Super Size Me
Super Size Me is an American documentary film, directed by and starring independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. The film documents this lifestyle's drastic effects on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being, and explores the fast food industry's corporate influence. The reason for Spurlock's investigation was the increasing spread of obesity throughout the U.S., which the Surgeon General had declared an "epidemic," Also he chose to make the film following the lawsuit brought against McDonald's on behalf of two overweight girls, who, it was alleged, became obese as a result of eating McDonald's food.
The film was produced on a very low budget (around $65,000), which is evident in the shaky use of a single camcorder and also the quality of the sound throughout most of the film. However, this did not affect the success as the film, as it managed to make around $30,000,000 worldwide, making it one of the most successful documentaries of all time. Also the film won an award at the Sundance film festival and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature.
Despite its’ success the film has split critics, some citing it as a very powerful film with an effective message, while others are not so complementary. For example in the comedic documentary reply Fat Head, Tom Naughton, another documentary filmmaker, suggests that Spurlock's calorie and fat counts don't add up and criticizes Spurlock's refusal to publish the Super Size Me food log which includes all the relevant nutritional information.
The film features many of the codes and conventions of a documentary film. For example the film is full of graphics and animations showing various facts and figures relating to obesity in America and also the number of fast food chains in the country. Also the film features many interviews, half coming in the form of formal interviews with appropriate professionals, the other half coming in the form of vox-pops with the public giving their opinions on the matter.
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