If you’ve ever wondered what it truly takes to be one of the best competitive eaters in the world (or why anyone would willingly push their body to such extremes), “James Can Eat” delivers a fascinating and sometimes jaw-dropping answer. Director Vlad Yudin’s documentary follows Australia’s top-ranked competitive eater James Webb as he trains, travels, and devours his way toward the sport’s crown jewel: the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island. Currently ranked fifth in the world, James makes for a terrific subject as he has not only a lot of skill for eating, but a heck of a lot of personality that carries the film.
I’ll admit that I have always been a fan of competitive eating since I was young. It always mesmerized me to sit and watch adults eat as much pie, corn, peanuts and more, as fast as they could. You could say I am in the bullseye when it comes to the target audience for this documentary, and I loved every second.
This is not the goofy, reality-TV caricature of eating competitions. Yudin treats the sport with the same seriousness as a professional athletic pursuit, revealing a world governed by strict training regimens, strategy, and grueling physical demands. Multiple subjects respectfully compare James to other sporting G.O.A.T.s like Tiger Woods and Tom Brady without blinking an eye. It’s most deserved, as James is a highly disciplined athlete who travels to the U.S. up to eight times a year to compete.
The film follows his packed daily schedule and routine, which includes not only juggling his family, but sticking to a series of punishing workouts, extreme stomach expansion techniques, and the punishing aftermath of consuming things like a ten pound pizza in one sitting. His candid accounts of the pain, nausea, and physical toll balance the adrenaline rush of record-breaking feats (like 59.5 donuts in one go) with the darker reality behind the spectacle.
The film also touches on controversies within Major League Eating, including James’s pointed accusations that the Nathan’s contest has been manipulated to favor its reigning champion, Joey Chestnut. This is something that’s had fans chattering for years, so it’s difficult to say if it’s just a rumor or something that well-founded. While the documentary only glances at these explosive claims, it adds a provocative layer to what might otherwise be a straightforward sports chronicle.
While I appreciate the message Yudin tries to convey, he does pack a lot into one documentary. The film goes off on a tangent to look at broader social issues like food waste, world hunger, and animal welfare, which are all tied into the sport of competitive eating. In fact, most of these topics are rich enough to deserve their own documentary instead of making this one feel (and the pun is most definitely intended here) overstuffed.
Even if you know little about the subject, “James Can Eat” is a one-of-a-kind look at a man who is chasing his calling while wrestling with the consequences. This is a documentary that will either leave you inspired, horrified, or simply in awe of just how much one guy can eat. Perhaps even all three.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 