Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010) User Reviews

Inspirational, Educational ... Above All, Entertaining

[emvan · 9/10 · 9 March 2011]

The average American devotes just 5% of their diet to fruits and vegetables. A documentary which attempts to convince us that that low percentage is all but killing us -- that sounds like it might be somewhat of a slog. Framed as the story of a man who, by temporarily pushing that 5% all the way to 100%, not only lost a ton of weight, but apparently cured himself of autoimmune disorder -- well, that sounds inspirational and hence eminently watchable. (In fact, it's thrillingly inspirational, with a twist I won't reveal even if the summary above does.) But FAST, SICK AND NEARLY DEAD takes it a step further. After shooting 500 hours of footage, director and subject Joe Cross enlisted Kurt Engfehr as co-writer and Chris Seward as co-editor -- both have worked with Michael Moore. The result is a documentary that manages to keep the personal and intimate tone of a self-motivated and financed project while being unfailingly entertaining, thanks to state-of-the-art storytelling.

Cross has stated that his goal with this film is to ultimately increase that 5% for fruits and vegetables to 10%. Of course, the odds are against anything becoming a cultural phenomenon, against anything being that influential ... but this film is good enough that it has a real shot. You can think of SUPER-SIZE ME as the statement of the problem; if there's any justice this film will be just as successful as a proposal of one possible solution. This earns 9/10 simply as film -- and gains a final star because the story it tells is so important.

Note: this review includes some information provided by Joe Cross during the Q&A following an advance screening ... from which I've just returned!

Postscript, June: While I haven't done the "reboot" Joe advocates in this film, I've been inspired to go from eating about 3 servings of fruits and vegetables a day to about 10, and I've lost 9 pounds without trying (since the healthy food is replacing sweet and salty snacks). And I had known this was the correct thing to do for years: I was just never motivated to do it. This film *will* change your life.

Postscript, August 2012: After losing another 9 pounds, I've settled in at my college weight from forty years ago, and after my initial fanaticism wore off, I've probably settled in at 8 servings a day. The change is permanent.

Incredible

[frivolousfate · 9/10 · 26 October 2011]

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.

Not a science lecture, but motivation and inspiration

[JWJanneck · 8/10 · 4 December 2011]

Movies about food and health are in season, many of them droning on about the Western diet, the benefits of proper food, the evils of the food industry and the modern life style, or any combination thereof. To be sure, all of that is quite right, and learning more about it can be educational and helpful in improving one's own dietary habits and consequently one's health.

This film skips much of the science, which is dealt with only in short sketches and cartoons (and a look at the Web site suggests that it might be better that way, since the author's view of the science is cartoonish with a distinct New-Agey touch). Nutrition science isn't the topic here.

Instead, we are being taken on the personal journeys of the author, Joe, and a couple of other characters who are 'recruited' on the way. And it is the power and realism of those stories that are the source of the impact of this movie. Joe's own story is impressive already --- as he literally slims before our eyes from pudgy to trim by drinking vegetable and fruit juice, it is difficult to imagine anyone struggling with their weight and health seeing this without getting at least interested in his approach. It might have ended there, and be a pretty good piece on the significant impact of your diet on your health, and how a shift of the food habits can have a decisive effect on someone's life in a relatively short period of time.

But then there is the story of Phil, a very fat truck driver from Iowa, one of the folks Joe talks to on the road trip he undertakes during his juice fast. Halfway through the movie, we listen to Phil calling Joe to take him up on the offer to help him with his weight problem. Phil sounds desperate and depressed, he sounds like he is not expecting to make many more calls. Much of the second half of the movie is devoted to Phil's journey, from a very fat, socially isolated, depressed Iowa truck driver who could hardly walk, to a much thinner, much healthier-looking Phil who jogs, gives inspirational talks about nutrition to others, and helps his brother change his diet before the next heart attack becomes his last one, just as Joe helped him turn his fate around. That's just an incredible story, amazing to watch, and truly inspirational.

Even if you don't have a weight problem, it's still a joy to see real people change their lives to the better on screen. However, if you do have a weight problem, and related health issues, and perhaps have come to believe that that's just the way you were built and nothing can change it, then this movie shows you otherwise. If Phil can do it, so can you. Do you have to do it the way Phil and Joe did? Probably not. Should you research the matter further? Definitely. Should you consult a physician? Probably. You may need to take a slightly different route, but this film shows that there is a path.

A great motivator

[i_purpose_walk · 10 August 2011]

(spoiler alert)

I found Fat, Sick & Nealy Dead on Netflix instant view. I am a normal American with a normal diet. No longer. I purchased a juicer and now consume more fruits and veggies than ever before in my life. Why? The documentary lays it out in a manner I had never been presented with. Joe Cross, the film maker and star, starts off by showing just how far his health had deteriorated with his normal Australian/American diet. He comes to America for 60 days to juice and tells us "not to eat your food". It's not that he's anti-American, but he is the messenger trying to help us avert a national medical emergency/disaster. About halfway through his journey he meets a trucker name Phil Staples (not Riverstone, IMDb!). The rest of the documentary we follow Phil as he "re-boots" his life with 100% fruit and veggies in juice form to go from 429 pounds to 220 pounds. We follow Phil in visits to his doctor for pre- and post- weight loss. It's quite the transformation. Most folks will find this documentary inspiring and motivating!

Amazing

[migglewopple · 10/10 · 14 August 2012]

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.

Life Changing!

[jvande7471-249-355231 · 10/10 · 27 December 2011]

I saw this movie completely by accident (or divine intervention?). Our regular Sunday night TV had been preempted by an awards show, so we decided to see what was on Netflix. I saw the title, and it described me so well that I had to see it.

Joe Cross sets out across the US to promote better eating and show what it's done for him. I thought this first half of the film was informative and I expected it to end there. He got his point across about the benefits of consuming the juice of a variety of fruits and vegetables, and how the body uses those nutrients to heal itself.

Then comes Phil, an overweight, out of shape truck driver who reaches out for help. Following Phil's journey was tremendously inspiring. Watching him lose weight, decrease or eliminate medications and just take control of his life has changed MY life completely.

Before the credits finished rolling, I had my shoes and jacket on and was out the door on my way to buying my first juicer.

This is a movie I will re-watch often.

Good

[Cosmoeticadotcom · 7/10 · 1 February 2013]

On the surface, the film almost seems like an infomercial, as for its first half it follows Cross on a trek to America, to go on a 60 day juice fast. That is, the fortysomething Cross, who weighed in at over 300 pounds, at the start of the documentary, decides to end his years of dependency on steroids and medicines, to treat an autoimmune deficiency, as well as his high-flying lifestyle, so that he can get and stay healthy. He sees a doctor, gets an OK to begin his change in diet, then spends the first month in New York City, before heading out on a cross-country trek to spread his gospel of juicing fruits and vegetables for their easily digested vitamin and nutrient content. The film then follows the lives of a few people Cross encounters, gets the typical man in the street condescension, as well as a few converts, until, at about midpoint, Cross encounters a truck driver, in Arizona, named Phil Staples, who dwarfs Cross's weight, and checks in at over 400 pounds.

When Cross's fast ends, and he is almost a hundred pounds lighter, he heads back down under until, a few months later, he gets a call from Staples, desperate to change his life, who asks Joe for the help he offered when they met. The second half of the film thus becomes Staples' even longer journey to health, and the film follows him for almost a year, as he loses weight, gains local celebrity, and nurses his older brother, Barry (also obese), into a healthy lifestyle after he suffers a heart attack.

The film gets its message across well, and never comes off as preachy. Cross seems genuine in his mission, and even has his own website dedicated to the cause. The lone negative in the film is the really bad animation that is repeatedly used, for any other critiques of the film would center on what it is obviously not, instead of what it is: a well made biography of two men and their struggles with eating and health.

This Flick Might Save Your Life...!

[hx1950 · 10/10 · 8 March 2012]

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!

A celebration of life and the steps needed to live life to the full

[davebest2001 · 7/10 · 24 February 2012]

What started out as an easy going documentary about a juice diet, ends up being something altogether more profound and life affirming. We meet Joe Cross, a very likable Aussie who travels to the States, the home of junk food, to start a juice only diet, with a juicer hooked up to his car battery and a vast array of fruit and veg. He decides to hang around outside some of the fast food places he used to frequent. He also interviews people he meets about their diets or lack of them and their anticipated life expectancies. Most of the results are shocking. Most of the overweight people don't think they have the willpower to change, and in some cases are accepting that they will die in their 50s. Joe sticks with his diet for 60 days, and he manages to lose a lot of weight. The film becomes more profound when he meets Phil Staples, a truck driver with even bigger weight issues than Joe. He reaches out and asks Joe for help. The results are staggering. Joe's weight loss is excellent, but Phil's eventual weight loss is even more spectacular. Phil becomes an advocate for the juice diet and turns his life around 360. Overall this film is life affirming and touching. It espouses the benefits of a simpler diet, and is a celebration of life rather than a sermon. It's worth watching. Not sure I would be brave enough to try that diet though. Maybe when I hit 400 pounds !

Pure inspiration, one of the best documentaries out there!

[tecnogaming · 8/10 · 22 September 2012]

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!

Too much hand waving from an incredibly privileged Australian

[briangonzales · 6/10 · 19 July 2012]

The only way to convince people who are science savvy is to provide them with empirical data to back up the claims made. In this documentary the assertion that drinking vegetables and fruits cleanses the body. Why wasn't benchmarks to qualify the cleanse was actually working? Feeling better and healthier are subjective and ambiguous. When individuals are obese weight loss can serve as a benchmark but for non-obese people losing weight isn't necessarily a good thing and in most cases it is bad, especially if more than 1 pound per week.

Beyond this Mr. Cross described his lifestyle as one of excess. Drinking too much, smoking cigars, not resting well, overworking. These are HUGE factors in one's health and they were barely mentioned in the film.

The fundamental problems here are 2 things.

1. Excess. Binge drinking alcohol, neglecting sleep & exercise and frequently eating fast food.

2. Balance. Drinking liquid anything long term is bad because its not balanced. Metabolism will be slowed down tremendously and when you return to actual food the weight will mostly likely return.

The 2 characters in the movie are not at all relatable to most people. Not many people are or meet millionaires who can take months off work to juice fast in another continent.

I'm also curious to what his diet was like after the juice fast ended.

Inspiring weight loss journey of discovery

[swedish_chef_dave · 8/10 · 31 October 2011]

This was probably the most inspirational documentary i have seen ever, the fact the movie showed the guy losing the weight during the 60 day trip across the USA and it inspired a fat trucker to jump into the same program, I felt uplifted to watch the fat trucker actually losing a huge amount of weight, I am maybe 20 pounds overweight which is nothing but I am going to start introducing a liquid meal into my daily routine, I wish every overweight kid would watch this and feel as positive about it as i do, it should be made part of schools social sciences classes to show what can be done and so easily. It is what most folks really need to be faced with the facts about eating todays processed rubbish. I am going straight out to buy a juicer and all the greens that go with it

A Pithy Doc about Quick and Easy Solutions

[bkrauser-81-311064 · 7/10 · 2 September 2017]

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.

Are you kidding me?

[camileeusa-1 · 2/10 · 1 May 2013]

I would like to start with the one and only positive thing I have to say about this documentary. I went out today and bought a Hamilton Beach Juicer and $100 worth of vegetables and fruit. I researched recipes (you'll see at the end of this) and am researching "juicing" so I know how much, long, etc… I'm excited to start this for a number of reasons. First, I've gained a significant amount of weight ever since my depression and anxiety became overwhelming this semester and was given even more medication to alleviate it (not working). Second, it gives me hope that I'll be able to be medication free, thinner, healthier and most of all – free of anxiety and migraines that the lady juicer in this movie mentioned.

That's all the sugar I could muster.

I thought this documentary was only impressive due to the amount of weight loss Joe and Phil had on a juicing diet. Otherwise, I thought it was a disjointed, uninformative, annoying and a self-promoting movie by Joe Cross – about Joe Cross and how completely amazing, rich, genius and unstoppable he is because, of course, he is a super-human on a levels. I shiver at the thought of meeting him in public and the reaction people would have when I shake his hand and tell him I lost quite a bit too but I learned absolutely nothing from his video about how juicing works (unless you count the cartoons), how long is normal (60 days clearly isn't unless you're morbidly obese), how he could see clearer skin on that lady when I sure couldn't even with an HDMI connection and a 1080p TV and then after I stop shaking his hand, walk slowly away and with my nicest tone of voice say "You are not a hero, nor a movie star and did a terrible disservice with the money your parents jump started your shiny life with, so I beg you Mr. Cross, please take that Australian Beach, your cancerous tan and your extra arm skin back home. And for the love of God and everything that is holy, don't release that new 2012 documentary anywhere where people have some self respect!"

Joe never really showed us how to juice at all if you think about it. I had no idea if he was making one or two or 50 servings at a time. I had no idea what to use to juice besides onion, tomatoes and what appeared to be celery or lettuce. Except for a quick roadside stop at the beginning where he blatantly overpaid those "poor American's" selling their homegrown produce to show what a great guy he is (in the meantime degrading the farmers - save the tip for off camera you jerk) and a grocery trip where – well, heck…that doesn't even count it was so uninformative. I never learned where the rest of the vegetable and fruit fiber went or what you are supposed to do about not getting that fiber in our system. Are we talking mulch for the leftover and vitamins for us? Totally devoid of vital information.

Don't get me wrong, juicing is a great idea but watch a documentary that has a LOT more information or do the research on it yourself. I'm still shaking my head days later at the utter lack of knowledge. A before and after picture of Phil with a byline on him would have inspired me into buying a juicer and taken far less of a toll on my nerves.

I honestly thought I was well into hour 2 when I finally lost my temper and stopped the video only to see that I was 5 minutes from the end and it was at 1 hour, 32 mins. The LONGEST hour and a half of my life. I'm cutting this review short so I can continue watching Food Matters which I can't stand not paying 1000% attention to. THAT movie will change you and your family's lives.

Inspiration

[parrott_nicholas · 10/10 · 4 December 2011]

The movie pace is strange, seems like 2 movies in one,mixed in with some Osmosis Jones (Chris Rock cartoon) type animation. It is very educational and uplifting. Honest and not condescending at all but light hearted and humorous despite the serious subject matter. The interviews with Americans is straight to the point and gets them "you and me" to ask some important questions of ourselves and how we value our life and health. It almost seems like an advertisement for Juicer's but never names a brand specifically that I caught. I went to Macy's today and they had 2 left. The sales clerk mentioned that they were flying off the shelf due to a movie about them. I was tickled to tell her about the movie, and that I was one of "those people". We did not buy from Macy's but just wanted to get hands on. I highly recommend you check it out, and hope you enjoy. P.S. I watched it free on Hulu, and got the Juicer for cheaper directly from the manufacturer (an Australian brand). Cheers.

Very inspirational

[essensual911 · 9/10 · 11 April 2012]

For over 2 years, my dad has been drinking vegetable "smoothie" daily for breakfast with recipes recommended by Dr. Tom Wu from Taiwan. As a result he is healthier and looks younger. After watching this documentary, he was inspired and did 3 weeks purely on the smoothie (skin and all fiber included, not just the juice). Surprisingly, he now looks even younger and healthier. His psoriasis condition improves dramatically. So much that I am now trying this out for 10 days. I'm on day 5 now and my skin is glowing I barely need make-up in the morning. I also don't have the migraine which I usually have during my period. I like this documentary very much I am buying the DVD for others who want some inspirational boost to start their health journey.

Simply Superb

[k_patel445 · 30 September 2011]

Must watch movie. Even though it is documentary movie, they have made it very interesting. It is simply superb. It shows importance of fruits, veggies and original juice (not processed that we can buy from any store). Fresh Juice, Veggies and Fruits are not only helpful for Fat people but it is required for all healthy people too. You can not miss this movie. It is really inspiring movie. It even shows that it helped in Migrane. I am going to try Reboot and recommend my friends and family. Food is becoming major problem all across world. This movie is one of the best movie I have ever watched. I am very thankful to a friend who provided information about this movie and Juicer. I have already bought juicer and going to try tomorrow.

An important message, a flawed documentary

[rivertam26 · 7/10 · 5 September 2012]

I've been interested in juicing a while but recently my brother and his partner inspired me to finally get moving with it. They recommended this film to me and on the night before I started my 60 day juicing reboot I decided to give it a shot. Well I'm definitely happy i watched it. It helped to clear up a lot of myths I had about the procedure and such. But it left me with more than a few questions that I had to research on my own. They neglected to tell you how many glasses of juice you should drink every day and if you could take medication while your juicing, etc. Not that they should have. After all it is a documentary film not an infomercial. That being said it's represented in a fairly generic fashion but is effective because of the subject matter. It is an inspiring film but I wish they could have developed the journey a bit more and with more of an emotional angle. I did appreciate a lot of the information on screen but felt that their was a slight kiddish aspect to it. Now maybe I will feel better after I start juicing and am being cynical. But as a documentary I would have hoped they would have touched on many more aspects of the material he was exploring instead of just a cultish type of execution that leaves everything gleaming with a big smile. Regardless of the flaws from a critical angle the film is an important one and should be seen by anyone looking to better themselves. 3.5/5

SO fantastic !!!!!!!!! Gerson enthusiasts should enjoy it :)

[spystyle · 10/10 · 11 July 2011]

I've never written a review before, I am worried about the word limit :) Here goes : You've got to see this film if you are serious about turning your health around. I've been studying the "Gerson therapy", "Food Matters", "Jay Kordich" and "Andrew Saul" stuff, in an effort to get healthy and fit, and it's all a little overwhelming for me. This movie follows the same approach but does it in such a simple way, it's perfect! America is in a health crisis, and with health care's tremendous profit margin the trend will be to make us sicker and fatter each year. We are just dollars for them - society has us on the fast track to diabetes and obesity - not to mention smoking and prescription drugs - but we can take back our health :) Watch this movie, then go to their website and join in - reboot your health :) Also Google up the stuff I mentioned above. They all use juice like this.

Good health and abundant energy, it's worth any price - but it's also surprisingly affordable.

This documentary changed my life. I'm not overweight, I'm unhealthy.

[jessihill79-327-741377 · 10/10 · 8 June 2012]

At first when I saw the cover of this DVD, I thought it was just another informational movie about the obesity epidemic in America. I myself have a BMI of 24, which is just barely within my normal range. So, I didn't think this film would apply to me, but was still interested. While I am generally a sympathetic person, I won't lie that I can't stand to see morbidly obese people stuffing their faces with junk food. It's gross and makes me feel that they have no respect for their bodies. But, wait... I suddenly realized that only months ago I had an addiction to prescription meds and cocaine. I din't eat much at all. People complemented me on my curvy slim figure. It is only now that I realize addiction is addiction. And the food is a drug to these people I've judged. This movie brought me to tears and made me realize my ignorance. There are a lot of skinny people who eat the same way and aren't ridiculed because of how they look. It's sad how misguided our society is. The food we eat today is like poison. This film brought into perspective why cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc, are killing us younger and younger. This film isn't just about losing weight, it's about changing your life completely and healing your mind, body, and should with the fruits of the earth that have always been here. It's nice to know that making such drastic positive changes in my health and living is something I have the power to control. I just have to CHOOSE to make the decision to change. I believe everyone should watch this documentary at least once. Very informative, very inspiring.

Great documentary. Go Phil!

[juneebuggy · 8/10 · 28 October 2014]

Great documentary in the style of "Super Size Me." I could have done with less of the cheesy animation but other than that, well done. It definitely made me want to go out and buy a juicer and take a closer look at what I'm eating even though I don't need to lose any weight.

Australian Joe Cross is likable enough as we follow him on his 60 day cross America road trip and juice fast. He's trying to get off the meds, lose weight and get healthy again. Healing himself from the inside out. Along the way he meets and talks to random people.

Where this really gets interesting is in the second half when we meet Phil, an obese truck driver who hits his bottom (or top weight) and phones Joe for help. We then follow him through his first weeks of a new lifestyle of exercise and juicing and you can't help but cheer him along. The mindset in America regarding food is kinda horrifying.

Great story, but as a movie not that great.

[Anillusion · 5/10 · 6 September 2013]

I can understand people saying that this is a very inspirational story, because it definitely is. Although I myself don't need to lose weight (quite the opposite), a couple of my friends and family members do struggle with their overweight, although not as extensive as the mains in this movie.

This movie explores the age old solution. Get healthy nutrition and start exercising. Hey and guess what...it works. The problem for most people is willpower to continue on their diet, something this movie clearly shows with the 4th of July BBQ sequence. And in a time where people tend to only just 'try every diet pill on the market', trying to use the age old solution is a story worth documenting.

The movie starts quite good for a documentary. It uses animation to illustrate Joe's problem. The movie is executed good until Phil calls Joe. It's like a whole new movie starts. Different tone, different design. And compared to the greatly executed first part, it feels like a quick and cheap add-on. Especially when the movie ends with the scrolling text in the end. Why not illustrate the effect that Joe and Phil had on their community with yet another animation and add the additional information as a voice-over. In other words, come full circle. It feels like the first part was created for theatrical release, as a short portrait of Joe, and that after its run we now get the 'made for television' extended cut, including the longer story of Phil.

As a film maker myself I can understand that sometimes the story decides the form of the end result. But the story is there and it is a wonderful one. It's the execution of telling that story that is lacking in some parts. I would still highly recommend people, who struggle with their weight, to watch this movie though. But since IMDb is about the movie as a whole, I can't give it a high vote just for having an inspirational story.

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

[janisdtodd · 10/10 · 5 June 2019]

We love these movies! Joe is so down to earth. Keeping it REAL! It is so interesting as well as entertaining. We stumbled across Joe in search for recipes after beginning our juicing in 2018 at the first of the year. The youtube videos are a treasure of information. Juicing has gone from being a drudgery to being very exciting! WE watch this movie over and over.

Watched it!!

[rosswylene · 10/10 · 8 August 2017]

I watched this docu and thought may be I will try it. Then watched What the Health and did it. From July 3rd to August 3rd this year, I lost 12 lbs. Still ate sweets and bread though. Then I watched Dr. Oz regarding stomach fat and cut down on sweets and bread. Nothing changed my before weight and eating one meal a day still did nothing and in fact I gained weight.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead is a movie that will stick with you forever.

[tgrospin · 10/10 · 2 December 2016]

"Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" is a movie that I would strongly suggest for anyone who feels that he or she is unhealthy or overweight. It is based on a true story and it is one of the most inspirational movies I have ever watched. It describes the lives of mainly two individuals who make a proactive life decision to drink solely fresh fruit and vegetable juice for sixty days straight. The movie takes you on the journey of these two individual's lives and their progress as they make this healthy life choice. As Joe is the main character who starts this journey, his goal throughout the movie is to help as many people as he can to experience this incredible progress with him and to become extremely fit and healthy. I really enjoyed watching this movie and again, I would recommend it to anyone!