Fat Head

Fat Head, directed and produced by Tom Naughton in 2009, follows a unique narrative format that combines humor with science to question and provoke the audience’s perceptions about health, diet and obesity in the modern era.

The movie begins by introducing its lead character, Peter Paddon, a stand-up comedian turned amateur investigator. The narrative takes a humorous turn as Paddon jokingly announces his determination to lose weight and improve his health, all while debunking some of the so-called truths disseminated by the mainstream food industry and their supposed experts.

Throughout the film, Fat Head promulgates the idea that misguided dietary advice given by the government and numerous medical institutions may have indirectly propagated the very obesity epidemic that they sought to eliminate. This challenging premise is told in a light-hearted and entertaining way, without losing sight of its intellectual rigor.

The film evolves as Paddon puts these theories to practical tests by implementing unconventional dietary regimes. In contrast to the general dietary advice favoring low-fat, high-carb diets, Paddon takes on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, aiming to disprove the commonly held belief “fat makes you fat”. Rolling out a chronological record of his progress through the experiment, the film keeps audiences engaged and eager to witness the results.

An interesting aspect of the movie is its dissection of the hit documentary "Super Size Me," in which Morgan Spurlock documents the deleterious effects of eating exclusively at McDonald’s for a month. While Spurlock saw a significant health decline during his experiment, Paddon uses "Fat Head" to take an opposite approach. He follows a diet primarily involving foods from fast-food establishments, mainly McDonald's, while placing reasonable limits on his dietary intake and making strategic food choices.

The narration by Tom Naughton, who also appears in the movie alongside his wife Chareva Naughton, makes it easy for viewers to discern the scientific facts from popular conjecture surrounding diets and weight loss. Tom Naughton’s humorous commentary adds a twist of entertainment to an issue as serious as the global obesity epidemic, making it possible for viewers to enjoy the documentary while being educated about the politics and misconceptions in the world of nutrition.

The film is structured in a way that allows it to alternate between narrative sequences and interviews with doctors, nutritionists, and culinary experts. These juxtaposed clips work effectively to validate the documentary's primary argument- that our public perception regarding food and obesity might be fundamentally flawed due to vested industrial and bureaucratic interests.

While the approach of Fat Head aims to overturn mainstream dietary beliefs, it also underscores the undeniable need for rigorous scientific research in forming dietary guidelines. The discussions between various experts reveal the complexity of biochemistry in human bodies and how it reacts to different forms of food intake.

The visual style of the film is engaging, using graphics and animations to further explain and illustrate complex scientific principles. This helps to make potentially dry and complex information more digestible and engaging for a broader audience.

While being a documentary, Fat Head embraces elements of a comedy film, thereby entertaining, informing, and challenging audiences in equal measure. For audiences keen on understanding more about nutrition, or simply those curious about the underlying causes of the obesity epidemic, Fat Head stands as a compellingly insightful and humorous cinematic experience.

Overall, Fat Head presents a refreshingly different perspective on dietary advice and obesity. Through its blend of humor, investigation, and surprising dietary experiments, the movie encourages viewers to question the official narrative surrounding healthy eating, dieting, and weight loss. It’s a thought-provoking journey into the world of fast food, fat, and falsehoods, one guaranteed to leave audiences with plenty to ponder long after the credits roll.