Thu Feb 09 2012

See Super Size Me soon ... and hold the fries
by Harvey Wasserman
June 21, 2004

SUPER SIZE ME, now playing at the Drexel East, is one of the very few films that can be called a "Must-See" for all Americans. Whether you eat at McDonald's or not.

It's rare a piece of reportage that can cut to the very heart---or stomach---of the American way of life. But Morgan Spurlock's solid, brilliant and cunning documentary is one for the ages.

Spurlock builds his case carefully. In great physical condition to start, he visits three physicians and a physical therapist to document his weight, cholesterol, heart functions and more. He starts out at six-feet-two, 185 pounds, with vital statistics that could easily get him sent to Iraq (which McDonald's would probably like to see at this point). .

Then he embarks on a solid month of eating at McDonald's. Starting with what must be the most graphic barf in US film history (you might do well to turn your head during this scene), we follow the downward spiral of Spurlock's body to the brink of fast food death.

The film is alternatively hilarious and infuriating, academic and personal. We go from numerical graphs on American obesity to a graphic description from Spurlock's vegan girl friend about the sad decline of his sexual performance. Both come perilously close to telling us more than we want to know. The bottom line seems to be that despite the attack on the World Trade Center, the most effective terrorist threat to the well-being of the American public comes from a Super Sized serving of fries, whether we call them french or freedom.

Spurclock makes his point with such sly brilliance that it seems to have left McDonald's at a loss to counter-attack, at least so far. One executive is fighting back in Australia in a complicated media war. But here in the US, Mickey D's major counter-punch has been to drop the Super Sizing that gave Spurlock his title.

Whether the company launches a legal or media assault here remains to be seen. Those of us who've fought McDonald's blitzkreig store placements know they can be a fierce, relentless foe.

Personally, when it comes to this film, I'd say "bring them on." Beneath his engaging veneer, Spurlock seems the ultimate fast food foe: a bright, funny, charming advocate with the force of Nature on his side. This stuff is bad for you, and Spurlock puts his own body on the line to prove the point. It would be wonderful to hear secret tapes of Mickey D's corporate honchos trying to figure out how to spin this one.

The Drexel deserves kudos for signing on and committing to this brilliant piece of work. It's everything a documentary should be: solid, funny, well-documented, imaginative, fast-paced and, ultimately, the successful conveyor of a clear and irrefutable point. Before you drive by---or into---your next set of Golden Arches, be sure to see this film.

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HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is available at http://www.harveywasserman.com/. He is co-author, with Bob Fitrakis, of GEORGE W. BUSH VERSUS THE SUPERPOWER OF PEACE

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