Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

You know, I got to hand it to Joe Cross, the enthusiastic Australian stockbroker turned lifestyle guru who spearheaded this 97 minute infomercial. He instinctively knows that the best way to prime his audience is through personal stakes and dramatic results. Thus instead of going the sane, unsexy route of weening out of bad habits to slowly lose excess weight, Cross puts his body through a 60-day juice cleanse while driving across America, confronting ordinary citizens about their diets. Why; probably because its easier to hock his "Reboot with Joe" program to those looking for quick and easy solutions.

It's easy to buy into it. The rotund sufferer of chronic urticaria we meet at the beginning of the film has the easy-going personality of a lazed step-father being asked for $20 bucks. Even as he looses the weight, he massages the soft sell with a canned genuineness and an easy to digest chipper attitude. "I was fat, and there was no one to blame but myself," he says in a moment of reflection. He liquefies his veggies and goes all in. "Don't taste half bad."

As the film wears on, Joe faces off against the litany of excuses people have for eating what they eat. "I only got so long on this earth, I might as well enjoy it," is the common refrain though my personal favorite answer to the question, "why do you eat all this junk?" has to be, "Because I'm sixteen." Everyone in frame seems to know they're not doing the right thing. To Joe these people are addicted to food and lack the willpower to seek solutions. The solution in his eyes is of course a "reboot" that will reprogram the body to readily take in micronutrients and macronutrients. "If all the world's major religions fast, then they must be onto something."

I'm no nutritionist so I'm not going to make any bold claims. Lest to say, there's probably more to a healthy lifestyle than Joe Cross's musings and a few choice doctors stating the obvious. This is where Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead gets into serious trouble. Thanks to clever editing, Cross's self-evident truisms seem to meld into doctor testimonials with no actual data to backup anything. Nowhere is this more evident than when Cross's third act guinea pig Phil Staples goes into the doctor's office with him and he prods the doctor with leading questions like, "What will happen if Phil continues to eat like he does?" and "Is Phil healthy enough to go on a fast?" Notice he never asks "Should he go on a fast."

The film also ignores the social aspect of its project. Joe's example, as amazing as it looks on TV, probably has more to do with him being able to spend 60 days consuming less calories than Gwyneth Paltrow starring in a Calista Flockhart biopic. The rest of us, you know, have to work for a living and need the caloric intake to make sure we don't collapse on our wheelbarrows and in our cement mixers (I'm assuming my readership are interminably sarcastic bricklayers). We also often live in food deserts, suffer from malnutrition, succumb to social and peer-pressure such as indulging in a Fourth of July cookout etc. Yes, it's ultimately you choice but your choice is informed by the world around you. And if you need any further proof that a 60-day juice cleanse may not work for everyone, check out Phil's article, "I Was the Poster Boy for Weight Loss...Then I Gained 200 Pounds".

Lack of data, lack of comprehensiveness and the nagging suspicion that you're being sold something you don't need, like a canister of turtle wax. That is Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead in a nutshell. The fact that it's so laser-focused on creating and maintaining a brand may just be its only saving grace because it least it doesn't have that far to fall. It simply wants to make what it does look great and I suppose it succeeds in those modest ends. It's ultimately a D+ doc; C- because I'm embarrassed to say I dusted off the old juicer after I saw it.

I kind of feel compelled to write a review for this movie. It is a must watch. It is truly inspirational. It is uplifting and offers actual answers.

This is sort of 2 stories in 1 movie (documentary). The film starts out with Joe, an Australian who travels to the United States for a 60 day juice fast. The first 30 days he spends in New York and then proceeds to travel across country for the remaining 30 days. Along the way he talks to people about health and food. Along this travel Joe meets Phil, a truck driver who suffers from the same autoimmune disease as Joe. The second half of the film is about Phil's journey and decision to start fasting, making healthier life choice and exercising, with Joe's help.

I have never been one to enjoy any show or film about weight loss, or eating healthier. I suppose part of that is that I've never been affected by it. I have no problem staying thin. I say this not to be arrogant, but to stress just how good this film is; the fact that this film actually caught my attention. I'll say it again, it was inspirational.

It was also very entertaining. The story is put together well. It's well edited. Throughout the movie there are segments that are animated, and they are done very well, which adds more to the film in terms of entertainment; and not just for the sake of it. I'd highly recommend this movie to everyone, whether you are overweight or underweight or right on target. It's a must watch for anyone who has never thought about what they eat much, and also for those who already do. It's good for audiences alike I think.

The only thing I might be weary of….at one point in the film they do suggest an average cost of doing this juice fast…to most it might seem quite reasonable, but for others, like myself, it does seem quite costly. I mean, it's more than I'm used to spending on food. But maybe I could cut down on other things. But I think it all comes down to motivation and desire.

Who knows, I just might try this one day soon.

First of all, I am a vegetarian, I was from the moment I first saw "earthlings", one of the most sad and terrible documentaries about the way animals are treated in a day to day basis for us to be able to consume them.. from that point forward I just watched each and every documentary about healthy diets, vegetarianism, vegan-ism and the likes.

I just watched this new film with no expectations whatsoever, thinking I've seen it all, what else could impress me. My knowledge about the subject is wide, I already did fasting, detox diets and all you can imagine, I weight 59kg and I am 38 and I didn't think I could learn something more about it, and I was right! I did not learned anything new, but, oh boy how wrong I was about the whole thing.

I did make a huge mistake in over-thinking my position as vegetarian following logic steps when in fact, that was not the thing that lead me to where I am in the first place, instead, it was experience, seeing other people much better than me, my girlfriend feeling great, me, not so much.

THIS is the core of this film, experience.

The movie does away with all scientific explanations (except for a few doctors in between) and put all of it's effort on showing us real people, real experiences and some really disturbing transformations (for the better!).

Suffice to say the movie struck me as beautiful, excellent, super inspiring and right to the point. It's so good that I want to watch it again and again with all the people I know so they too can see for themselves the importance of diet.

They say an imagine worth a thousand words, well, this movie is all about experience, images, transformation, virtue, will and most of all, inspiration to others.

Explanations, I know them, probably a lot of people don't but now I see this is not so much important anymore, this movie nailed it.

Please go watch it you won't regret it, even if you're not interested in all this green stuff.

8 out of 10 for sure!

When you watch this movie and think to yourself "That looks great.. but I just cant do it because(insert any reason here).." Then you need to stop and examine your thought process from a different angle.and realize thats what many many people in your position do. You can't have so much negativity in your heart. If you really want to change, you can! Drugs were my life for 6 years.i was always irritable, i was morbidly obese, and i was constantly unmotivated and depressed, and on top of all of that I was slow minded. I changed. I realized the utter insanity that was my existence. I started exercising, I quit smoking cigs, I quit doing pills, I started eating right and working out everyday, and I saw a drastic change in my life. I learned willpower and how to use it, I saw peoples motivations more clearly, I started to understand people better, I understand life better.

Never give in to the negativity in your heart, and never become lazy and complacent. The dark corners of your psyche will try to tell you whatever you want to hear to keep you down and unhappy. Maybe you'll tell yourself you ARE happy with being fat and in danger of diabetes, maybe you'll convince yourself you like the terrible foods your eating and that makes it OK to do it, that you'll never be like those other people who lose limbs and their life.. Well, as previously stated, that is what so many people do! Don't fall prey to that vicious mind set. Stay positive, realize the adaptability of the body god/evolution/whateveryouwanttobelieve gave you, and trust in that. I thought it would be terrible eating healthy because I assumed my taste would not change, but it does! You start to love the way healthy food tastes, and you feel good about eating it too! bam!! double enjoyment! Even if you don't agree with the way I'm trying to express this message to you(maybe my grammars not to your taste, maybe my diction could use work) still at least see the wisdom I'm trying to share. Negativity begets negativity- If you think negative, you do negative without even realizing it because you rationalize it to yourself. You can do whatever you truly set your mind to, you just need to realize you'll tell yourself negative things because you are afraid of change.

Please, live better. Live happy, and once you live in happiness it is so much easier to have compassion for others. Everything is so much easier, and takes on a totally different light.

This review isn't so much a review, as it is an attempt to help someone... anyone.

I watched this DVD today. The story it tells and info it imparts is an inspiration! If you are struggling with being overweight, watching might be the best 90+ minutes you can spend. I'm sure a lot of people will wring their hands about the value of juicing or the difference between juicing, blending and masticating. Don't get caught up in the small details. Yes, exercise isn't emphasized as much, but Phil is seen running,etc; It might be that the filmmakers considered exercise a given.YES! Exercise if you will in any form you safely can do. If you have problems with juicing, then eat the fruits and vegetables whole. Just get the stuff down and eliminate, as much as you can, processed/refined foods. If the idea of fasting w/juice (or eating whole fruit/veggies) for 60 days is repelling to you, then consider 30 days, or 10, or, heck, try 3 days, or 30 hours... I ordered my blender today...Amazon has a great selection. Take Care!