In the ongoing onslaught for the consumers’ money, the fast-food chains apply every tactic imaginable. As the public opinion seems to become less favourable these last years, they see themselves forced to respond to trends like low-fat, sugar-free and ‘healthy’ alternatives for their calorie-laden burgers, fries and sandwiches. In turning the increasingly bad rep in their favour, they can boast their vast marketing force and seemingly unlimited advertising budget to ensure the consumers’ loyalty. They will need to go all-out, since a war -similar to the successful campaign against the tobacco industry- is ensuing. Morgan Spurlock is the latest thorn in the junk-food pushers’ side, as he sets off on an epic journey to expose the industry.

They first connotation you might have with this brilliant documentary is that with the work of that other Nemesis of corporate America, Michael Moore; the off-hand way of presenting, the funny and satirical yet serious undertone, the relentless critique, combined with the likeable demeanour of Spurlock as he subjects himself to his self-chosen ordeal, all make for a very captivating viewing experience. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take anything away from the gravity of the main message this docu is conveying: junk-food is poison and will quickly become the number one killer in the USA and elsewhere in the world. Spurlock was willing to put his health on the line by eating nothing than McDonalds fast-food for a solid month; breakfast, lunch and dinner and no other food or (healthy) supplements. During this whole period his health was monitored by three physicians and one nutritional advisor, keeping his physical changes under close scrutiny.

The choice for using McDonalds as a target has been heavily criticised as it is just one of many junk-food pushing companies around. However, the choice is perfectly justifiable as McDonalds is the prime exponent of that same junk-food industry with its omnipresence and fierce marketing force. Spurlock got his idea when he learned of the case of two young girls who were suing McDonalds for having become obese. The judge ruled in favour of the junk-food giant because the girls could not unequivocally prove that McDonalds was the sole reason for their obesity. The court stressed however, that future plaintiffs would have a more solid case if they could prove without a doubt that their poor health was uniquely caused by junk-food restaurants. Spurlock went out and did just that. Or did he really?

Again he received a lot of criticism that his act was too extreme, since his diet consisted solely of McDonalds, something even McDonalds would not approve of. Exaggerated or not, his extreme bingeing did prove that in a very short time you can develop extreme health hazards and that the food has a lot of nasty side-effects; even the physicians were baffled by his rapidly deteriorating health. The most shocking to me was the deliberately combined use of addictive components in junk-food: sugar, saturated fat, caffeine, refined carbohydrates and certain addictive enzymes to be found in cheese and salad dressing. All these things make for the consumers to get physically addicted and turning them into ‘loyal’ customers so that they will return for their ‘fix’. Also the complete marketing manipulation to turn children into life-long customers was scary. Not only do they bombard the youngsters with endless commercials and coveted give-aways, but they also are present on most high schools where they gain their way in by heavy school sponsoring. This last fact simultaneously shows they intrinsic weakness of the US school system, since it often has to depend on such corporate sponsoring; a point which has also fervently been exposed by Michael Moore.

As far as the form of the film goes: it’s near perfect. Spurlock has the ideal voice of reason in the form of his veganist(!) girlfriend, his mother and the team of physicians that marvel over his frightening transformation. It is loosely shot with some funny effects and great music while being highly informative and inquisitive at the same time. Coincidentally, two months after the premiere at Sundance, McDonalds decided to no longer sell their menus in ’super size’. They deny however that it has anything to do with Spurlock’s documentary. All in all, it is less pushy than a Moore docu and comes across as more factual –despite his guerrilla-approach to the matter.
A disturbing document of our time, but what an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience!