Gothamist doesn't need to be told twice to see a documentary about a man committing liver kamikaze by eating McDonald's food for 30 days straight, in Super Size Me. Since it premiered at Sundance, Morgan Spurlock's documentary about his attempt to emulate the diet of the average American (in McDonald's eyes, at least, as it was partly due McDonald's claims that their food was healthy that Spurlock embarked on this project) while trying to stay alive has generated a lot of buzz. Whether it's the sheer conceit of eating McDonald's fast food three meals a day, all across the country, or Spurlock's doctor telling him he's like the Nic Cage character in Leaving Las Vegas, killing himself with fast food instead of alcohol, there's something about alluring about fast food. Maybe because it's tastes so good and it's so cheap and convenient, all the health hazards aside. Anyway, even though some might call this a gimmick, it's one with legs.
Read Stephanice Zacharek's review of Super Size Me in Salon (today's Salon ultramercial is for Saved! which looks hysterical, by the way). Check out Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation, which exposes the scary underbelly of fast food.
Super Size Me is playing at both art house and bigger movie theaters. Check Moviefone or Fandango for details. And here are some other movies that are a little more off the radar but worth seeing: I'm Not Scared, The Argonomist, and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring.
