Independent Film Tackles Obesity Epidemic

[RosaAlta]

There is a great article in the King County Journal (Washington State) today, but apparently their website is still in the dark ages, so I can't post a link here. The gist of it is that a new indy film is opening next week called Muffin Man. It was made locally. It's about obesity causing the extinction of the human race.

I found the movie's web site, so here it is if you're interested:
http://www.muffinmanthemovie.com/

Looks like she's (the writer/producer) getting a lot of flak already from the fat acceptance people. She's a doctor who got fed up with her patients' serious illnesses being complicated by their obesity and decided to make a movie about it. (She went to film school and used her own money to make the movie.)

[Kristine]

Sounds interesting. :thup: As a simplistic neo-cave-woman who hates cable, cell phones, SUVs and consumerism; this one appeals to me. Interesting how the director seems to tie obesity in with all of our other excesses. I hope it's not a total mockumentary - laughs at the expense of the obese.

[Nebula]

I'm not sure how this is a good thing, but to each their own.

I'm with Kristine about consumerism though. Perhaps another movie should be made along the lines of 1984, but updated. It can show how America, and to some extent Canada, went from the world's leading superpower to a crumbling, devloping nation due to job and manufacturing offshoring in order to drive the bottom line down and make prices as "low" as possible for the consumer. Of course, with all of the jobs gone, overspending Americans could no longer buy the products offered by the corporations nor pay their current debts, so the corporations moved their headquarters to China, India, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, etc... to procure their niche in the next global superpower.

Of course, I could be wrong. ;)

[RosaAlta]

I saw Muffin Man last night and I enjoyed it. My only real complaint is that most of the acting was terrible. The two leads were good, but all the other actors delivered their lines woodenly and with huge pauses as if they were taking turns speaking. The script was fairly well-written and the film was of a high quality (filmed in digital video). There were some very funny moments and its message has stayed with me.

There were some ‘fat jokes,’ but nothing that I considered out of line. The characters were supposed to be funny and their plight both humorous and disturbing. In order to effectively get its message across, the film couldn’t tip-toe around trying not to offend. (I worry enough about being PC at work that I appreciate directness in my off hours.)

I have no idea when (or if) the movie will be shown again, but if you have a chance I’d recommend seeing it. Also, I thought you guys might be interested in this exchange I had with the Executive Producer this morning:

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From: Rosa~work
Sent: Fri 12/12/2003 9:22 AM
To: Muffin Man Producer

My friends and I really enjoyed the movie last night. Thank you for finding room for us.

I realize that Muffin Man is a comedy meant to get people thinking about a serious topic and not a nutrition filmstrip. However, I have a nutrition-related observation that's been bothering me since last night. In the few instances where the food was focused on by the narrator, he limited his observation of why the food was 'bad' to a description of its fat and calories. No mention was made of the food's sugar content, yet nearly all the food they consumed was full of sugar. I understand that you wouldn't want to go into detail and talk about every ingredient, but excessive consumption of sugar is a top-ranking cause of obesity in this country that is frequently overlooked by the public.

Focusing solely on fat throughout the '90s helped bring Americans to a place where eating an entire box of Snackwells was 'okay' because hey--they're fat free! This was my way of thinking throughout college, where I would eschew even the tiniest bit of fat, but think nothing of drinking a couple of sodas a day. (I was quite a bit heavier then.) Jelly beans have always been 'naturally fat free,' but that doesn't mean they're an ideal food for dieters.

Clearly you and Dr. Eisner know these things, but sadly many Americans still do not. Your film does an excellent job of talking about why America is fat and the consequences we face without being preachy or (thank God) trying to be politically correct. Fat is fat, and heart disease and diabetes are real threats. But I feel you missed an opportunity to sneak in a dig at sugar, the oft-overlooked evil in our food.

Thank you for listening. I hope that you are able to secure distribution for Muffin Man.

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Rosa -- thanks so much for taking the time to write, I'm glad you liked the movie. I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about sugar consumption, it was definitely something that should have been included in the commentary. I will pass your comments on to Dr. Eisner.

There's an incredible article in the current Consumer Reports (Jan 04) that talks about the government farm subsidies which make sugared products so cheap in comparison to other foods.

Regards,
Executive Producer
Pickle Tub Productions, Inc.