Unsupersize Us

A “sequel” to his own 2014 inspirational weight-loss documentary Unsupersize Me, ecstasy-dealer-turned-fitness-guru Juan-Carlos Asse's Unsupersize Us charts Asse's latest attempt to change the lives of overweight Floridians through a vegan diet combined with copious amounts of exercise. Asse's DIY ethic is charming, but his subjects for experimentation—including a writer with both Crohn's and celiac disease, a tennis pro worried about becoming diabetic, and two other thirtysomethings flirting with obesity—are not nearly the miracle cases of recovery and weight loss as the lone subject of his first documentary: a 345-pound, 29-year-old woman who shed 200 pounds under Asse's supervision. To his credit, Asse pedals no miracle cures or controversial dietary advice, and he provides examples of the horrific effects of non-exercise-based weight loss solutions such as gastric bypass. His approach favors plant-based nutrition over an animal-protein-based diet, coupled with an hour of cardiovascular work six days per week—fairly commonsense stuff. Although Asse offers up lots of practical examples of his dietary philosophy in this scrappy production, his monotonous presentation skills and his film's by-the-numbers feel tend to make this more of an infomercial than the human-interest story at the center of Unsupersize Me. Still, the dietary advice shared here is sound, so consider this a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (M. Sandlin)