Parts of the film are somewhat repetitious, and the continual shots of obese people seem cruel and unnecessary. Viewers may also find themselves getting tired of Spurlock’s little game; as his health deteriorates rapidly and his doctors warn of potentially irreversible liver failure I couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t just give it up. He’d made his point by day 25, why put him self through this misery for five more? Footage of a Gastric bypass surgery seems similarly unnecessary and ruthlessly graphic, and the implied message, that we, as a nation have resorted to such a barbaric-looking surgery because we cannot contain our massive appetite for unhealthy food is misleading. While gastric bypass surgery may seem to be simply a form of weight-loss for those too lazy to exercise and eat right, many candidates for the surgery are genetically predisposed to Obesity and are not merely using the surgery as “an easy way out.”

Yet in many moments that film’s message is undeniably clear and resonant. After a young girl and her mother meet Subway Spokesman “Jared” who lost massive amounts of weight by eating two subway sandwiches a day, the girl shakes her head and bemoans the fact that she’ll never lose weight because she can’t afford to buy two sandwiches from subway every day. When the camera scans the lunch offerings at elementary schools while administrators yammer on about how important nutrition is for kids, viewers can’t help but cringe. And it’s that cringing that makes this film so necessary.

The inevitable complication is that this film may not reach the people who really need to see it. Whether this film will make it to the multiplexes of the Midwest, where obesity is a widespread and primarily unaddressed issue remains to be seen. Sitting in a theater in New York, surrounded by the svelte and nutritionally savvy, I felt this movie was ostensibly preaching to the choir; what New Yorker isn’t aware of the vast amount of carbs and calories in our beloved bagels? Yet even if it does not reach the audience who would really benefit from seeing it, the repercussions of Spurlock’s little filmed experiment have proved widespread. Spurlock’s film may have amiably served up the wake-up call this country needed.

Movie Grade: A-

Synopsis:

A look at obesity in America and it's link to the fast food chains (specifically McDonald's)