Country: United States of America
Language: English
Year: 2004
Running Time: 98 min
Why are Americans so fat? Find out in SUPER SIZE ME, a tongue-in-cheek - and burger-in-hand -- look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food.
Ominously, 37% of American children and adolescents are carrying too much fat and 2 out of every three adults are overweight or obese. Is it our fault for lacking self-control, or are the fast-food corporations to blame?
Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock hit the road and interviewed experts in 20 U.S. cities, including Houston, the "Fattest City" in America. From Surgeon Generals to gym teachers, cooks to kids, lawmakers to legislators, these authorities shared their research, opinions and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth.
During the journey, Spurlock also put his own body on the line, living on nothing but McDonald's for an entire month with three simple rules:
1) No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!)
2) No supersizing unless offered 3) No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once
It all adds up to a fat food bill, harrowing visits to the doctor, and compelling viewing for anyone who's ever wondered if man could live on fast food alone. The film explores the horror of school lunch programs, declining health and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to lose weight and regain their health.
SUPER SIZE ME is a satirical jab in the stomach, overstuffed with fat and facts about the billion-dollar industry besieged by doctors, lawyers and nutritionists alike. "Would you like fries with that?" will never sound the same!
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Director
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Morgan Spurlock
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Producer
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Morgan Spurlock
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Executive Producer
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J.R. Morley
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Executive Producer
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Heather Winters
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Associate Producer
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David Pederson
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Production Company
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The Con
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Cinematography
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Scott Ambrozy
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Art Director
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Joe the Artist
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Music
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Steve Horowitz
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Music
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Michael Parrish
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Editor
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Stela Gueorguieva
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Editor
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Julie Lombardi
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Sound Design
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Hans ten Broeke
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Dr. Daryl Isaacs
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Internal Medicine
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Dr. Lisa Ganjhu
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Gastroenterologist
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Morgan Spurlock
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Ronald McDonald
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Best Director Edinburgh, Grand Prix Winner Sundance, Nominated Oscar Best Documentary, Golden Satellite Award, Documentary Screenplay Award DGA,
Morgan Spurlock, producer/director/guinea pig of SUPER SIZE ME, was sitting on the couch at his childhood home in West Virginia on Thanksgiving 2002, stuffed with turkey and all the fixings, when the concept behind SUPER SIZE ME came to him.
"I was so full and was watching the news when a story about the two girls suing McDonald's came on the TV. I immediately called Scott (Ambrozy, Director of Photography) and told him the idea. When he finished laughing, he said 'That's a really great bad idea.' By the time I got back to New York, we were already in pre-production on it."
A native of West Virginia, Spurlock is an award-winning writer, director and producer. He is also the founder of The Con, the New York based production company behind the film whose goal is to level the playing field in the world of production. SUPER SIZE ME is Spurlock's first feature film.
A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Spurlock has conceived and created more than 60 projects during his 12 years in the industry. From commercials to music videos to television shows, Spurlock has had the privilege of working with such companies as MTV, ESPN, NBC, FOX, TNT, VH-1, Sony and MCA Records.
In 1999, Spurlock's full-length play, THE PHOENIX, won the Audience Favorite Award at the New York International Fringe Festival. He subsequently picked up Best Play honors at the Route 66 American Playwrighting Competition in January, 2000.
2008 WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN
2004 SUPER SIZE ME