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Spurlock monitors the effects of his McDiet

The film is more ambivalent in its approach to overweight people themselves. Smoking may be an unnecessary activity with enormous risks and no real benefits, but everyone has to eat, and some people do have better metabolisms than others. Reason magazine editor Jacob Sullum speculates that fat people may eventually have to deal with the same sort of social hostility that smokers now face, and there does seem to be an accusatory tone to Spurlock's many shots of anonymous huge Americans. However, there are hints in the film that diet isn't always destiny. One somewhat pudgy teenaged girl does get to complain about the glamorization of ultra-thin celebrities, and some interviewees—including a so-called "Big Mac Enthusiast" who has eaten over 19,000 of the double-decker burgers—seem oddly trim.

It is also unclear just what we are to make of the scene in which Jared Fogle—the man who lost hundreds of pounds on an all-Subway diet and now trumpets his success in their commercials—meets a very-overweight young fan after one of his speaking engagements. In an interview with the filmmakers, the fan says she wishes she could follow Fogle's example, because she knows it's "the only solution" to her problem, but alas, she cannot afford to eat at Subway so often. At this point, some viewers may wonder why she doesn't go the more cost-effective route of buying the basic ingredients and making her own sandwiches at home. Given a choice between spending money and practicing more self-discipline, it seems some people would rather spend the money—or, in this case, fantasize about spending the money.

Still, the fact remains, fast-food chains are increasingly improving their menus to meet consumer demand for healthier options; McDonald's itself introduced the McVeggie burger in Canada two years ago, and recently began selling "Go Active!" meals that come with exercise booklets and pedometers. If this film encourages consumers to keep up the demand, then so much the better.

Spurlock confronts the McDonald's

Super Size Me comes out of the same anti-corporate activism-as-entertainment culture that has given us the dubious likes of Michael Moore (who was criticized by some of his fans for revealing that he took his film crew to McDonald's in The Big One), and at times Spurlock's love of irony overwhelms whatever point he is trying to make, such as when he plays the "Blue Danube" over graphic images of a stomach reduction operation. But the film does underscore the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own health, and it does this in a frequently humorous and self-deprecating way. Whether the viewer agrees with all aspects of Spurlock's political agenda or not, Super Size Me would be perfect for group discussions of all kinds—it gives the viewer plenty of food for thought.

Talk About It

1. If our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, how should we eat? How do we honor God when we eat or drink? What place should fasting and feasting have in our worship?
   
   
2. What should concern parents more—the dietary aspects of fast food, or the way some restaurants encourage children to identify with their brand? If children, once grown up, will not depart from the way in which they have been trained up (Proverbs 22:6), then how concerned should we be about advertising that targets children?
   
   
3. How can we develop patience and self-discipline in a culture that encourages us to get what we want now? What would be the costs and benefits of waiting a little while longer? What would be the costs and benefits of doing more things for ourselves?

The Family Corner

Super Size Me has no MPAA rating at this time, but the occasional four-letter words would probably earn it a PG-13. The director's girlfriend talks briefly about the effects of his dietary changes on their sex life, and there are several shots of needles (for blood tests, etc.) during the director's regular trips to the three doctors he consults during his McDonald's binge. A black bar obscures the details of a rectal examination that the director receives before he embarks on his mission, but an interviewee's stomach reduction operation is shown in full detail.

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