Muddled Messages in ‘America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments’

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HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Americans, as everybody knows, are obsessed with weight issues and dieting. It is a society that has obesity and anorexia as opposing problems, has restaurants that pride themselves in huge portions and watches a TV program called “The Biggest Loser.” Chicagoan Darryl Roberts gets weighty in “America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments.”

This is his second documentary called “America the Beautiful.” The first one dealt with the idealization of beauty in this country, and interviewed magazine editors, academics and modeling agencies. This second doc takes the same approach, but this time it is about weight obsession. It is not as effective as the first film, and is weakened by a constant focus on Robert’s own battle of the bulge. It jumps around from topic to topic, with no focus on the thesis – which in the end is acceptance of oneself and others, despite weight difficulties.

This is a talking head and participant-style documentary. Like Michael Moore, Darryl Roberts often makes himself the story in the film, both in his own struggles with weight, and the reasons for the outside American’s struggle with the same. Roberts goes through a number of dieting treatments, raw food, Weight Watchers and exercise. At the same time, he reviews statistical and medical evidence of a dieting commerce system that wants overweight people to feel bad and buy their products and systems.

Darryl Roberts Contemplates Weight Issues in ‘America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments’
Darryl Roberts Contemplates Weight Issues in ‘America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments’
Photo credit: Harley Boys Entertainment

Roberts seeks out a variety of sources in the documentary. Spirtual guru Deepak Chopra, Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius and former Surgeon General David Satcher are a few of the experts that expound on the subject, and Roberts even throws in a bunch of friends and colleagues who have their own stories. The America of body image is magnified once again under his microscope.

The first film benefited from a thread of a child model going through the beauty industry. Roberts simply using his own adventures comes off as a bit self-serving, even though the goal was to show himself through the looking glass. It gets a bit irritating to see him go through the dieting process, and his dismissive attitude at times was even more grating. The film could have been better if the focus was more on the general topic, and not him.

The emphasis on the Body Mass Index Scale – a medical standard that determines a person’s relative weigh level – was new information, but the reasons why the BMI Scale maintains its grip on the overall health scheme was vague. Roberts uses the film to throw facts on the wall, but in general nothing sticks. The information is either self-evident (the diet industry is everywhere) or muddled (corn sweeteners are backed by the government, but how and why?).

Another problem is Robert’s own journey. His doctor diagnoses high blood pressure because of his weigh, and suggests pills. One of the side effects is erectile dysfunction, which leads to more pills. Roberts eschews all this for a healthier lifestyle and lessens the impact of the symptoms, even without losing that much weight. His point is that at no matter what weight, health should be the focus. In the end it seems like it’s a mixed message, accept yourself and others as is, but by the way, stay healthy is you’re overweight. As he proves in the film, the healthy part is not as easy when carrying the extra pounds.

Darryl Roberts Visits the Doctor in ‘America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments’
Darryl Roberts Visits the Doctor in ‘America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments’
Photo credit: Harley Boys Entertainment

There are some good points in the film – the exposure of the diet industry’s ineffectiveness, the information on BMI Scale and the realization that there are forces determined to generate dollars over societal health. Yet like a dieter that has a yo-yo effect with weight loss, the film’s up and down style of information exchange loses some of those good points. There are long sequences, for example, of Roberts visiting friends and relatives for their input. Nothing against his friends, but many of these sequences felt like they didn’t belong in the film.

Roberts has announced a third and final “America the Beautiful” film, dealing with the subject of sexual imagery and children in society. As in his first film, there is a hope that the subject will drive the narrative, and not Robert’s apparent need to get the lion’s share of screen time.

” America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments” opens in Chicago on December 2nd, with a limited release elsewhere. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Darryl Roberts, Deepak Chopra, Kathleen Sebelius, Paul Campos, Timothy Dolan and David Satcher. Written and directed by Darryl Roberts. Not Rated.

HollywoodChicago.com senior staff writer Patrick McDonald

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2011 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

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