There’s a restaurant in my neighborhood, it’s technically a burger joint but happens to make a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich that has become a religious experience for me. I am obsessed with this sandwich. I’ve ordered it so many times they know me by name and have included the occasional free dessert in my to-go bag. And each and every time, the chicken is deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy tender on the inside. The chicken meat is never dry!! Then throw in some just spicy enough chipotle aioli and I’m seeing stars. A normal person would feel embarrassed by the extent to which I have feelings for this sandwich and plot out my schedule around partaking in this newfound love. Thank goodness I’m not normal. Neither am I sure I can handle a documentary that exposes the dark meat side of the fried chicken industry. But that’s what we’re getting, courtesy of Netflix, with the forthcoming Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy. The Hollywood Reporter just covered the announcement, and they couldn’t help but notice striking similarities to its documentary forefather Super Size Me.
Remember Super Size Me? The 2004 documentary that was nominated for an Oscar but nearly killed Morgan Spurlock? Well, we’re doing that again — almost exactly.
On Wednesday, Netflix announced a new doc starring British comedian Mo Gilligan. Titled Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy, the feature-length film will see its protagonist “eating nothing but fried chicken” three times a day for 28 straight days. Spoiler alert: It will be delicious at first, but ultimately not good for his health.
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy hails from Mindhouse, the production company that recently brought us the documentary Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, which debuted this March on Netflix. Big Chicken marks Gilligan’s first Netflix doc; it is a “bold experiment,” Netflix says. (It is, it’s just one that has pretty much been done before.)
On August 5, Big Chicken will expose “the hidden costs behind our cravings,” according to Netflix. “Over the course of the month, [Gilligan] embarks on an eye-opening journey from South London to the United States to reveal the historical origins of fried chicken and the social, economic and industrial forces driving our mass consumption of it — from fast-food chains to large-scale farming — and the impact on our health, our planet and the way we eat.”
“As a Black British comedian, Mo also seeks to reframe perceptions of the dish by confronting negative stereotypes associated with it, examining how it’s been culturally appropriated and advertised in today’s market,” the press release reads.
Twenty-two years ago, Spurlock, now deceased, says he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days; Spurlock would reveal later that he also abused alcohol during the same time period. Despite walking each day, Spurlock gained nearly 25 pounds that month. His cholesterol soared, he experienced mood swings and sexual dysfunction, and fat accumulated in his liver.
The craziest thing here is that in 2017, Spurlock did a Super Size Me sequel, but about chicken and the shady chicken industry. Sound familiar?
A spokesperson for Netflix did not respond to The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment on the similarities between the films.
Confession time: I’ve never seen Super Size Me. I can pig out on Datelines and 48 Hours galore, but I’ve always feared the devastating food facts of SSM. Not that I eat fast food three times a day! But when it comes to food, I’ve definitely erred on the side dishes of indulgence and ignorance. I love food! I love eating! I love eating food! So again, while I’m still in the honeymoon phase with my bangin’ buttermilk fried chicken sandy, I’m really not sure I can stomach this new documentary. On the other hand, a lesson on the history of fried chicken, both culinarily and culturally, is totally my bacon jam. Ok, so what if maybe I push myself to be brave and see if this new doc is to my taste, but with my beloved sandwich on (meaning in) hand? You know, to keep reaffirming my connection and commitment to my love, as I digest the raw truth of the greater fried chicken industrial oven complex? I think it’s a winning recipe! At the very least, I have a month to let the idea marinate.
Photos credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Karlo King and Brian Chan on Unsplash