Morgan Spurlock Supersized Me

I saw "Supersize Me" last night. Loved it. In some ways, it sort of seemed like Fast Food Nation lite, but if it's taking some of the core bits of that book's message to a larger audience, then that's fine with me.*

I have no deep thoughts on the film, but it was incredible to see how shocked the medical professionals involved were when they saw how destructive McDonald's food was to Spurlock's body. It certainly should make viewers think again before condemning the lawsuits charging fast food corporations with some culpability for the skyrocketing health care costs related to massive consumption of fast food. Speaking of which, the movie features an interview with GW's very own John Banzhaf, one of the leaders in the legal attack on fast food. He takes a lot of flack, and he'll probably take more now that everyone's seen him eating a meal at McD's with Spurlock. (It also probably wouldn't hurt if he cleaned up his office, but that's another story.)

In addition to the scene where Spurlock pukes after eating a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Supersize Meal, another highlight was the slimy lawyer interview (not Banzhaf; I don't remember his name).

"Why are you suing the fast food companies?" Spurlock asked.

The attorney gives him a shit-eating grin like, "you want me to lie?" and says: "You mean, you want some reason other than financial compensation? You want some higher moral purpose here?" The camera cuts away.

It's really no wonder people hate lawyers...

* Note: If you haven't yet read Fast Food Nation, I can't recommend it highly enough. It's not only about how bad fast food is for us, but it's also about how the fast-food model has revolutionized (for the worse) agricultural production and decimated traditional agricultural labor markets. It touches on how these developments affect many other areas of life, including education and international relations. It's a great, great book.

Posted May 30, 2004 12:15 PM | ai movies