Hungry for Change (2012)

Argh. There is an important message here, but it's obscured behind a horrifically one-sided approach, a lack of credibility from interviewees, and blatant, unacknowledged hypocrisy.Many of the initial messages Hungry for Change tries to convey are not particularly new: sedentary lifestyles combined with excessive carbohydrate are making people fat. Or that companies shamelessly market their food/drink products to dubiously imply all kinds of happier outcomes for customers (one favourite of mine, not mentioned in this documentary, is certain products being helpful in losing weight "as part of a calorie-controlled diet." Surely that's true for pretty much anything!). I doubt many would dispute that this has happened. Unfortunately it's not long before it starts to leave such safe ground and make unsubstantiated generalisations about all kinds of things. Things like food companies deliberately making their foods addictive in order to sell more. Is this backed by scientific research? Is it only in the US? Does it apply to some or all foods? It's not clear. Things like 'sugar is as addictive as cocaine'. Really? I mean, I'm open to believing that, if there's clear scientific evidence presented. But none is presented.Or like the need to 'detox' one's body, which is where my patience really started to be tested, and prompt me to head to IMDb to share my displeasure. Because, the simple truth is that there is no scientific evidence for 'detoxing'. Seriously. Search for 'Ben Goldacre detox' on YouTube. Who's Ben Goldacre? He's a British (medical) doctor who has fought a long war against 'bad science' with a newspaper column and website of the same name. He's also an author: his debut non-fiction book 'Bad Pharma' is a passionate expose about what he sees as the lack of honesty from and undue influence by the pharmaceutical industry when trying to sell their drugs. His book runs to 400 pages, perhaps 200-300 pages of which is dedicated to painstaking description of the scientific method, how research failings can distort results and why drug trials by pharma companies often fall short of an acceptable standard. Reading it can be hard going at times, but one can understand why he sought to be so methodical in his approach: he was after all risking his professional reputation by taking a stand against big companies influential in his field. Consequently he wanted to ensure his defence was watertight (and doubtless litigation-tight too).Hungry for Change however appears to have no such concerns in the projection of its message. The viewer is not taken through the subject's history or a process to help them understand the subject, like proper documentaries such as Inside Job would. Instead, the viewer is simply told 'facts' by 'experts' and expected to believe them. Given how many scientific studies have been conducted in this field, that is hugely irresponsible.Who are these 'experts'? Senior scientists from Government or international organisations (say the World Health Organisation)? Er no. Try 'best-selling authors', people declared to be 'experts' (but who have no Wikipedia pages, suggesting they've hardly been breaking waves in their fields), or, ooh, people with Masters degrees (so what they say MUST be the truth and should be accepted without question). As John McEnroe would say: you cannot be serious.Indeed, there's a yet more questionable aspect to many of the pundits on the programme. Many of them have come up with new weight- losing diets. Meaning, surely, that there's a risk many viewers looking for the answer to their weight-loss goals will take the 'expertise' of these pundits at face value and try the diets espoused by said pundits, to the financial benefit of the pundits. Doesn't that mean Hungry for Change is itself engaging in the very marketing it so despises? This is accentuated by a more minor, but still noticeable act: the shining of bright lights by the camera crew into the faces of the diet-pushing pundits, a commonly-used trick to make the subject appear younger/healthier (and thus those diets they're selling all the more successful). Outrageous.This is a shockingly poor feature that does a disservice to the term 'documentary'. I'm not a fan of absolutes, but in this case it's truly merited. 'Hungry for Change' is without doubt the worst 'documentary' I've ever seen. 1/10 it is.

This is truly an eye opening film and a must see if you're facing unwanted weight, as well as, many kinds of sicknesses. Thank you guys for putting this very comprehensive film together, the ending is so informative, I think everyone should prepare to write this remarkable stuff done. This is truly an eye opening film and a must see if you're facing unwanted weight, as well as, many kinds of sicknesses. Thank you guys for putting this very comprehensive film together, the ending is so informative, I think everyone should prepare to write this remarkable stuff done. This is truly an eye opening film and a must see if you're facing unwanted weight, as well as, many kinds of sicknesses. Thank you guys for putting this very comprehensive film together, the ending is so informative, I think everyone should prepare to write this remarkable stuff done.

Hungry for Change is a documentary that denounces the Food & Beverage industry, holding it largely responsible for obesity and consequential unhealthiness in the US. It condemns the dieting industry for maintaining the status quo while disguised as a cure.So, how do you lose weight, regain energy and treat any associated illnesses? Hungry for Change promotes the consumption of natural whole foods as the only real solution. The film is not too loaded or soppy (my main complaint with these types of documentaries), and extremely interesting.This film won't come as a revelation for those who are already nutrition-conscious, but it's a great reminder not to fall for that refreshing diet soda anytime soon. I highly recommend the watch to those who have a desire to lose weight and have tried every fad diet without success, for those who feel plain unhealthy and need a change.For a more in-depth summary, check out my article on www.omalou.com!

The plot: 1. Feel bad about yourself, then go buy an expensive juicer. 2. Buy bushels of unwashed vegetables from the back of some random truck (also known as a farmer's market.) Eat only bunches of unwashed parsley and cilantro. 3. Drop 400 lbs. and claim it's due solely to consuming "Phyto-nutrients." 4. Interview a host of anorexic men who have added such titles as "Whole Food and Natural Expert" to their list of "Credentials." 5. Replace the guy who provides the soundtrack for the first half of the film because he only plays sad minor and diminished chords. (People who just started juicing only hear inspirational, happy melodic sounds.) 6. Improve the lighting on the movie set, start wearing bright colors, curl your hair and *finally* smile for the camera. 7. Beat cancer in just three days, you've saved the planet and now you're going to live to be at least 100 years old. 8. Replace thatexpensive juicer with an even more expensive one. *But,* only buy the brand marketed/endorsed by the guy who's done the "Research." Coincidentally, he starred in this film and his QVC infomercial verifies that he's an "Independent Expert."