Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)

Perfect cast and a good story

Let's be realistic.

A Major Disappointment

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is a rip off Super Size Me. Hysterics. But in a sick way, good news. It means that men start to care about their own health. The bad news is that it goes the same way as the general direction for women: depression and eating disorders labeled as "I take care of my body".And if you take a moment to think it's all the S&M Christianity has ever offered: exercise is a way to punish the body. Even the producer says "we have to take him away from any temptation". Like with the anti vaccines nuts, the nutrition nuts do not have much science to back them, but they do have guilt in seemingly unlimited quantities. And the same way, as the diseases we vaccinate for are hard to notice, the same way famine is hard to notice. So food is bad. Pleasure is bad. The alternative is not happiness, the alternative is a dark place which will lead you to some sort of invisible paradise.Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

"Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" is a movie that I would strongly suggest for anyone who feels that he or she is unhealthy or overweight. It is based on a true story and it is one of the most inspirational movies I have ever watched. It describes the lives of mainly two individuals who make a proactive life decision to drink solely fresh fruit and vegetable juice for sixty days straight. The movie takes you on the journey of these two individual's lives and their progress as they make this healthy life choice. As Joe is the main character who starts this journey, his goal throughout the movie is to help as many people as he can to experience this incredible progress with him and to become extremely fit and healthy. I really enjoyed watching this movie and again, I would recommend it to anyone!

What started out as an easy going documentary about a juice diet, ends up being something altogether more profound and life affirming. We meet Joe Cross, a very likable Aussie who travels to the States, the home of junk food, to start a juice only diet, with a juicer hooked up to his car battery and a vast array of fruit and veg. He decides to hang around outside some of the fast food places he used to frequent. He also interviews people he meets about their diets or lack of them and their anticipated life expectancies. Most of the results are shocking. Most of the overweight people don't think they have the willpower to change, and in some cases are accepting that they will die in their 50s. Joe sticks with his diet for 60 days, and he manages to lose a lot of weight. The film becomes more profound when he meets Phil Staples, a truck driver with even bigger weight issues than Joe. He reaches out and asks Joe for help. The results are staggering. Joe's weight loss is excellent, but Phil's eventual weight loss is even more spectacular. Phil becomes an advocate for the juice diet and turns his life around 360. Overall this film is life affirming and touching. It espouses the benefits of a simpler diet, and is a celebration of life rather than a sermon. It's worth watching. Not sure I would be brave enough to try that diet though. Maybe when I hit 400 pounds !

I'm usually a fan of films that are well-done, good cinematography, good scores, good editing and I'm afraid this film lacks in most of those departments. Ceteris paribus, this quality transposed to another doc and I'd have given maybe 2 to 4 stars. The real saving grace here though is the story. The transformation of Phil's life in the last hour or so of the film is really so inspirational and that even a super film snob - and book snob and financial snob and political affairs snob etc - like me can with no reservations give this 9 stars. Really touching, really eye-opening, I love and applaud this film (even if I hated the cartoon segments!) Recommended and recommendable.