Vegucated is a guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it's all about. They have no idea that so much more than steak is at stake and that the planet's fate may fall on their plates. Lured by tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover hidden sides of animal agriculture that make them wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before. But can their convictions carry them through when times get tough? What about on family vacations fraught with skeptical step-dads, carnivorous cousins, and breakfast buffets? Part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy, Vegucated showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who are trying their darnedest to change in a culture that seems dead set against it.
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Not a bad movie overall (I really liked the format of following people and teaching them), but ironically not as focused on HEALTH as I would like to have seen.My two biggest problems with the movie are as follows:1. Anything vegan was automatically given a "free pass" and labeled as healthy. In reality, the host taught the three people to rely very heavily on highly processed meat-replacement foods. As one point the host happily told them that store bought frosting and teddy grams were vegan, so they were free game and I wanted to scream at the TV. For this reason, I think that the producers and host are either not very knowledgeable about nutrition and/or they don't care about health as much as they do the animals...2. They really didn't spend a lot of time talking about HEALTH in this movie, oddly. The bulk of the movie was trying to convince them (and you) to go vegan, but they didn't approach it from an angle about becoming healthy so much as they tried to scare and disgust people by showing clips of animals being abused. Granted, there was the guest appearance of Dr. F, but the movie really disappointed me in that regard.For my full review, see: http://www.drnicoledinezza.com/doctor-dinezzas- blog/a-review-of-vegucated
Although I think this movie could have been much better, I gave it a 7. I really liked the concept of meat-lovers experiencing the vegan lifestyle, gaining knowledge about what happens behind doors to provide people with animal products. This movie raises awareness of crazy animal suffering, which so few people really know about. It is also great that this movie takes only 1 hour, which makes it easer for people to decide to go watch this movie.Before I'll start about the downside of this movie, I want to add that I am a vegetarian and am considering veganism. The thing that really annoyed me in this movie and actually in general discussions about vegetarianism/veganism, is that vegetarians/vegans always try to prove they've made the right choice, by only showing the veganism supporting arguments, images, studies etcetera, without showing ANY nonsupporting arguments/studies. What about the risks of overconsumption of soy (which is easy with soymilk, because this is highly concentrated with soy), what about people with allergies/intolerances which heavily limit their food options, what about nutrients like vitamin B12 and DHA (an Omega-3 fatty acid), or maybe even some thoughts about the lack of availability of vegan products elsewhere in the world to provide a fully nutritious diet and there are many other points of discussion which are not as easy as you would want it.For me there are also so many questions unanswered, which nobody seems to talk about and this subject is so much more complex than this movie is showing. At least they added a humorous touch to the movie (although some humor could have been better.. :)), which compensates this problem a little. Overall, the movie is OK and especially a must watch for ignorant people (which we have LOTS of on this planet), but it would certainly not survive the real critic.
I think if you are going to try to educate people on something you should be educated yourself. They were eating marshmallows which have gelatin (animal biproduct) They didn't touch on the human killing of farm animals done in certain cultures or "small" farms. A small farm is not a place with 3000 chickens.....biased.biased. Over cooked soy can produce carcinogens...gmo vegan food is just as bad as animal fat...its about balance and making your own choicesTell both sides of the story not just one.I love vegetables and meat..and I am aware of what I am eating.
I'm so happy that vegans are getting spoilt for choice of movies to show their friends and educate them. Earthlings, Forks Over Knives, and now Vegucated.Earthlings is the kind of movie that you show to the really stubborn person who really has no idea about the reality of the meat/egg/dairy industries. It has educated and inspired many people over the years to go vegetarian or vegans.Forks Over Knives is mainly about the scientific discovery that animal protein is a potent carcinogen and that a plant based diet reduces your chances of getting western diseases such as cancer, diabetes, etc.Vegucated covers both the above AND more! And what's best, it does it with style and comedy. If you can choose ONE film to show a friend, show this one!For a no budget film this is really a great achievement and props to Marisa for taking her time to create this wonderful resource for vegans to educate their friends on this rather complex subject!