Super Size Me (2004) on Netflix
PG20041h 40mComedyDocumentaryDrama
For thirty days Morgan Spurlock eats only McDonald's, three meals a day, and says yes to every super size offer. Three doctors track what the diet does to him.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.2/10115,570 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes92%
Trailer
Plot summary
Lawsuits against McDonald's claim the chain knowingly sells unhealthy food, and some court decisions hold that a plaintiff could pursue a claim by showing that eating the food at every meal, every day, is dangerous. Morgan Spurlock, a filmmaker in good health, tests that question on himself. For thirty days he eats only McDonald's, three meals a day, orders every item on the menu at least once, and says yes each time a clerk offers to super size the meal. He gives up exercise and holds himself to under 5,000 steps a day. Three doctors pronounce his general health outstanding before the experiment and monitor him through it, while a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist and his girlfriend, a vegan chef, make their own predictions about the month.
Cast
- Daryl Isaacsas Self - Internal Medicine
- Lisa Ganjhuas Self - Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist
- Stephen Siegelas Self - Cardiologist
- Bridget Bennettas Self - Nutritionist & Dietician
- Chemeeka Walkeras Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Dania Abu-Rmailehas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Amanda Kearsanas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Christian Baucheras Himself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Amelia Giancarloas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Geoffrey Giancarloas Himself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Alexandria Morganas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
Show all 20 cast
- Chanelle Clarkeas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Marisa Danenfieldas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Katie Danenfieldas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Megan Foleyas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Edmand Carderoas Himself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Jay Cohenas Himself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Jonnae Strongas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
- Audrey Whitfieldas Herself - Kid of Camp Mt. Laurel
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Super Size Me (2004)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Morgan Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which he claimed to consume only McDonald's food, although he later disclosed that he was also abusing alcohol at the time.
- At the end of the experiment the then-32-year-old Spurlock had gained 24.5 lb, a 13% body mass increase, pushed his cholesterol to 230 mg/dL and experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction and fat accumulation in his liver.
- Spurlock's internist, Dr. Daryl Isaacs, advised him to stop immediately to avoid serious health problems, comparing him with the character Nicolas Cage plays in Leaving Las Vegas, who intentionally drinks himself to death in a matter of weeks.
- Six weeks after the film premiered, McDonald's discontinued its Super Size portion option and began promoting healthier items like salads, though the company denied the changes had anything to do with the documentary.
- As a counterpoint, the film features interviews with the Big Mac aficionado and record holder Don Gorske, who eats multiple Big Macs each day yet maintains a healthy weight and cholesterol levels, as well as good mental health.
- In his reply documentary Fat Head, Tom Naughton suggests that Spurlock's calorie and fat counts do not add up, and notes Spurlock's refusal to publish the Super Size Me food log.
- The high school science teacher John Cisna lost 60 lb while eating exclusively at McDonald's for 180 days, and said that as a science teacher he would never show Super Size Me because he never saw the educational value in it.
