Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2019) Review
Much has changed since Morgan Spurlock’s infamous 30-day McDonald’s challenge, featured in Super Size Me. For a nation that was once all about excess and consuming things, the trend now seems to be hinged on what’s healthy. Supposedly “health-conscious” items have continued to feature on the menu of nearly every restaurant, including fast food establishments. While this move may seem progressive, it can be considered a scam in itself.
Spurlock’s follow-up to his popular documentary, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, is an insider look at the truth behind “healthy” food options. claims. To prove this point, Spurlock sets out to create his own fast-food restaurant. He dubs his experiment “Holy Chicken”: a fast food eatery specializing in a “healthy” chicken sandwich. On the surface, Holy Chicken appears to be just another fast-food restaurant, promising enough to prove successful. Its commitment to health: grilling the chicken in their sandwiches, rather than frying it. At least, so goes their story. In reality, the “grilled” chicken served to customers is not grilled at all: simply painted with edible ink to resemble grill marks. This is but one of many ways in which Holy Chicken forces guests to confront the ugly truths of the fast food industry.
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! can be a hilarious attack on the places it ridicules, but like its predecessor, it can be frightening as well. The film touches on the dark secrets behind the industry of Big Chicken, known for its fraudulent management and distribution practices that favor large cooperate interests.
In summary, Morgan Spurlock’s latest take on the fast-food industry is more mature, more painful to watch than its predecessor.
