Forks Over Knives
| Forks Over Knives | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lee Fulkerson |
| Written by | Lee Fulkerson |
| Produced by | John Corry |
| Starring | Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. T. Colin Campbell |
| Edited by | John Orfanopoulos Brian Crance Michael Fahey |
| Music by | Ramón Balcázar |
Production company | Monica Beach Media |
| Distributed by | Virgil Films and Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Forks Over Knives is a 2011 American documentary film directed by American independent filmmaker Lee Fulkerson that advocates a low-fat whole-food, plant-based diet as a means of combating a number of diseases. The film was created and executive produced by Brian Wendel and produced by John Corry. The DVD of Forks Over Knives was released on August 30, 2011.[1]
Summary
Through an examination of the careers of American physician Caldwell Esselstyn and professor of nutritional biochemistry T. Colin Campbell, Forks Over Knives suggests that "most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods." [2] It also provides an overview of the 20-year China-Cornell-Oxford Project that led to Professor Campbell's findings, outlined in his book, The China Study (2005) in which he suggests that coronary disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer can be linked to the Western diet of processed and animal-based foods (including all dairy products).[2]
With regard to describing the nutritional approach as a "whole foods plant-based" rather than "vegan" one in the film, Director Lee Fulkerson (in an interview with Canada's National Post) notes that, " 'Veganism just means anything that doesn’t have animal-based products in it. But you can still eat highly processed foods that are vegan,' he says, citing potato chips and french fries as examples. 'You want to use minimally processed things.' ”[3]
Cast
- T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D
- Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
- Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
- Junshi Chen, Ph.D.
- Connie B. Diekman, MEd, RD, FADA
- David Klurfeld, Ph.D.
- Matthew Lederman, M.D.
- Alona Pulde, M.D.
- Doug Lisle, Ph.D.
- Terry Mason, M.D.
- John A. McDougall, M.D.
- Pam Popper, N.D.
- Rip Esselstyn
Reception
Critical response
As of 13 May 2013[update], on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Forks Over Knives received a rating of 59% (22 Fresh, 15 Rotten), based upon 37 reviews.[4] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[5]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars and states: "here is a film that could save your life." He also suggests that "Forks Over Knives is not subtle. It plays as if it had been made for doctors to see in medical school."[6] Loren King of The Boston Globe gave the film three out of four stars and suggests that, "what An Inconvenient Truth did for global warming, Lee Fulkerson's persuasive documentary does for a vegan diet".[7] Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three out of four stars and describes it as "an earnest and fact-filled work of food evangelism." [8]
Sean O'Connell of The Washington Post gave the film two out of four stars and argues that it is "an interesting and informative health lecture that's sandwiched into a dry, repetitive documentary" and said that "it's desperately in need of charisma, humor or personality to balance the steady stream of scientific facts we’re asked to absorb".[9] Rex Reed of the New York Observer gave the film 2/4 and argues that "I’m sure there is much to be learned from Forks Over Knives (the title means a healthy diet should be consumed with a fork rather than diverging from this path, which could lead to the a knife or scalpel). [10] Corey Hall of the Metro Times gave the film a "C" and states that "while it's impossible to dispute the basic premise that eating more vegetables is good for you, Forks adopts a staunch anti-meat and -dairy stance that leaves the door open for criticism."[11]
Accolades
- Won: Documentary/Special Interest Title of the Year - 2012 Entertainment Merchants Association’s Independent Home Entertainment Awards [12]
Books
- Stone, Gene. Forks Over Knives: The Plant Based Way to Health. 2011. [13]
- Sroufe, Del. Forks Over Knives–The Cookbook. 2012.
References
- ^ New DVDs: 'Madea's Big Happy Family,' 'Forks Over Knives'
- ^ a b "Forks Over Knives: The Official Movie Website (Synopsis)". Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ "The food revolution of Forks Over Knives will not be processed National Post, May 16, 2011.
- ^ "Forks Over Knives - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ "Forks Over Knives: Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ Roger Ebert (11 May 2011). "'Forks over Knives' review". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Forks over Knives review. The Boston Globe. May 16, 2011.
- ^ Forks over Knives review. The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 19, 2011.
- ^ Forks over Knives review . The Washington Post. May 13, 2011.
- ^ New York Observer Review
- ^ Forks Over Knives Metro Times Review
- ^ "EMA Recognizes Indie Films and TV Series." 2012 Entertainment Merchants Association’s Independent Home Entertainment Award, June 2012
- ^ The Experiment Gets First Bestseller in 'Forks Over Knives'