Film
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
Joe Cross, a 310-pound Australian living in America, is chronically ill and desperate. He buys a juicer and drives across the US on a 60-day juice fast, documenting the transformation. It's part travelogue, part conversion story—earnest, occasionally manipulative, genuinely moving when it focuses on the human cost of neglect rather than the triumph of willpower.
If you liked this
Super Size Me2004
Morgan Spurlock eats only McDonald's for 30 days and documents the physical and psychological toll. Like Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, it's a one-person experiment that becomes a meditation on how we eat and why.
But The argument is fairly blunt. It's preaching rather than investigating, and the shock value has dated.
The Magic Pill2017
A global journey exploring ketogenic and carnivore diets, with real transformations and moving personal stories. Same travel-doc structure, same faith in dietary intervention as a cure-all.
But It's even more dogmatic about one approach being the answer. Some of the science is cherry-picked.
Forks Over Knives2011
A plant-based manifesto with elegance and intellectual rigor. If you respond to the *idea* of transformation through food rather than just Joe's story, this goes deeper into the biochemistry and history.
But It's quietly evangelical. There's less human texture and more message.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist1997
Both films chronicle one man's relationship with a broken body. But where Joe seeks escape through juice, Flanagan seeks transcendence through acceptance. They're opposite arguments about what healing means.
Kirby Dick's film follows a man with cystic fibrosis who transforms his agony into performance and art. Like Joe, he's sick and fighting; unlike Joe, he makes no promises of cure and instead finds meaning in the fight itself.
But It's graphic and difficult. The body in pain is not a redemption narrative.
More like this (6)
Fed Up2014
Katie Couric examines why diets fail and what the food industry doesn't want you to know. It shares Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead's outrage but directs it at systemic problems rather than individual choice.
But Sometimes the anger can feel performative. The solutions it offers are thinner than its critique.
Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret2014
Two men investigate the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Structurally similar—couple on a quest—but the question shifts from personal health to planetary survival.
But The connection between environmental impact and personal diet can feel preachy. Some claims are disputed.
The Toys That Made Us2017
A documentary about transformation and identity, how a product reshapes culture and self-image. Shows how deeply consumption shapes who we think we are—the mirror to Joe's story.
But It's a completely different subject. You're looking for thematic connection, not plot.
My 600-Lb. Life2012
A reality series following people attempting weight-loss surgery and lifestyle change. Raw, unglamorous, deeply human. Shows what happens when transformation doesn't stick.
But It's often uncomfortable to watch. The show can feel exploitative of real suffering.
The Biggest Loser2004
The Biggest Loser is Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead's dark mirror: both sell transformation, but one is honest about the sale. Watching them together reveals what the documentary hides.
A competition show about weight loss with a following devoted as any religion. The pure, unapologetic spectacle of transformation as entertainment—what Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead tries to avoid.
But It's nakedly manipulative and the outcomes are often temporary. The show's logic is fundamentally broken.
The Great Beauty2013
Both films are about men taking stock at a crossroads. One finds salvation in action; the other in surrender. Neither answer is entirely wrong.
Paolo Sorrentino's film follows an aging man wandering Rome, searching for meaning in beauty and connection rather than achievement. Completely different in tone—gorgeous, funny, melancholy—but asks the same question: what do we owe ourselves?
But It's slow and oblique. There's no clear plot, no triumph, no before-and-after.
People
Cast
- Joe CrossJoe Cross
- Phil RiverstonePhil Riverstone
- Amy BadbergAmy Badberg
- Merv CrossMerv Cross
- Virginia CrossVirginia Cross
Directing
- Joe CrossDirector
- Kurt EngfehrDirector
Recommended by
Super Size Me, Eating Animals, Food Fight, Dying To Have Known