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03/05/2004 10:22:06 EST
Director Makes Dark Comedy About Fast Food
ASPEN, Colo. - For all the one-liners about McDonald's trimming Supersize servings from its menu, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock doesn't think fat is anything to joke about. Spurlock directed "Super Size Me," a dark comedy that skewers America's fast-food culture. The film is being shown at the 10th U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, which will run in Aspen through Sunday.
"Super Size Me" chronicles Spurlock's experience of eating only fast food for a month - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spurlock said he gained 24 pounds and his cholesterol soared 65 points during the 30-day experiment. Fast-food companies are scrambling to cater to Americans' growing preference for healthier food. McDonald's launched its "Eat Smart, Be Active" initiative last year.Spurlock, who is still trying to shed the extra pounds, said the Supersize decision is a direct reaction to "Super Size Me," which won the documentary directing prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He said reducing portion sizes is just the first step. "My film is about corporate responsibility and individual responsibility," he said. "The company says they're doing their part. Now people have to do their part. People who go to these stores need to realize what they're putting into their mouths. McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker has said the phasing out of super-sizing has "nothing to do with that (film) whatsoever." The company says the film is not about McDonald's but about Spurlock's decision to act irresponsibly by eating 5,000 calories a day. Growing up in West Virginia - he characterized it as "a very fat state" - Spurlock's diet was laden with chicken fried steak, fried baloney sandwiches and bacon. He said his McDonald's-only regimen was even less healthy, in part because of the sedentary "fast food lifestyle" that accompanies it.
"Super Size Me" is set for general release in May.
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