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Nicolas Carter
Dr. DiSarro
ENG 101-OL03
Friday, July 18
Supersize America
Fast food rains across America everywhere you look you can see fast food restaurants.
Fast food is food that can be prepared quickly and easily and is sold in fast food restaurants such
as McDonalds ( ). According to f.a.c.t.s. (Food Advertising to Children and Teenagers Score), in
2012 the fast food industry spent $4.6 billion to advertise, on the contrary, other industries such
as the fruit and vegetable industries have only spent $116 million on advertising ( ). Furthermore,
a recent article mentioned that eating fast food has health concerns and have been linked to
obesity, heart disease, and diabetes ( ). In the movie Supersize Me, actor/director Morgan
Spurlock conducts an unscientific experiment using himself as the guinea pig. He eats only
McDonald's for thirty days, three meals a day. Also, if the clerk asks Spurlock if he would like
the meal supersized he has to say yes, but there is more to it than just that. Supersize Me is a
movie about American pop culture and fast food, it is directed towards Americans and Spurlock
wants the viewer to understand how what they eat affects them and makes himself the example.
Supersize Me is an investigative documentary that investigates and explores the effects of
fast foods, in particular McDonalds. The documentary not only investigates but also educates the
audience, specifically Americans, young people and generally fast food eaters about obesity and
the affects of regularly eating fast food. Supersize Me was created in an expositional mode,
allowing the audience to see the first-hand effects and thus it cannot be blamed or excused by
other factors. This kind of approach gives Spurlock more creditability with the audience. The
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documentary also features other stylistic devices such as data, montages, facts and statistics,
archival footage and formal interviews in order to make the aim of Supersize Me more prominent
in order for any changes it provokes to be more significant. For example, the documentary
begins with a montage of archival footage of obesity in America. Along with the presenter,
Morgan Spurlock narrating facts and statistics about obesity within the United States, calling it
the” fattest nation in the world”. This provides the audience with the shock factor over this
extremely negative portrait of America, which further engages them into these statistics
surrounding obesity. The movie then follows the people Spurlock finds on the street outside of
McDonalds or other fast food outlets. The majority of those interviewed confessed to regularly
eating fast food and argued against it being morally wrong for McDonalds to be forcing such
unhealthy food upon society. To then provide evidence and back up the statement that
McDonalds is contributing to obesity within society. The documentary featured a graphic of the
United States, which showed the correlation between the ‘fattest’ states and the number of
McDonalds within that state. The city that has the most obese Americans and the most
McDonalds is Detroit ( ). Spurlock then explains that the poorest areas of are country have the
most McDonalds. Spurlock engages the audience with many statistical facts that he forces the
audience to pay attention.
Spurlock communicates to the viewers effectively by showing statistical graphs and
information that are enforced by his creditability. Throughout the documentary we also see
several professionals and experts featured in formal interviews. These begin to show a more
positive aspect of American society. For example Jacob Sullum, the senior editor of reason
magazine argues that people should be tackling obesity as they do for tobacco. Other experts are
shown discussing their efforts in trying to tackle obesity or those who disagree with the way in
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which fast food companies are taking over people’s diets. This is a more positive portrayal of
American society as it highlights that so many people are trying to fight for healthy diets and
lifestyles. However the documentary also features an interview with Gene Grabowski, who
states, “we are part of the problem”. This shows a lack of consideration for American society as
he admits they know they are helping to cause serious health problems, however their main
priority is not the health, safety and well-being of their customers but the profits in which the
unhealthy food is bringing them. The type of communicating method that Spurlock employs is
that he shows by example. Specifically, he shows the audience what consuming fast food is
doing to his body making him more credible this way.
