Super Size Me Part 1

Bibliography:
Super Size Me is a documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock and starring Morgan Spurlock in addition to his spouse, Alexandra Jamieson. In this film, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's from February 1 to March 2 of 2003. The soundtrack was done by Doug Ray, Steve Horowitz, and Michael Parrish. The editing for the film was done by Julie Lombardi. The film documents the devastating effect of this type of lifestyle on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being. The film was released in 2004, and ironically, McDonald's recalled the "Super Size Me" option on their menu only 6 months after the films debut.


Rhetoric Used:
The purpose of this documentary is to bring to light all of the harmful health effects associated with over-consuming fast food particularly that of McDonald's. At the time of the documentary's release, there were already a multitude of studies connecting fast-food to certain undesirable health conditions. Fast-food restaurants have been able to dismiss these studies as flawed and misguided and prompt the public to overlook them. Since most Americans were already knowledgeable about the studies connecting adverse health effects to fast-food, all Spurlock had to do was give credence to the studies. Therefore, most of the rhetorical strategies used in this film were designed to give credence to himself and the video's findings. In the beginning of the film, Spurlock depicts himself as an incredibly healthy person in order to make his change in condition after his experiment with McDonald's appear more dramatic to the audience. He purposely alludes to the fact that his wife is a vegetarian cook. Furthermore, he begins the experiment by going to the doctor's office for a checkup so that we, his audience, knows that he is great shape and none of the changes he undergoes is due to prior health conditions. If Spurlock is successful in doing so, the audience is forced to accept that the main factor in his deteriorating condition is the McDonald's food.


Like all other documentaries, Spurlock manipulates the tone and music of the documentary to move the audience. Quite often Spurlock talks in a groggy and unpleasant manor directly after consuming McDonald's. This change in tone attempts to connect his change in attitude with the food he ate. Additionally, there are several points throughout the film where Morgan Spurlock is seen vomiting directly after eating McDonald's food. Since he does so directly after eating, it reduces the chance that his ailment is due to anything other than the food he consumed. Furthermore, such a grotesque response to food is sure to steer audiences away from eating whatever he ate.


Lastly, if the audience should take all of these responses as simple theatrics, Spurlock goes to the doctor regularly so that he can reaffirm his deteriorating health. Such testimonies are less likely to be staged simply because the doctor's job would be at stake if he lied about a patient in that manner. This serves to give even more credibility to the film.