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.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 3 parent reviews

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
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

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.

Movie Details

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