We braved the cold & rain today to see Super Size Me (official site | rotten tomatoes | eye weekly cover story), the first of five documentaries we’re seeing as part of this year’s Hot Docs festival. The house was packed — Hot Docs is getting more and more popular, and this film has been getting big press ever since it won at Sundance — and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock showed up to much applause. The movie was funny, disturbing, at times gross (stomach surgery, vomiting, a rectal exam, many fat asses in sweatpants, etc.) and certainly interesting. The premise, if you haven’t read those websites I linked to, is that Spurlock, dubious about McDonald’s claims that their meals are perfectly healthy, eats nothing but McD’s for 30 days…morning, noon, night. Soon he’s 25 pounds heavier, lethargic, in danger of liver failure, and (according to his girlfriend) shite in bed. Ba ba ba ba baaa.

If you’ve read the latest issue of Esquire, you’ll know Chuck Klosterman doubts that Spurlock could get so sick so fast. I don’t think he does; he vomits very early on, but I think it’s less to do with the quality of the food than with the sheer volume of what he’s trying to force down. By day nine, it’s the nasty-ass content of the food that’s getting to him and he goes downhill fast. I do agree with Klosterman that ultimately it’s our own fault that we gorge on this shit every day, but I think McDonald’s should be prevented from ever suggesting that their food is healthy.

I have no doubt that Spurlock was biased, but all filmmakers are. To his credit, he got three different doctors and a health clinic to test the effects on his body, rather than just step on a scale and infer. And, as he said during Q&A after the movie, he didn’t have to say much. The results spoke for themselves.

Super Size Me opens in Toronto & Vancouver May 7th.