Excellent film. Eye opening. Funny, accurate, controversial. Spurlock scores another urgent and necessary exposé on the eating culture in America. One might as well become vegetarian- you won't ever look at poultry the same way again.
45 Reviews
Old McDonald had a farm... and mountains of debt.
Pjtaylor-96-1380446 May 2021
'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2017)' attempts to pull the curtain back on the new craze of so-called 'healthy' fast food, focusing specifically on chicken-based chains such as Chick-fil-A. It goes about doing this by showing host Morgan Spurlock (whose admission of sexual harassment kept the piece in purgatory for a couple of years) attempt to start his own fast food restaurant. For a while, it isn't clear exactly why he's doing the very thing he condemned in the movie's predecessor. The way in which he seeks to erroneously market his food as healthy, his chicken as humanely cared-for, his intentions as pure is all just a little too unironic for my liking. Plus, the picture is shot and edited in a bizarrely chaotic, almost amateurish fashion. Eventually, though, something clicks and the affair's true intention becomes crystal clear. Though it isn't the most outwardly scathing of exposés, it's certainly a condemnation of the thuggish culture surrounding 'big chicken' (five chicken-farming companies who provide birds for the entire United States) and the way in which they mislead the general public (which, to be fair, the fast food chains themselves also do), bully farmers and basically make their own rules. There are many eye-opening moments in the movie, especially as it moves into its second half, and its exploration of what goes on before the food arrives at our tables is often actually a little upsetting (thankfully, there's no footage of the killing floor itself). Spurlock is an engaging host (if not necessarily, by his own admission, a great guy) and, once it's clear that he intends to use the information he's gaining as activist ammunition, it's easy to want his experiment to succeed. When everything comes together, it's incredibly satisfying. The picture's pay-off is nearly ingenious; it's the sort of thing that makes you smile because it's so clever and it eliminates any remaining doubts that your host may have truly sold out to the dark side. In the end, though, will it make a difference? Its predecessor did seem to have some effect - after all, this 'new' health craze can't have come from nowhere (though it obviously didn't solely originate with a single documentary) and McDonald's did remove the 'super size' option suspiciously close to the thing's release. If anything, though, I think the movie just proves how willing people are to put their blinders on if it means they can have a clear consciousness. It's not like this stuff is a state-guarded secret; you can find out all sorts of stuff about the food you eat simply by going online. If you show most people a chicken, they'll consider it cute and wouldn't dream of killing it - much less eating it. If you walked into a kitchen with that same chicken and emerged with a fried chicken sandwich, those same people would wolf it down like an animal. Documentaries like this try to show us that we aren't free from blame, that our choices do have an impact whether we like it or not. At the very least, they're able to show us the companies that feed us aren't above lying to us; in fact, that's their very foundation. Ultimately, I think that the film is better than its predecessor, primarily because its central concept is resonant right the way through. It's enjoyable, yet informative and it's told from a very relatable perspective. I just kind of wish that the denouement delved a little deeper into Spurlock's post-'grand opening' plan. 7/10.
Speaking of wildly popular and controversial, I watched the long-awaited follow up to the 2004 documentary hit, Super Size Me.
ajzeg24 January 2020
Now, the sequel, subtitled "Holy Chicken!", was supposed to come out all the way back in 2017 exclusively on YouTube, of all places. However, because of some controversy surrounding director and star of the film, Morgan Spurlock, it didn't end up coming out until 2019. I'm not going to get into the controversy here since it isn't relevant to the film, but I will briefly go over my thoughts on the first movie. While it is a well-made and entertaining film that raises some good points, the whole "eat nothing but McDonald's" experiment portion of the film is deeply flawed at best and possibly outright fraudulent at worst. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was. The sequel is not about eating nothing but, say, KFC for a month. It's actually about Spurlock opening his own fast-food franchise that sells "grilled crispy chicken sandwiches" using all the same tactics that other fast-food restaurants use to trick people into thinking their food is healthy. He doesn't try to hide any of it from his customers, in hopes to educate them about fast-food marketing tricks. He also becomes a chicken farmer in this documentary and exposes corruption within the chicken farming industry. He shines a light on how poorly the farmers are treated and how they really grow chickens for meat. I thought this documentary was very interesting and well-made. I'd actually argue that it's better than the original since it doesn't have the whole experiment aspect to it which has since been proven to be likely exaggerated or influenced by other factors. I'd recommend checking this out, it's very educational and a fun watch. Now, after the controversy that came out recently some might feel uncomfortable with supporting Spurlock's work, which I understand. Personally, I feel like I can separate the artist from the art on a case-by-case basis. This is a case in which I think I can. Spurlock personally came forward completely unprompted and confessed to what he did rather than getting called-out by someone else and denying it like so many others, which I do respect. Also, this documentary has nothing to do with his personal life, which is also a big factor. Anyway, I'm rambling and getting off-topic. This is a good movie. Check it out.
good documentary to showcase the reality of the chicken industry
jasonholmes7899 November 2019
Morgan does a great job to showcase the different actors in the value chain of the chicken industry. The chicken are treated unnaturally to make them grow fast, the farmers are treated poorly so that they are in debt, the big chicken companies using clever marketing tricks to provide a false perception of the chicken product.
so now what? well, i think the consumers has the power by being active in promoting transparency and fair treatments of the people and animals in this value chain
so now what? well, i think the consumers has the power by being active in promoting transparency and fair treatments of the people and animals in this value chain
Don't chicken out! Super-Size Me 2: Holy Chicken is truly worth seeing!
ironhorse_iv26 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
2019 was indeed the year of the chicken sandwich. It was so popular that fast food companies like Popeyes nationally sold out their sandwiches within days after first introducing them due to high customer demand. Other companies that has them like Chick-Fila & KFC continues to sell well throughout the year. Even some restaurants where chicken sandwich is not a specialty are starting to get into the game. Why is that? Well filmmaker Morgan Spurlock believes that beef consumption like hamburgers is in the decline as consumers are becoming more health conscious and want to choose sandwiches with leaner meats. With this knowledge, he hopes to capitalize on the craze by building his own fast food joint while meanwhile exposing the truth about the chicken industry to the public and the health halo marketing that goes with it. For the most part he does, however don't count all your chickens before it hatches. The idea that contract growers are frequently lowballed and mistreated under big chicken corporation tournament system is not quite accurate. The majority of seasonal boiler chicken growers are given the same access to veterinary care and reduced the economic cost of feed as others. Because of that the majority of growers are quite satisfied with their relationship with the corporations. With 95% of them continue to retained their business year after year according to the records from the National Chicken Council (NCC). The chances of getting sick birds are very slim. If there were, field technicians are specifically employed to assist them in raising the healthiest chickens possible as its economic in both parties' interest to see that the chickens are healthy and treated with care. Nobody wants a dirty ill bird to be serve to them. If technicians find the facilities uncleaned or discover illegally dumping of untreated wastewater, it would lead to the termination of a grower's contract. The same goes to over cruel abuse of any kind to the animal past or present. All of this has been documented in the past, which sadly the film doesn't explore much. Along with the practice of growers hiring illegal immigrants. While the movie does show the cost of retaining houses with many of them being quite high to the point that the facilities are often small and crowded. Surprising compare to other segment of livestock the loan default rates of these owners are among the lowest. Such a track record speaks to the stability of the system, which has worked well for decades and kept tens of thousands of families working who otherwise would have had to get out of business altogether. As for the myth that the system makes it impossible for new growers to compete. It's a lie. According to the USDA, the grower market has increase by more than 67 % within the last four years. They are more than 220 regional food hubs in operation around the country more than the five big corporations that the film mentions. To add onto that, the idea that growers can be 'sued into bankruptcy' by chicken companies for discussing ranking along each other is bit exaggeration. There are federal regulations in place that require the grower be given a logically reason for breach of contract. Most companies wouldn't fire them over something silly like that or try to lowball them into bankruptcy. It's not good business. To add onto that the image of contract growers as impoverished serfs is not an accurate reflection. Those growers who invest in more advance bigger houses are indeed more likely to be rewarded for their effect. If not, the government will help enforced it. After all, federal oversight within the poultry industry is not as weak as the film makes it out to be. Chicken companies are highly regulated by USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). Still I do agree with Spurlock that the current USDA labeling approval process is terribly misleading for consumers. Words like 'free range' and 'natural' don't really mean nothing as the film shows that due to extensive breeding selection of the boiler chicken rather than hormone injection or steroid usage for rapid early growth. They're very susceptible to the elements due to their skeletal malformation and congestive heart conditions. Thus, management of ventilation housing must be evaluated regularly to support a decent welfare of the flock until the slaughter. With the help of growers Jonathan and Zack Buttram, Spurlock somewhat does that. While most of the humor and heartening that goes along with those sequences can be seen as too morbid, depressing or disturbing. We can all agree that the cartoony colorful graphics & data are very informative. As for the climax of opening his own fast food restaurant. It didn't quite have the impact as it should had due to the filmmaker admitted to sexual harassment in a New York Times article in 2017; causing the movie to be shelf for two years by distributer YouTube Red until being picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films. In the end, despite the film feeling like an odd mixer of 2004 'Super-Size Me' with 2011 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold'. It's certainly still worth flying the coop for.
menu trickery
ferguson-65 September 2019
Greetings again from the darkness. What we expect in a documentary is a presentation of the topic in a manner slightly slanted towards the filmmaker's beliefs. What we hope for in a documentary is to learn something new or to be exposed to a different way of looking at a subject. We don't typically expect a great many laughs or even a film with significant entertainment value. For those who recall Morgan Spurlock's 2004 Oscar nominated SUPER SIZE ME, you likely won't be surprised that his latest is heavy on humor and entertainment, and a bit light on education. Still, his formula works - and we allow ourselves to be dragged along.
Spurlock kicks the film off by announcing that he wants to open his own fast food restaurant. He proceeds to confer with some celebrity chefs, a marketing firm, and a business strategist. Capitalizing on his success as a documentary filmmaker is a key element to the strategy, and of course, his mission is to once again expose the fast food industry for perpetuating myths of healthier fast food options.
He legitimately asks, "Have things gotten better?" We are meant to interpret this as ... have things gotten better since 2004 when Spurlock documented his self-imposed all-McDonalds food every meal for an entire month. It's at this point where the research kicks in. Facts and statistics are discussed. We learn that 44% of us eat fast food regularly, and that chicken overtook beef a couple of years ago as the protein of choice. We first assume this must be due to consumers making the "healthier" choice, but then we are informed that fried chicken outsells grilled chicken - and the gap is widening.
The most interesting segment of the movie occurs as the buzzwords and their meanings are discussed. Having "nutrition" broken down from a marketing perspective truly exposes the outright fraud being perpetrated on the public. "Health Halo" is the moniker applied to descriptions like "fresh", "all-natural", and "no added hormones". Even "crispy" is used in place of the more accurate "fried", which is obviously a word no consumer would associate with healthy food. Spurlock is in his element when providing a startling visual for what qualifies as "free range" according to the FDA.
'Big Chicken' is compared to 'Big Oil', as 5 corporations control 99% of the chicken farming industry: Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrims, Koch Foods, and Sanderson Farms. We get an explanation of how these corporations apply enormous pressure on the farmers, keeping them in a constant state of debt - or worse for farmer Jonathan Buttram who has been blackballed for helping Spurlock make this movie. Spurlock bounces from Columbus, Ohio to Boulder, Colorado to Tennessee to Kentucky to Washington, D.C, to Alabama; and from Chick-Fil-A to Wendy's to 7-11 to Popeye's, and even to McDonalds - Spurlock's first visit in 12 years to the establishment that put him on the movie map.
Very little new information is provided here, but Spurlock does what he does best - entertain with examples of extremes. While his "fried grilled" chicken sandwich is a publicity stunt, the real story is how menus and labels are used to manipulate the consumer, many who don't seem to much care.
Spurlock kicks the film off by announcing that he wants to open his own fast food restaurant. He proceeds to confer with some celebrity chefs, a marketing firm, and a business strategist. Capitalizing on his success as a documentary filmmaker is a key element to the strategy, and of course, his mission is to once again expose the fast food industry for perpetuating myths of healthier fast food options.
He legitimately asks, "Have things gotten better?" We are meant to interpret this as ... have things gotten better since 2004 when Spurlock documented his self-imposed all-McDonalds food every meal for an entire month. It's at this point where the research kicks in. Facts and statistics are discussed. We learn that 44% of us eat fast food regularly, and that chicken overtook beef a couple of years ago as the protein of choice. We first assume this must be due to consumers making the "healthier" choice, but then we are informed that fried chicken outsells grilled chicken - and the gap is widening.
The most interesting segment of the movie occurs as the buzzwords and their meanings are discussed. Having "nutrition" broken down from a marketing perspective truly exposes the outright fraud being perpetrated on the public. "Health Halo" is the moniker applied to descriptions like "fresh", "all-natural", and "no added hormones". Even "crispy" is used in place of the more accurate "fried", which is obviously a word no consumer would associate with healthy food. Spurlock is in his element when providing a startling visual for what qualifies as "free range" according to the FDA.
'Big Chicken' is compared to 'Big Oil', as 5 corporations control 99% of the chicken farming industry: Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrims, Koch Foods, and Sanderson Farms. We get an explanation of how these corporations apply enormous pressure on the farmers, keeping them in a constant state of debt - or worse for farmer Jonathan Buttram who has been blackballed for helping Spurlock make this movie. Spurlock bounces from Columbus, Ohio to Boulder, Colorado to Tennessee to Kentucky to Washington, D.C, to Alabama; and from Chick-Fil-A to Wendy's to 7-11 to Popeye's, and even to McDonalds - Spurlock's first visit in 12 years to the establishment that put him on the movie map.
Very little new information is provided here, but Spurlock does what he does best - entertain with examples of extremes. While his "fried grilled" chicken sandwich is a publicity stunt, the real story is how menus and labels are used to manipulate the consumer, many who don't seem to much care.
Funny, informative doc on the chicken industry.
Amyth4712 December 2020
My Rating : 7/10
Morgan Spurlock knows a thing or two about making a documentary film and fast food. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' is an excellent and necessary expose on the Big Chicken industry - it's a showcase of how unnatural the whole value chain of the chicken industry is, how the chickens are treated unnaturally to make them grow fast, the unfair treatment of the farmers and the clever use of marketing tricks to give a false perception of the final product.
Superb documentary - engaging, eye-opening and transparent filmmaking.
Morgan Spurlock knows a thing or two about making a documentary film and fast food. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' is an excellent and necessary expose on the Big Chicken industry - it's a showcase of how unnatural the whole value chain of the chicken industry is, how the chickens are treated unnaturally to make them grow fast, the unfair treatment of the farmers and the clever use of marketing tricks to give a false perception of the final product.
Superb documentary - engaging, eye-opening and transparent filmmaking.
Super sized heart documentary for chickens and their down trodden farmers...
joebloggscity8 April 2021
Morgan Spurlock is back but thankfully is not again gorging himself on junk food to make himself sick to wean us all off junk food. Many may try to deny it but his first movie was seminal, and made a far bigger impact than many insiders are willing to admit. Not that it has stopped the junk food juggernaut, and this movie takes another step to raise points again on the inhumane parts of the industry.
To get it out the way, there have been allegations made against Spurlock from his personal life which are public which have overshadowed this documentary. This review is not the appropriate place to discuss them, but I can see why it led to a more muted response from some to its release.
Anyhow, Spurlock in this documentary is as affable and witty as ever, showing the chicken rearing and fast food industry reality, but also importantly the disgusting abuse of the farmers by the oligipolies who ultimately pull the levers. I liked the honesty and I respected the farmers in this too, but sadly there was no positive conclusion to the battle for the farmers. Hopefully that will come with support from this movie.
This film is not revolutionary as was the first one, mainly as Netflix has seen a huge growth in similar style documentaries in recent years which also have exposed the truth about the food industry. Nevertheless it's very informative and issue raising.
This film is not asking you to go vegan, it's just asking you in a friendly way to think again about our food industry. That is something to admire. I honestly would urge people to watch this. It has heart and is genuine. Biased maybe but the counter arguments are not going to wholly add up.
Go out, self serve and gorge yourself on this documentary. You'll learn something good, and hopefully will help play a part to direct the food industry into better practises.
To get it out the way, there have been allegations made against Spurlock from his personal life which are public which have overshadowed this documentary. This review is not the appropriate place to discuss them, but I can see why it led to a more muted response from some to its release.
Anyhow, Spurlock in this documentary is as affable and witty as ever, showing the chicken rearing and fast food industry reality, but also importantly the disgusting abuse of the farmers by the oligipolies who ultimately pull the levers. I liked the honesty and I respected the farmers in this too, but sadly there was no positive conclusion to the battle for the farmers. Hopefully that will come with support from this movie.
This film is not revolutionary as was the first one, mainly as Netflix has seen a huge growth in similar style documentaries in recent years which also have exposed the truth about the food industry. Nevertheless it's very informative and issue raising.
This film is not asking you to go vegan, it's just asking you in a friendly way to think again about our food industry. That is something to admire. I honestly would urge people to watch this. It has heart and is genuine. Biased maybe but the counter arguments are not going to wholly add up.
Go out, self serve and gorge yourself on this documentary. You'll learn something good, and hopefully will help play a part to direct the food industry into better practises.
US Big Chicken Tells Citizens to Get Plucked - Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken
arthur_tafero17 November 2020
Morgan Spurlock has done it again. His long-awaited sequel to Super Size Me has finally arrived. This time, he goes after Big Chicken and companies like Tyson, JBS, and Cargill Meat for hoodwinking the American public with catch phrases like: hormone-free, all natural, free range, cage free, and other meaningless advertising scams. The film arouses both anger and laughter at the same time; a difficult feat to achieve for a documentary filmmaker, but Spurlock gets it done. Too bad our government doesn't give a damn, or maybe they are just getting their palms greased, but they do not seem to have a clue.
The film highlights how to build a fast-food chain from scratch, which was very informative. An ethical man like Spurlock can actually make a difference in such a jaded industry, just as he did by getting a lot of the burger places to offer healthier dishes (as if they did it on their own volition). In any event, both of these films are not to be missed and Health teacher in every school in the US should make them mandatory viewing for their classes.
The film highlights how to build a fast-food chain from scratch, which was very informative. An ethical man like Spurlock can actually make a difference in such a jaded industry, just as he did by getting a lot of the burger places to offer healthier dishes (as if they did it on their own volition). In any event, both of these films are not to be missed and Health teacher in every school in the US should make them mandatory viewing for their classes.
A documentary who's end-product resteraunt feels like something a more didactic Banksy would do
lucaslw-931453 January 2021
A very solid movie and a surprisingly fulfilling follow-up to Spurlock's 2004 documentary Super Size Me.
This time, Spurlock shifts his focus away from the consumer focused view and includes more of an investigative take on the upstream side of the American mass-farmed poultry business. While he does cover a lot of ground that most consumers are vaguely aware of as a result of years of activists leaking poultry farm videos and various pending lawsuits between Big Chicken vs others, Holy Chicken! is the comprehensive documentary to put all the loose pieces of the unethical behavior with all involved stakeholders. Spurlock covers perspectives from chicken farmers in modern-day indentured servitude to a poultry market oligopoly, the meaninglessness of USDA approval and marketing words like "Free-range" or "All-natural", and the superficial change that fast-food has made to become more "healthy".
It's a great documentary, put together very well, and though it covers familiar ground, there's enough pieces put together with such exceptional execution that the final product is a compelling and educationally horrifying watch.
This time, Spurlock shifts his focus away from the consumer focused view and includes more of an investigative take on the upstream side of the American mass-farmed poultry business. While he does cover a lot of ground that most consumers are vaguely aware of as a result of years of activists leaking poultry farm videos and various pending lawsuits between Big Chicken vs others, Holy Chicken! is the comprehensive documentary to put all the loose pieces of the unethical behavior with all involved stakeholders. Spurlock covers perspectives from chicken farmers in modern-day indentured servitude to a poultry market oligopoly, the meaninglessness of USDA approval and marketing words like "Free-range" or "All-natural", and the superficial change that fast-food has made to become more "healthy".
It's a great documentary, put together very well, and though it covers familiar ground, there's enough pieces put together with such exceptional execution that the final product is a compelling and educationally horrifying watch.
Surprising, little publicised documentary sequel
wellthatswhatithinkanyway17 March 2020
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Over ten years after his ground-breaking documentary Super Size Me had a dramatic impact on the fast food industry, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock returns to the film that made his name, with the sad realisation that nothing much fundamentally has changed. However, the most popular 'junk food' now has become chicken, which calorifically is the best of a bad lot. But all is not as it seems, as Spurlock delves into the inner machinations of the American chicken industry, and how they twist things to make them not as they seem, whilst endeavouring to set up his own chicken store, where everything is as natural as it claims.
Super Size Me was a small, independent film, with a high concept regarding one guy's determination to eat nothing but fast food for a month, that went on to have quite a cultural impact, resulting in various big name franchises (chiefly McDonalds) adopting a more balanced, healthier menu. This (typically belated nowadays) follow up film (which I only learned about when I saw it featured on Amazon Prime) has received even less publicity (premiering on these shores in January of this year despite being released in 2017!) and won't have anywhere near the same outcome (marred even more by Spurlock's alleged #MeToo indiscretions.)
Despite being on far less of a pedestal, Spurlock approaches his new project with the same passion he spearheaded his original 2004 film with, whilst not forgetting to inject it with plenty of light relief, which his naturally affable personality allows with no problems. Whilst he seemed to be highlighting general ignorance with regards to healthy eating practises last time, here he seems to be honing in on outright corruption, highlighting the chicken industry's exploitation of the poor, oppressed farmers forced to go along with their plans, and the corporate duplicity with regards what the public are told is really (for instance) 'free range' and not 'hormone injected.'
The 'eat nothing but junk' gimmick was what drove much of the first film, and with the novelty not as strong here, it doesn't have quite the same kick. But aesthetically, there's nothing wrong with it, Spurlock guiding it all along with the same gusto that made the last film work so well, and only marginally less so here. ***
Over ten years after his ground-breaking documentary Super Size Me had a dramatic impact on the fast food industry, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock returns to the film that made his name, with the sad realisation that nothing much fundamentally has changed. However, the most popular 'junk food' now has become chicken, which calorifically is the best of a bad lot. But all is not as it seems, as Spurlock delves into the inner machinations of the American chicken industry, and how they twist things to make them not as they seem, whilst endeavouring to set up his own chicken store, where everything is as natural as it claims.
Super Size Me was a small, independent film, with a high concept regarding one guy's determination to eat nothing but fast food for a month, that went on to have quite a cultural impact, resulting in various big name franchises (chiefly McDonalds) adopting a more balanced, healthier menu. This (typically belated nowadays) follow up film (which I only learned about when I saw it featured on Amazon Prime) has received even less publicity (premiering on these shores in January of this year despite being released in 2017!) and won't have anywhere near the same outcome (marred even more by Spurlock's alleged #MeToo indiscretions.)
Despite being on far less of a pedestal, Spurlock approaches his new project with the same passion he spearheaded his original 2004 film with, whilst not forgetting to inject it with plenty of light relief, which his naturally affable personality allows with no problems. Whilst he seemed to be highlighting general ignorance with regards to healthy eating practises last time, here he seems to be honing in on outright corruption, highlighting the chicken industry's exploitation of the poor, oppressed farmers forced to go along with their plans, and the corporate duplicity with regards what the public are told is really (for instance) 'free range' and not 'hormone injected.'
The 'eat nothing but junk' gimmick was what drove much of the first film, and with the novelty not as strong here, it doesn't have quite the same kick. But aesthetically, there's nothing wrong with it, Spurlock guiding it all along with the same gusto that made the last film work so well, and only marginally less so here. ***
Eye-Opening Documentary
larrys37 March 2020
In this eye-opening documentary, Morgan Spurlock strips away the curtain to reveal the monopolistic and dishonest practices of the chicken industry in particular, but also the fast food industry as well.
The film made me angry at times, but it also can be sad, funny, informative, and always engaging. I never knew a lot of the things that were revealed here and I found many of them quite fascinating.
The film made me angry at times, but it also can be sad, funny, informative, and always engaging. I never knew a lot of the things that were revealed here and I found many of them quite fascinating.
Spurlocks at it again.
SamUnfiltered197916 February 2020
Seems like this man doesn't know what the word documentary means. You have to have facts, ideas and a non-biased narrative to make a truly great one. This has none of that. This is simply Morgans own personal views mashed into a cut up movie that makes no sense at times. There are some chuckles in there. Mostly at Conservatives expense which has no place in the movie, but just like Supersize Me, Supersize Me 2 has no data to back up Spurlocks conclusion. Like the first film, he does not allow the press or anyone to see his sources. Leading this to be just another Spurlock Self Promotional Film. I wouldn't call Spurlock a Documentary Maker, I would call him a Fabulist, akin to the man who wrote that book, Stephen Glass, known for making up stories.
Another worthy expose
Gordon-1112 May 2020
This is another worthy expose that tells you everything you should know, but people won't let you know. I hope this film will help people to make healthier and more ethical choices when it comes to fast food restaurants.
Fun Facts About Chicken - Fried & Not!!
mjpiro22 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Is the fun look at the chicken side of the fast food industry of today and director of the film Morgan Spurlock's creation of his own healthy chicken-geared fast food restaurant Holy Chicken! In this follow-up documentary to his first groundbreaking breaking piece where he examined the sickening ways that American fast food companies were literally sickening Americans with size & cooking techniques, Spurlock does it again only this time with a good report card for most of the fast food restaurants that he & his team examine. Spurlock questions experts in the field, chefs, workers at fast food restaurants, and even men & women on the street to get their attitudes towards the best & worst chicken sandwiches out there. Ultimately the viewer learns a lot about the chicken side of the fast food market, from growth to consumption, and Spurlock's restaurant is a success in the end with a twinkling that this might not be the end that we hear from the charismatic documentarian. Well done, with good humor & knowledge, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Has good flow to it and is for anyone that wants to educate themselves more on chicken or food and food processing & manufacturing in America!! 6 out of 10 stars!!
The chicken conspiracy you never knew existed
alesisqs6118 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Many things in this mockumentary are told in a manner that helps you take in some information that's not only hard to watch, but sad to watch not only for the chickens but for the farmers. The heart of the film is hidden within the chicken farmers who god for bid wish they'd have chosen another line of work. The "BIG CHICKEN" corporations are only 5 in the US... not sure about overseas but they control how healthy your chickens are from the hatcheries. You cannot just own your own hatchery and go into farming. Spurlock raises bigger questions about the industry as a whole rather than focusing on just the fast food industry but they are all linked and related in many ways. Tyson chicken in particular seems like a very evil and spiteful company and I'm glad I quit buying Tyson chicken, at least directly years ago. They deserve to go out of business but that's never going to happen. The big 5 corporations can manipulate the farmers into debt and they have no choice but to keep going even if they aren't making money, which just blows my mind. This is basically creating slave labor for the farmers and worse yet, they aren't even making a living off it. How they even stay afloat makes no sense to me. If a guy is 4 million in debt how can he even keep the lights on? The awareness this film bring to the table is that marketing is all bullcrap and the food is the same as it ever was at least among the big 3 in Mcd, Burger King and Wendy's. They will remain the same as long as the profit margins are good. I wish Spurlock hadn't admitted he was part of the #Metoo movement because this film would have been released at a more relevant time and he wouldn't have lost his company. No woman came forward or anything but he freely admitted he wished he hadn't done something back in college but I have no idea "exactly" what he did but in this business, never admit anything unless you have to because you will have everything taken away from you just from an accusation let alone a conviction of any kind. He stated he wanted to be transparent and he paid for it in the worst possible way even though he didn't even have to say anything about it. I'm betting making this film gave him insight about honesty only for it to have bitten him in the ass. He went from a full staff to 3. He may or may not ever make a film again and that's a shame because he makes documentaries fun and exciting even if the subject matter hit home. People have no idea that all the chickens they eat are born and killed within 6 weeks based on how they were bred.... hormones have nothing to do with it. They do however seem to have health defects especially in the heart muscles. They grow so fast that if humans grew that fast a baby would be 600 pounds. They had a normal chicken in the group just to see his size vs the fast growing chickens and it was a good 40% smaller at the time where they were to be killed. We are basically eating GMO chickens without eating GMO chickens. They are already genetically modified to the point that they don't need to be modified anymore. Now if you can find a REAL chicken farmer from real locally raised livestock, then that's even better but where did they start out? Did they happen to buy 1 group of modified chickens or did they legit start out with normal chickens that don't grow at a fast rate? Will we eve know?
Interesting but Flawed
lornamd-111 April 2020
Interesting film which does a great job of showing how the fast food/meat industry lies to us about the damage eating their food does to our health and cover up how horrifically the animals are treated. I don't agree with everything Spurlock does in the film and I don't think he goes far enough with what he shows, but still interesting to watch
Excellent! Needs to be watched
stuart-meagher27 March 2020
The mediocre sequel that never reached a premier amid sex allegations
Airman8711 February 2020
Like me, you're probably finding yourself wondering how you missed the news of Morgan Spurlock's original hit documentary Supersize Me getting a sequel. A series of events during the #MeToo movement pretty much blacklisted the film from any formal release. Like most things, time heals (or forgets) all, and now the documentary is here...
The premise of this documentary revolves around not one singular brand or corporation, but trades one protein (beef) for another, in the form of the entire chicken industry. What Spurlock's new film fails to accomplish is any substantial shock value. We've probably all passed by videos/photos of chickens in cages at one time or another, or chicken slaughterhouses. Fifteen minutes of Google will unveil almost every topic discussed in this film, from USDA grading, to selective chicken breeding, to real nutrition content of 'healthy' chicken sandwiches.
Unlike it's predecessor, viewers of the sequel will not be subjected to a man using his body as a test laboratory, but rather see Spurlock detail the process of farm-to-restaurant supply throughout his own journey into the quick service industry. The primary theme throughout documentary revolves around the power of several corporations controlling virtually all of the chicken farming in America.
At the end of the day this documentary is unlikely to transform carnivores into vegans, nor curb consumer habits, but it may make us think twice about the struggles of the small American farmer amid corporate greed.
The premise of this documentary revolves around not one singular brand or corporation, but trades one protein (beef) for another, in the form of the entire chicken industry. What Spurlock's new film fails to accomplish is any substantial shock value. We've probably all passed by videos/photos of chickens in cages at one time or another, or chicken slaughterhouses. Fifteen minutes of Google will unveil almost every topic discussed in this film, from USDA grading, to selective chicken breeding, to real nutrition content of 'healthy' chicken sandwiches.
Unlike it's predecessor, viewers of the sequel will not be subjected to a man using his body as a test laboratory, but rather see Spurlock detail the process of farm-to-restaurant supply throughout his own journey into the quick service industry. The primary theme throughout documentary revolves around the power of several corporations controlling virtually all of the chicken farming in America.
At the end of the day this documentary is unlikely to transform carnivores into vegans, nor curb consumer habits, but it may make us think twice about the struggles of the small American farmer amid corporate greed.
BEST CLUCKING DOCUMENTARY ON CHICKEN FARMING EVER!
brooksrob111 April 2020
I went into the movie ignorant, and came out educated...Morgan does a great job of showing how the fast food's tricks of language create a "health halo" over the things we eat.
He shows how the multi-generational chicken farmers are getting CLUCKED, and how by giant, faceless, above reproach, by Chicken Industrial Complex. Some of the most diabolical Cluckers in the food game...
It's a great eye opening movie and I hope it opens some more eyes...
How to Sell Unhealthy Food as Healthy
Breumaster9 February 2020
That new Morgan Spurlock movie is a nice journey through the marketing machines of fast food. It is tremendous interesting how the food industry makes us believe in the harmlessness of the calories of some food. On this journey, Spurlock is about to open his own fast food franchise to understand how this special industrial branch works. He shows up the unfairness of he real big companies, when it comes to the discrepancy of treating chicken farmers in the race about the fattest broiler vs. life quality of the animals. He also shows up how the consumers of fast food are fooled by marketing slogans like natural, fried grilled and so on. It was an interesting look inside that business. I strongly recommend That movie for everyone.
Spurlock IS at it again :]
Harry_Cany0n3 March 2020
This man sure knows what the word documentary means. You have to have facts, ideas and a non-biased narrative to make a truly great one. This has all of that and more. This is Morgans mashup of investigative journalism cut with transparent promotionalism that makes perfect sense. And of course there's chuckles in there. Mostly at Big Chicken's expense which is the definition of the movie. Just like Supersize Me, Supersize Me 2 shows all the data to back up Spurlock's claims. Like the first film, he shows his sources right in the film. Proving this to be yet another Spurlock educational film. I wouldn't call Spurlock a Documentary Maker, I would call him a true American, akin to that man Sam_1979, who hated for unknown reasons.
Good show but I felt for the chickens. A bit cruel
jacls-053646 April 2021
The movie is pretty good, i wouldn't say great.
I think they could have done a lot more research in their chicken burger research, and also felt they were a little cruel to the chickens! The cruelty isn't from the movie, it's from the supposed 'experts' from industry who are more concerned with$$ and numbers.
Chicken industry is very cruel.
I think they could have done a lot more research in their chicken burger research, and also felt they were a little cruel to the chickens! The cruelty isn't from the movie, it's from the supposed 'experts' from industry who are more concerned with$$ and numbers.
Chicken industry is very cruel.
Same junkfood made healthier, not by change but by clever marketing
Digital_excitation4 December 2020
Spurlock does what he did well: Go back and see what changed. Chicken this time, and he had a great plan on how to do it.
It's something everybody eats, but just don't think about: That piece of fried chicken on yer plate, what exactly is it, where does it come from, how is it grown, what did it eat, how did it live, how old was it before it was butchered, what did it cost, how was it transported, who gains the most and how did it get on my plate? The most important question isn't even the first: How healthy is it for me to eat?
Fast-food, what started as a very decent hamburger from a locally grown cow on a freshly baked bun became a factory-product by a smart entrepreneur. Now countless such products like fried chicken sandwiches or nuggets have become such products too. It needs to be only one thing: A seemingly fresh, healthy looking product with high profit-margin. But: the cheaper the product, the less the farmer gets paid, but no one wants to 'overpay' for his bun anyway. We've even become so accustomed to the taste that we don't even know what 'real', or even 'good' for that matter, tastes like.
'Holy Chicken' explores that whole process, from start to end, not sparing anyone in the chain, just creating awareness about devious marketing. It's extremely sad that the farmer in this excellent documentary was boycotted, even though he was probably aware that his cooperation would lead him to the guillotine. My heart goes out to him and his family.
Will it help change the industry? Nah, people can't or won't pay more for a chicken sandwich unless they can afford it and such restaurants are near. The large masses will simply ignore it, even though good, or at least decent food is the most important thing in life.
My viewpoint? that was the exact same thing that old guy on the street said: Once in a while you buy it, eat it and think 'why the heck did I put his in my mouth?...' Spurlock also says this well: Has anything changed since 'Supersize Me'? Nope, not the product, just the keen marketing of how to sell the same old unhealthy stuff. It's like a 'healthy' alcoholic cocktail: There's an olive in it, right?
We have a similar program on TV roughly translated as 'The inspection service of (product) value' that investigates the little things you see in the supermarket that you take for granted like 60ct tomato cans (how can you earn money from that?). Also things like 'what does 'free range chickens' actually mean, why is 'Cheddar' cheese not made in Cheddar, or why does Swiss 'Alp milk' not come from the actual Alps' have been investigated by them. They have quite the reputation, so they get stonewalled often.
It's something everybody eats, but just don't think about: That piece of fried chicken on yer plate, what exactly is it, where does it come from, how is it grown, what did it eat, how did it live, how old was it before it was butchered, what did it cost, how was it transported, who gains the most and how did it get on my plate? The most important question isn't even the first: How healthy is it for me to eat?
Fast-food, what started as a very decent hamburger from a locally grown cow on a freshly baked bun became a factory-product by a smart entrepreneur. Now countless such products like fried chicken sandwiches or nuggets have become such products too. It needs to be only one thing: A seemingly fresh, healthy looking product with high profit-margin. But: the cheaper the product, the less the farmer gets paid, but no one wants to 'overpay' for his bun anyway. We've even become so accustomed to the taste that we don't even know what 'real', or even 'good' for that matter, tastes like.
'Holy Chicken' explores that whole process, from start to end, not sparing anyone in the chain, just creating awareness about devious marketing. It's extremely sad that the farmer in this excellent documentary was boycotted, even though he was probably aware that his cooperation would lead him to the guillotine. My heart goes out to him and his family.
Will it help change the industry? Nah, people can't or won't pay more for a chicken sandwich unless they can afford it and such restaurants are near. The large masses will simply ignore it, even though good, or at least decent food is the most important thing in life.
My viewpoint? that was the exact same thing that old guy on the street said: Once in a while you buy it, eat it and think 'why the heck did I put his in my mouth?...' Spurlock also says this well: Has anything changed since 'Supersize Me'? Nope, not the product, just the keen marketing of how to sell the same old unhealthy stuff. It's like a 'healthy' alcoholic cocktail: There's an olive in it, right?
We have a similar program on TV roughly translated as 'The inspection service of (product) value' that investigates the little things you see in the supermarket that you take for granted like 60ct tomato cans (how can you earn money from that?). Also things like 'what does 'free range chickens' actually mean, why is 'Cheddar' cheese not made in Cheddar, or why does Swiss 'Alp milk' not come from the actual Alps' have been investigated by them. They have quite the reputation, so they get stonewalled often.
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