The premise of the movie is simple, yet very dumb. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock sets out to eat nothing but McDonalds for 30 days straight to see the effects of fast food on his health. This film is amusing and very thought-provoking, yet at the same time has many holes in it.
Why Mr. Spurlock chose to eat at McDonalds for every meal for 30 days instead of once a day for 30 days is beyond me. No one in their right mind would eat at McDonalds or any other fast food restaurant for every meal. As well, his choice of food off McDonalds menu was bizarre. One of the guidelines of his experiment was that he had to eat everything off of the menu at least once. However, there were many times that he had a Big Mac as his food choice. If he was being warned by doctors halfway through that he should cut back on fatty and greasy foods, should he switch to a burger that wasn't so bad for him. I mean, it's not like I'm saying he should have switched to the salads, but a chicken burger should be acceptable. The same thing with Coke; he could have switched to bottled water, iced tea, lemonade, juice, or milk. Yet even though his doctors were telling him to take it easy on the Coke, he kept going at it.
That aside, the information in the movie was very interesting. Many things such as the investigation into what students are eating in their schools and the man receiving stomach-staple surgery due to, but not solely, the overconsumption of soft drinks (between him and his wife, they usually drank 52 L or 13 gal. of soft drink a week). Those parts of the movie, were facts are presented rather than the filmmaker shoving food in his face present a more intelligent argument against the fast food industry.
Like Michael Moore documentaries, this movie is funny and interesting, but you can't simply believe that what you see is completely accurate. It almost seems more like a comedy at times rather than a serious documentary. At times too it seems that Mr. Spurlock is very bias towards his cause and might unfairly kick the ball onto his side of the court to get a bit of an advantage. I would recommend this film for anyone who likes good films or who's interested in learning a couple of things about the fast food industry. However, I wouldn't take this film verbatim and I would not consider this defining film that represents the fast food industry.
Article comments
1 - Banned Dude
If you eat shit all day, your body will turn to shit. If you generally eat healthy food, but occasionally eat shit, your body will be okay.
That's where this film fails.
No one would willingly eat McDonald's everyday, three times a day, for an entire month. No one.
Yes, it's unhealthy. Everyone knows this. But, taken in moderation, one's body can deal with it.
But taken non-stop for an entire month? It's a wonder the film-maker survived. You might as well eat handfuls of gravel and chase it with grain alcohol for a month.
2 - Tom Johnson
The "schtick" Spurlock uses is indeed pretty biased - he's obviously going to be much more unhealthy at the end of the month than when he started. What would have been more realistic - and interesting - was for him, a "healthy" adult, to eat as most "unhealthy" folks do. That means eating at McDonald's/Burger King/Wendy's/etc. once a day (yes, I see this ALL the time at work) and then eating a lot of the frozen/fried things from the freezer or glutonous portions at sit-down restaurants for dinner, plus either no breakfast or the mysterious "breakfast burritos" that every company's cafe seems to sell, and of course snacks in between. I think his point would be made much more effectively because it's far too easy to write off the point he's making by saying "well, no one eats McDonald's for every meal." True, but plenty of people eat things equally bad for all meals, all the time.
3 - James Gore
Supposedly some woman did the exact same thing that Morgan Spurlock did and ate at McDonalds for 30 days/3 meals per day, filmed it and lost 4 pounds. The documentary is supposed to come out in late summer/early fall. That one should be interesting to see.
4 - ClubhouseCancer
Someone writes:
"That's where this film fails.
No one would willingly eat McDonald's everyday (sic), three times a day, for an entire month. No one."
Um, this is what the filmmaker did. Willingly eat there three times a day for a month. How does that make the movie a failure?
This is the criticism I've heard here and elsewhere about this movie, and it's just amazing to me. Of course he could have eaten chicken burgers or drank water or ate at McD's just once a day instead of every meal.
But that wouldn't be an interesting premise for a movie.
Please see my own upcoming food-themed documentary: I will eat three balanced meals and exercise every day -- except once every two weeks I will eat a Big Mac and fries. I will document the results. The movie will be bigger than Michael Moore, evn if I will not.
5 - Pappy
"No one would willingly eat McDonald's everyday, three times a day, for an entire month. No one."
You obviously have not watched this film because if you did, you would have seen the guy who eats 3-4 Big Macs a day (the guy who also proposed to his then gf at a McD's, and has eaten over 15,000 Big Macs).
At the end of the film, they show that the Big Mac Guy has a very good cholestorol level, but of course, he rarely eats fries.
So your statement is wrong. Completely wrong. Check out the film just to see the Big Mac Guy and make sure you see the end where they give his cholesterol level.
6 - James Gore
"No one would willingly eat McDonald's everyday, three times a day, for an entire month. No one."
The Big Mac guy does not eat at McDonalds 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Yes, his cholestorol level quite good, but his metabolism could have something to do with that.
So my statement isn't wrong. Not wrong at all.
7 - Jim Carruthers
To those people who say, "oh, nobody would ever do that", I have two words: "reality teevee".
And, as a matter of fact, it has been done before, nearly three years ago on a now defunct web site called "The Spark", thanks to the Internet Wayback Machine, we can see the results of "Gain 30 Pounds In 30 Days", where for money, two normal people tried to reach their goal weight.
8 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
I'm really looking forward to seeing this. Man, this current heightening of interest in the documentaries does The Duke good, is what.
9 - ClubhouseCancer
Pappy:
Cholesterol is not found in fries. Only in animal-based products. So his fry intake has nothing to do with eschewing fries.
10 - Phillip Winn
I used to work with a woman who ate McDonald's for breakfast and dinner. Does two meals a day count? She *sometimes* at there for lunch, too, but often rotated to, say, Wendy's.
Yeah, she was easily 350 lbs and miserably unhealthy, but failed to see how the sausage mcmuffin she was chomping could have anything to do with that.
Just because *you* wouldn't eat at McDonald's that often doesn't mean people don't.
11 - ClubhouseCancer
D'oh.
Um, his cholesterol has nothing to do with eschewing fries, is what I meant. D'oh.
12 - Pappy
""No one would willingly eat McDonald's everyday, three times a day, for an entire month. No one."
The Big Mac guy does not eat at McDonalds 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Yes, his cholestorol level quite good, but his metabolism could have something to do with that.
So my statement isn't wrong. Not wrong at all."
What do you mean he doesn't eat at McD's 3 times a day, 7 days a week? Did you not watch the film? He said he eats 3 or more Big Macs a day, EVERY DAY.
So you are wrong.
13 - Semi-Anonymous Banned Fella
"What do you mean he doesn't eat at McD's 3 times a day, 7 days a week? Did you not watch the film? He said he eats 3 or more Big Macs a day, EVERY DAY."
Well, maybe he eats them all for lunch, and has something else for his other meals. I mean, he clearly wasn't eating Big Macs for breakfast, since McD's doesn't serve Big Macs until around 11 am. And I don't know many people who consistently have breakfast during lunchtime...
14 - Mac Diva
I think some commenters are overestimating their fellow Americans. There are folks who will eat at a fast food restaurant every day. Not necessarily the same one, but the effect will be the same. (Nod to Phillip Winn.) MacDonald's on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Taco Bell on Tuesday. Dominos on Saturday. KFC to celebrate Sunday. I don't find it hard to envision at all. But then, I take public transit when I can and sometimes listen to people's conversations. (Writers do that. It is a good way to get dialogue right.) Just yesterday, I had to explain to a young woman that cash is legal tender acceptable for paying a bill. She thought bills had to be paid via check, credit card or money order. Like I said, some of you are overestimating people.
15 - James Gore
"What do you mean he doesn't eat at McD's 3 times a day, 7 days a week? Did you not watch the film? He said he eats 3 or more Big Macs a day, EVERY DAY."
That's right. I forgot, he eats a Big Mac for breakfast, a Big Mac for lunch, a Big Mac for supper, along with a Nutri-Fast drink. Oh wait, that's Tommy Lasorda.
I can eat 3 Big Macs in one sitting. It's not the biggest hamburger in the world. It's not even McDonald's biggest sandwich (not including double burgers, the Big Xtra and the Quarter Pounder with Cheese are tied for McDonald's biggest sandwiches). Just because you can't finish off one Big Mac doesn't mean everyone can't finish one off either.
16 - Semi-Anonymous Banned Fella
James:
Please be prepared for comments that insinuate you're a morbidly obese glutton. I mean, your most recent comment makes sense, and your original post makes sense. But those who disagree will likely turn your comments around on you in an unflattering way, while ignoring the actual point of your post.
FYI...
17 - James Gore
Thanks for the help. If people think I'm fat, I think that they must be really stupid. I run about 20 miles a week at this point and once I start heavily training in a couple of weeks(I'm semi-amateurish runner), I'll be running 60 miles a week. I don't have a six-pack, but I'm much closer to a washboard stomach than a beer belly. If anybody who wants to call me fat, I'd challenge them to a triathlon.
Let's put it this way, if people can't handle the facts and want to try to throw slime towards my way as a way of making a point, then to me, they're just wasting their time. Maybe they should go for a run or something.
18 - J
fatasses