Movie · 2004 · Documentary · 1h 40m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.4/10 (231.8K ratings)
The first ever reality-based movie ... everything begins and ends in 30 days!
Overview
Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to a diet based only on McDonald's fast food three times a day for thirty days without exercising to try to prove why so many Americans are fat or obese. He submits himself to a complete check-up by three doctors, comparing his weight along the way, resulting in a scary conclusion.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.4/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.06/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 73
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Morgan Spurlock
Production
The Con, Studio On Hudson, Showtime Independent Films, Fortissimo Films, Roadside Attractions, Samuel Goldwyn Films
Cast
Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Lisa Ganjhu, Stephen Siegel, Bridget Bennett, Eric Rowley, Mark Fenton, Alexandra Jamieson, John Banzhaf, David Satcher, Lisa Young, Kelly Brownell, Jacob Sullum, Tommy Thompson, William J. Klish, Ron English
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A blunt, highly watchable early-2000s issue documentary with a strong hook and memorable cultural impact, but its argument is simpler and more self-consciously performative than it first appears. It works best as a time capsule of media activism and fast-food anxiety rather than a definitive health film.
Best for
Viewers who like provocative, personality-driven documentaries
People interested in early-2000s pop-culture polemics
Audiences looking for a concise, easy-to-follow social issue film
Skip if
You want a balanced, deeply reported investigation
You’re already skeptical of stunt-documentary premises
You prefer documentaries with less self-mythologizing and more nuance
Overview
Super Size Me is built on a simple, irresistible premise: one man eats McDonald’s for every meal and lets the camera record the consequences. That setup gives the film immediate momentum, and Spurlock knows how to turn a public-health concern into a piece of mainstream entertainment. The result is brisk, accessible, and hard to ignore.
Worth noting
At the same time, the film’s method is also its weakness. It often feels less like rigorous journalism than a staged demonstration designed to confirm what the audience already suspects. That doesn’t make it worthless, but it does mean the film plays more as a cultural artifact and a warning sign about fast food than as a durable piece of investigative nonfiction.
Bottom line
What remains strongest is its ability to provoke conversation. It captures a moment when issue documentaries could break into the wider pop-culture bloodstream through personality, humor, and shock. Even now, it’s easy to see why it became so widely discussed, even if its arguments have aged unevenly.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ivy wolk (1★) · 2071 likes
if you developed anorexia anytime after viewing this documentary in middle school you may be entitled to financial compensation
willmoviefan97 (4★) · 1321 likes
Seeing Jared Fogle cameo on screen with underage children definitely qualifies this as true life horror.
Madison 🎭 (2★) · 1165 likes
his wife: when we do have sex, he doesn’t have the same amount of energy as he used to (and she continues to monologue about their sex life btw)
guy across my class: damn she a freak!
Joe A (1.5★) · 898 likes
Morgan Spurlock: Did y’all know that eating fast food every day for 30 days straight is bad for you?
The world in 2004: WHAAAT?!?
Not sure if a more pointless documentary exists. A more fascinating documentary would be a documentary about how Super-Size Me brainwashed a society into thinking it was decent.
firestriker (2★) · 800 likes
wait what??????? eating only fast food every single day for a month can make you fat and sick??????? WHAT THE FUCK?!!!!!!!!!