Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2017)
(On Cable TV, March 2020) It took three years, but Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! finally made it to cable channels. Why so long? Well, it turns out that writer-director Morgan Spurlock was one of the people exposed by the #MeToo movement, and distributors got cold feet when his history of sexual misconduct and harassment was publicized. Not that this is the only piece of negative Spurlock news over the past few years, as acknowledgements of alcoholism undermined many of his “Only McDonalds for 30 days” claims in the first Super Size Me. I know, I know: Shock documentary makes incredible claims, is later found to have been mischaracterized? This time around, Spurlock goes for showboating of a different sort, as he creates a pop-up fast-food restaurant and takes us behind the scenes of how fast food is marketed, made, told, jazzed-up and ultimately claims health benefits that don’t hold up to scrutiny. (In one trivial but telling example, the “burn marks” on the chicken breasts are painted rather than charred—otherwise the meat would be too dry.) This gives Spurlock an opportunity to explore the weirder edges of food regulation (“free-range chicken” technically qualifying if they’re offered a tiny open-air area outside their hatcheries), the deliberate misstatements of marketing and the ways the industry has tried to health-wash itself. Part of the intention behind Holy Chicken is an atonement of sorts—Spurlock examining the ways the industry has changed in the dozen years since his own Super Size Me has led to increased scrutiny from fast food consumers. His conclusion is hardly reassuring, but it’s all wrapped in ironic humour as his restaurant indulges into the practices he uncovers. Is it entertaining? Sure, as long as you can get over how Spurlock is front-and-centre of the entire film. Is it honest? Maybe! It does feel as if it’s more transparent about its documentary project than the first film, but then again, it’s also a film of talking heads explaining the new-restaurant marketing process we’re seeing on-screen. It’s probably worth a look if fast-food interests you, but don’t be surprised to budget more for groceries and less for fast-food once the credits roll. [September 2024: Thoroughly disgraced by his 2018 acknowledgements of sexual misconduct, Spurlock retreated from the public eye and died in May 2024. Holy Chicken ended up being his last film.]