Muckraking filmmaker Morgan Spurlock reignites his battle with the food industry – this time with Big Chicken – as he opens his own fast food restaurant.
In the 15 years since “Super Size Me”, the fast-food industry has undergone a makeover. Today, chain restaurants tout food that's "healthy," "organic," and "natural." Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explores this new reality with an approach even more immersive and subversive than that used for his first film: he sets out to open his own chicken franchise.
We follow him every step of the way, from raising poultry and conjuring recipes to designing the brand and scouting a location. Spurlock brings his disarming humor to uncover the truths and lies behind this multibillion-dollar industry.
“When ‘Super Size Me’ came out in 2004, it took off like a rocket and connected with audiences in ways I could never imagine, both in the US and around the world. The film finally ignited in people a realization of personal responsibility and a desire to take control of their own lives,” said filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
“People made changes to how they ate, how they cooked, and most importantly, to how they lived. And they demanded the industry change as well. Salads suddenly started popping up everywhere, apples appeared, as did milk and water, and super sizes went away. It looked as though the food world was turning a corner,” Spurlock continued.
“The first film really told the story of our relationship to fast food. ‘Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!’ examines this from the corporate side, showing you the decisions that are made, the stories that are the spun, the corners that are cut and the lives that are impacted to get you, the consumer, what you believe to be the best food possible, at the most affordable price.
“We want to believe that the companies have our best interests in mind. We want to believe that they are here to help us. And we want to believe that they are doing their best, and the minute they’re not, that the government will be there to protect us. At the end of the day, we want to believe that someone has our back.”
“But in a world where so much of the regulation is self-imposed and where those who are tasked to oversee the safety come from the within the industry itself … it becomes more clear, that the only way to fight fire, is with fire. Or in this case, with a healthy serving of eye-popping honesty & transparency … and a delicious grilled crispy chicken sandwich,” said Spurlock.