Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Disturbing, engaging exposé of processed chicken; language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
British comedian Mo Gilligan travels around England and the US to investigate the impacts of addictive fast food chicken in BIG CHICKEN: A FAST FOOD CONSPIRACY. Gilligan commits to eating only fast food fried chicken for every meal during a full month, and he chronicles the consequences. Meanwhile, he speaks with experts to understand both what's happening to him as a result of the diet as well as how ultra-processed food impact humans and treats chickens. He looks into the ways big corporations exploit their workers and target children and low-income communities with their intentionally-addictive products.
Is It Any Good?
This engaging and well-composed documentary should scare us all into eating less ultra-processed chicken, although its star ends on a more compliant tone than expected. After an hour and a half of watching Mo Gilligan suffer personally from a fast-food diet and digesting disturbing information about the chicken industry in Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy, it comes as a bit of a surprise when Gilligan concludes he will keep eating the stuff and just "look at it a little bit differently."
Otherwise, this Super Size Me update is quite fun to watch. Gilligan is a likeable and entertaining presence, and his British perspective and trans-Atlantic take are novel. He covers all the bases in his investigation, joking that he's becoming a journalist in the process. The stats are meant to scare, and they do, but Gilligan never lectures. The best advice is given by one of his many engaging expert sources, who suggests we eat less meat, don't buy packaged food if we don't recognize the ingredients, and consider that healthy food is a basic human right.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they learned about the "big chicken" industry in Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy. Will it change the way you eat?
Mo talks about the presence, stereotypical connections, and history of fried chicken in Black communities both in the UK and the US. What stood out to you about this?
How did Mo's physical and emotional health decline from eating fast food chicken for every meal for a month?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 5, 2026
- Cast : Mo Gilligan
- Director : Liana Stewart
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism ( Animal rights , Civic engagement , Racial justice ) , Friendship , History
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : August 12, 2026
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