Parents' Guide to

Forks Over Knives

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Engaging docu promotes a vegan diet in nonjudgmental way.

Movie PG 2011 90 minutes
Forks Over Knives Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 3 parent reviews

McNultyk
McNultyk Adult
February 28, 2021
age 6+

Fact Based!

Great and insightful documentary about why eating plant based diet is definitely the way to be healthy.

This title has:

Great messages
Michelle Y.
Michelle Y. Parent of 13 and 13-year-old
June 20, 2020
age 12+

All kids should see - along with King Corn and Food, Inc.

We eat close to what is found to be the optimal diet in this film - but it is not always easy when most of my kids' peers eat a traditional western diet. This film helped them see why a whole-food, plant-based diet is a good choice.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Although FORKS OVER KNIVES is the story of doctors Campbell and Esselstyn (T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.), whose groundbreaking research shows the direct relationship between heart disease, obesity, and diabetes with the overconsumption of animal products, it also shows through example and testimonials the positive benefits of adopting a "plant-based, whole foods" diet. Potentially dry medical research is conveyed in an entertaining and easy-to-understand manner, and popular ideas about the health benefits of dairy and meat products are challenged without the film coming across as preachy and self-righteous.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (1):

This documentary effectively raises questions about what we're eating and how it's affecting the health of individuals and our planet. What separates Forks over Knives from so many other documentaries that encourage the adoption of what amounts to a vegan diet is that the arguments are framed positively instead of employing strident tones of guilt, shame, and self-righteousness. This movie shows the tremendous benefits for individuals who have adopted this diet for even a brief amount of time and discusses the positive impacts the diet can have on the planet as a whole if more people ate this way. This aspect of this documentary makes it something that even the most die-hard carnivore can watch without feeling alienated or harshly judged.

It's a neat trick, how they manage to avoid using the term "vegan" or in any of the Engine 2 books and food products that have emerged since this movie was made. But it seems like more of a testament to their attempts to make this dietary transition something easily attained by anyone, as "everyday people" constitute the bulk of the testimonials.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way information was conveyed in Forks over Knives. What were some of the ways in which the filmmakers presented information, made their arguments, and responded to counterarguments?

  • How did this film affect you? Did it convince you to change any of your dietary habits?

  • Many movies that discuss a lifestyle change of this magnitude use anger and condemnation to make their arguments. In what ways does this movie take a different approach?

Movie Details

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