Educational Media Reviews Online

The troublesome, often dangerous body issues that plague today’s young women are well documented. But what about the boys? Filmmakers Douglas Taplin and Richard Gaudio seek to explore this cultural issue with their documentary, Shredded. In following a group of gym-obsessed Canadian teens, they chronicle the somewhat startling attempts these young men make as they try to gain muscle mass while reducing body fat in pursuit of the always elusive state of being “ripped” or “shredded.”

While it is interesting to learn that distorted views of body image and attractiveness are not exclusively experienced by young women, these two directors miss their mark in bringing home the message of their film. In the absence of any narration or voice over, the story is left to be told through sound bites from the film’s subjects themselves. As a result, there are gaping holes in their tales—for example…how did they come to measure “good looks” this way, what do their parents think of their exercise and diet habits, how do they plan on gaining access to the illegal steroids each is considering using, and how does their extreme fitness regime affect other aspects of their lives? The questions provided by this film are many—but the answers are far too few.

In the end, this 21-minute film is more a collection of loosely related interviews than a cohesive narrative piece. As a jumping off point for discussion, Shredded does have some merit. However, at $219.00 to purchase the DVD (or $60 for a one day VHS rental), Shredded is much like the dangerous lifestyle it hints at exposing— ultimately not worth the price.