Super Size Me Movie Analysis - Essay Example

Super Size Me – Movie Analysis Super Size Me is a documentary film by Morgan Spurlock that passes the message of dangers of fast food to health. Spurlock got the inspiration to create this documentary after he came across a case of two girls that were suing McDonald’s as the cause of their obesity, but the court found no proof of any relationship between their obesity and poor health and the foods at McDonald’s. Spurlock set to experiment the effects of fast food on health by having himself as a guinea pig in the experiment. He therefore, decided to eat at the McDonald’s for thirty consecutive days, each three meals, and examine the effects of fast food n his health. As the movie progresses, a viewer can note drastic changes that take place on the physical, as well as psychological health of Spurlock. At the beginning of the movie, Spurlock is in an above average physical health, as confirmed by three doctors, including a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, and a general practitioner; a personal trainer, and a nutritionist. All the health professionals predict that the “McDiet” will have adverse effects on Spurlock’s health. However, these were optimistic that none of the effects will be drastic, since human body is known to be adaptable. After 30 days on an exclusive McDonald’s diet, with the least exercise, the health professionals are shocked at the high level at which the health of Spurlock had deteriorated. One doctor noted that that the diet had caused on irreversible damage on Spurlock’s heart, hence exposing him to high risk of heart attack. Overall, Spurlock experienced side effects of loss of sexual appetite, mood swings, chest pains, vomiting, stomach pains, and cravings, and ended up with liver damage, weight gain, and depression at the end of the experiment. This was evidence that fast foods are unhealthy and have negative effects on our physical and psychological health. In the movie, Spurlock used two main methods, including experimentation and interviewing. If Spurlock would have used only one of these two methods, the evidence collected would have been unconvincing. Use of interviews alone would have only led to assumptions that lacked proof, while experimentation alone would have failed to prove if the results of the experiment were valid enough to be generalized to the larger population. Therefore, apart from the main experiment in this movie, Spurlock also interviewed different parties and gathered important information was a source of evidence in the movie. Spurlock gathered information from health professionals and interviewed and held discussions with Americans about their eating habits. Spurlock conducted interviews with different health experts to explain in the medical context the contribution that fast food made to the obesity epidemic in the United States. The responses from medical experts are a source of data for the audience and help them to better understand the experiment that Spurlock is engaged in. From the interviews with health experts, a viewer learns about the negative effects that fast food has to the human body, including their physical and psychological health. Before embarking on the 30-day McDiet, Spurlock needed to prepare himself psychologically. He therefore, plans for appointments and interviews with a cardiologist, a personal trainer, a general practitioner, a nutritionist, and a gastroenterologist, in order for them to conduct an examination of this body and provide predictions of the impact of the experiment on his body and health. These health experts predicted that the experiment would lead to weight gain, but have less impact on his triglycerides. Overall, the prediction and information from these health experts is important, as it serves as a base to what the audience should expect at the end of the experiment. Spurlock interviews a doctor who explains that fats and sugar in foods such as fries and chocolate have opiate-like power. This is a technique that Spurlock uses to show the dangers of fast food to his audience. Spurlock also in the movie, interviews a surgeon who claims that in America, obesity ranks as the second cause of death after smoking. He also held an interview with a nutritionist who showed how bigger the sizes of fries and coke in fast food restaurants continue to grow bigger over time. She explains that today, car companies are forced to make larger holders in the car in order to be fitting to big size cups. The nutritionist also explains the increasing trend of diabetes and the adverse effects of fast food. This shows a culture that promotes obesity. The movie also addresses the marketing techniques that fast food stores use. In doing this, Super Size Me portrays its opposition to these marketing techniques and attempts to show this to the viewer by providing scientific proof that will discourage people from eating fast food. The movie proves to the audience that fast food companies take a leading role in the poor health of Americans. An important aspect that develops out of this movie is about the point where individual responsibility ends and corporate responsibility begins. In the movie, the advertising and marketing of lethal and unhealthy foods in the United States’ media has been considered as corporate irresponsibility. In the movie, advertising and marketing of fast food is almost omnipresent; and this promotes the consumption of fast food by Americans, hence increasing the levels of obesity in the country. Spurlock has emphasized on the marketing of food to American children. When the movie begins, we are shown children singing songs about fast food joints such as McDonald’s to prove that children are addicted to fast food. Even at school, Spurlock shows that children are served fast food for lunch. Additionally, McDonald’s features a colourful clown, jungle gyms, and fast food in the kids’ shows in order to entice them. Spurlock also shows that McDonald’s targets children by hosting birthday parties, dressing up employees like cartoon characters, and giving giveaways. In one experiment, Spurlock showed that children recognized the cartoon characters of McDonald’s, but failed to recognize images of figures such as Jesus and Bush. Spurlock also zoomed in fast food adverts in McDonald’s restaurant, such as “feeding billions everyday.” He also zooms in adverts of McDonald’s in football fields and people on the streets wearing McDonald’s t-shirts. This shows that fast food adverts in America are many, hence contributing to the high consumption of fast foods, thus raising obesity levels in the country. Furthermore, Spurlock holds discussions with Americans about their eating habits. He interviews one man that drinks about eight litres of diet soda in a day. This made him go blind for one week in the onset of diabetes. Another man admitted to eating only Big Mac sandwiches. Spurlock also interviewed people on the effects of fast food. Most said fast food did not have any effect on health, while others had no idea of what calories are. This proves the level of ignorance of Americans as far as nutrition and health is concerned. Spurlock also interviewed a son of one of the founders of Baskin Robbins. He admitted to getting sick from eating too much ice cream. His uncle also died of diabetes due to the high sugar levels in the ice creams he loved to consume. The director of GMA in an interview concluded that we all are part of the problem, and encouraged individual responsibility in order to fight obesity. Conclusively, the movie Super Size Me was not an attack on McDonald’s, but used this fast food restaurant since it has dominated the fast food industry in America, hence more Americans identify with it. The movie has served its purpose well of raising awareness among people on the dangers of fast food to their physical and psychological health. This therefore, remains important today and in years to come, as long as obesity continues to be a major concern in America. Nonetheless, this movie raises questions about individual responsibility as well as corporate responsibility, as far as efforts of ensuring a healthier America are concerned. Read More