Super Size Me directorMorgan Spurlock says a series of national newspaper adverts taken out in the UK by fast food chain McDonald's in response to his filmare both "fantastic" and "laughable"

McDonald's has taken out full pageads in The Times, The Guardian, TheIndependent, The Scotsman and TheHerald. The ads, said one executive working on Super Size Me, will help ramp up the profile of the film in the UK,where it had a Scottish premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festivalon Friday night (August 20).

Spurlock told ScreenDaily.com: "It's fantastic - we've created a film that makesa gigantic corporation examine its business practices and every function. It'sa testament to the power of independent film-making." He added that the adswere also "laughable - McDonald's love to act like they care about you - butthey only care about you if it is good for business."

The McDonald's advert says: "Thefilm is slick, well made and yes, somewhat annoyingly, doesn't portrayMcDonald's in the most favourable light. And yet what we do agree with is itscore argument - that if you eat too much and do too little, it's bad for you.What we don't agree with is the idea that eating at McDonald's is bad for you."

It goes on to stress that McDonald'shamburgers and fries should be "part of a balanced diet", one that can "you canincreasingly find at McDonald" before listing details of salads, pre-preparedfruit packs and meals that now have less salt in them.

McDonald's followed a similarstrategy of taking adverts out against the SuperSize Me in Australia earlier this summer. There the documentary went on to take a hugelyimpressive US $2m at the box office.

Super Size Me is beingreleased by Tartan Films in the UK on September 10 on 70 prints.