1. Super Size Me - Morgan Spurlock's
Whether something constitutes a lie or a truth can depend on a number of issues. Is it truthful, even revelatory, if I told you that eating nothing but McDonalds would be bad for you? Spurlocks documentary wasnt exactly based on a lie then, but it was based on a grand non-surprise. Very little was learnt in the process of Spurlocks dietary imprisonment except that it didnt look like much fun and this was not a clever satirical attack on the fast-food industry. Even the rather odd caveat that Spurlock must say yes whenever he was offered a supersizing of his portions does not really reflect our greedy, fast-food culture in itself. He could have said no, thats the point. The point of self-control and responsibility. It was one Spurlocks own artificial rules that he had to say yes, seemingly in a bid to hasten his dietary demise. Furthermore, in moderation, I want a supersized McDonalds meal. Dont you? What most people dont know about this titular caveat was that, rather surprisingly, Spurlock was only offered to be supersized about one tenth of the time- that is both encouraging for the rest of us and disparaging of Spurlock to call his documentary Supersize Me. It more a plea than an imposition. Most people, in fairness, saw through Spurlocks weak central point. The films reception was met with critics and filmgoers alike saying things like yeah but if you ate 6000 calories of the organically-raised Buffalo you would still be fat. And thats the point isnt it? Spurlock hasnt found anything out for us that we didnt already know. Supersize Me constitutes reality TV not documentary film. All in all, Spurlocks film added nothing to the idea that our obesity crisis can be levelled at the hands of restaurateurs like McDonalds. In fact, it squarely put the blame on cretinous, gluttonous citizens who were incapable of making reasonable gastronomic choices. With its salt-riddled, over-heaped portions of self-indulgent voyeurism, with its central point that over-eating will lead to over-eating, particularly when no exercise is taken, SuperSize Me is based on absolutely nothing.