| The Game Changers | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Louie Psihoyos |
| Written by | Mark Monroe Joseph Pace |
| Produced by | Joseph Pace James Wilks |
| Starring | James Wilks Scott Jurek Patrik Baboumian |
Production companies | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $897,992[1] |
The Game Changers is a 2018 Americandocumentary film aboutvegan athletes who followplant-based diets.[2][3][4]
The Game Changers debuted at theSundance Film Festival in January 2018, with a second edit released worldwide for a one-day screening in September 2019.[3] The film has over a dozen executive producers, includingJames Cameron,Arnold Schwarzenegger,Pamela Anderson,Steve Bellamy,Rip Esselstyn,Jackie Chan andBrendan Brazier.[4][5]
James Wilks is a mixed martial artist and self defense instructor. Having suffered an injury he used his downtime to explore the effects of plant-based diets on health, recovery, and athletic performance. He first explores thevegetarian diet ofRoman gladiators before interviewing athletes such asScott Jurek,Patrik Baboumian,Bryant Jennings, andDerrick Morgan (along with his wife, the plant-based chefCharity Morgan) who attribute their success to a plant-based diet.
Comments follow from Scott Stoll, aphysician for the USA Olympic team, who argues that animal based protein impedes recovery and athletic performance due to certain inflammatory molecules andinflammatory mediators. He contrasts this with plant-based proteins that, he argues, promotegut microbial diversity, reduce inflammation, and optimize recovery and athletic performance. The film dramatizes a comparison ofpostprandial effects of meals consisting of animal- versus plant-based foods, purporting to show that those who ate meat showed reduced penile function and indications ofendothelial dysfunction that could disrupt athletic performance. In an interview, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition,Walter Willett, argues that there is accumulating evidence showing that high consumption of protein from dairy sources is related to a higher risk ofprostate cancer.
The next scenes criticize the meat and dairy industry for what Perry Mason, Executive Officer of theCook County Department of Public Health, calls tactics out of thetobacco industry playbook where public relations firms such asExponent hire researchers tocreate doubt to counteractpublic health messages. Doctor of preventative medicineDavid Katz says despite the appearance of confusion in the media, there is global consensus that ahealthy diet is a plant-food rich diet.
A further indictment of animal agriculture comes from Bob Bailey, Research Director of Energy, Environment, and Resources atChatham House, who says that while three quarters of allagricultural land are used forlivestock production such food sources provide 34% of the protein and 18% of the calories worldwide. Animal agriculture is charged with being a maindriver of deforestation and is implicated inhabitat destruction andloss of biodiversity. Other scientists in the film mention otherenvironmental impacts of animal farming includingcarbon dioxide emissions, the overuse offresh water, andwater pollution. Professor of Food Policy,Tim Lang, makes a closing argument that reducing meat and dairy consumption and increasing plant consumption will improve both public health andenvironmental health.
Having recovered from his injury, Wilks is shown teaching self defense with an additional component, what he terms "internal defense", saying that with his understanding of the benefits of plant-based diets he now has the tools to protect more lives than ever before.
OnRotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 9 critics.[7] It received overall positive reviews by viewers,[8] but was criticized by somenutrition,fitness, andscience communication professionals.[9][10][11] It has been credited with influencing some viewers to shift their dietary habits towards more plant-based options,[12][13][14] an impact that has been dubbed the "Game Changers effect".[15] ActorDolph Lundgren and CEO ofGreggs,Roger Whiteside said they decided to follow avegan diet after watching it.[16][17]
VegNews ranked the film as one of the best vegan documentaries to watch in 2024.[18] Viewing the film is accredited as an approved activity forcontinuing medical education (CME) credits by theDefense Health Agency,[19] and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine offers CME credits for watching the film and passing an online quiz based on it.[20][21]
The documentary was criticized by some professionals in fitness, nutrition, and science communication.[11][22] For example, sports nutrition expertAsker Jeukendrup said, "Game Changers ticks almost all the boxes ofpseudoscience, and none of the boxes of science"[10] while Joe Schwarcz, director of theMcGill University Office for Science and Society complained, "There is good science to be had for promoting a plant-based diet, but this film strays too much into pseudoscience for my appetite." Schwarcz criticized the film, saying "the feats of the athletes inThe Game Changers cannot be considered to be proof of the benefits of a vegan diet for athletic performance." According to Schwarcz, the evidence presented "is quite flimsy", the filmmakers indulge inconfirmation bias anddata dredging, and "some of the research cited on behalf of veganism is funded by theorganic oravocado industries."[9]
The journal of the Hungarian Dietetic AssociationÚj DIÉTA (New Diet) criticized the film, calling it "pseudoscience rather than real science" and "propaganda for veganism". The journal criticized the film for "one-sided research" and claims lacking in scientific basis, saying "The Game Changers only includes research that is conducive to the message they want to convey, that a vegan (plant based) diet is better in all respects than a diet containing animal-derived foods." The journal opined that it is "of paramount importance" that a documentary of this type approach the topic with scientific rigor, but "instead, the filmmakers placed more emphasis (on) eliciting emotional impact than the proper scientific background."[23]Mail & Guardian writer Luke Feltham similarly criticized the documentarian's claims of neutral presentation of facts, calling the film "an hour-and-a-half advertisement for vegan living".[24]
Some generally supportive reviewers also took issue with the movie's portrayal ofmasculinity especially as it adopts some stereotypical arguments regardingvirility and the traditionally assumed connections between masculinity and strength.[25][26][27][28]
