonald's every meal for month, and (surprise!) reaps negative health benefits. The reality of the film, though, is that the thirty-day stunt really serves as a gimmick to draw people in to a documentary about the problem of American obesity, and its links to fast food restaurants and industrialized food production in general.

Super-Size Me covers much of the same ground as Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation (at least from what I've heard), including the impact of fast food on our culture, and the junk food industry's extension into American public schools. Although the filmmakers have a clear agenda against fast food corporations, they are willing to at least give a voice to opposing views. On gray issues such as whether or not McDonald's can be sued for making people unhealthy, they establish arguments for and against both sides.

The film is well-done, entertaining as it is informative and frightening. The DVD contains even more provocative material than the theatrical version, including an extensive interview with the aforementioned Eric Schlosser, and a frightening experiment with the way McDonald's food decays over time.