| Autumn
2004 • Volume XIII, Number 4
Super Size Me Storms Capitol Hill
 In
events sponsored by PCRM, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock
brought his cautionary message to Congress July 22-23. The response—like
a waistline on a steady diet of Big Macs—was huge.
Nearly 400 congressional staffers and other guests, including Rep.
Brian Baird (D-Washington), packed rooms at the Library of Congress
to see Super Size Me, Spurlock’s award-winning movie about
the harrowing health effects of his month-long, all-McDonald’s
diet.
The next day, two Capitol Hill briefings drew high attendance and
enthusiastic response.
Spurlock came to Washington to challenge the Commonsense Consumption
Act, earlier publicized as the Cheeseburger Bill. Passed by the
House, the bill is awaiting action in the Senate. The legislation
would preempt consumer lawsuits against food manufacturers, distributors,
and sellers for their role in the nation’s obesity epidemic.
Super Size Me is “a tongue-in-cheek—and burger-in-hand—look
at the legal, financial and physical costs of America’s hunger
for fast food,” Spurlock says. In the course of filming, his
weight ballooned by 25 pounds and his cholesterol shot up by 65
points. One doctor compared the effect of the diet on his liver
to binge drinking. After filming, Spurlock regained his health through
a vegan diet.
Super Size Me, the fourth-highest grossing documentary
in film history, appeared on DVD September 28. Spurlock has donated
discs for distribution to every member of Congress. This January
the filmmaker plans to release a “family friendly” version
that eliminates some of the more graphic language and images, making
the documentary more suitable for use in schools.
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