Super Size Me Was Not Groundbreaking Journalism
Reason.comMay 24
'Super Size Me' Director Morgan Spurlock Passes Away at 53
Image copyright: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc via Getty Images
The Facts
Morgan Spurlock, the director behind the 2004 Oscar-nominated film "Super Size Me," died aged 53 from cancer complications, his family announced on Friday.
His most famous work documented his month-long diet, eating only McDonald's to test the health impact on his body, putting on 25 pounds (11 kg), and raising medical concerns over his blood pressure and cholesterol.
The Spin
Narrative A
Two decades before his sad demise, Spurlock rose to fame with a well-intentioned film that shocked the world despite finding that, as anyone would expect, eating too many calories would trigger health issues. Though not a groundbreaking exposé of the fast-food industry, "Super Size Me" serves as a reminder that skepticism and inquiry is always welcome.
Narrative B
Spurlock may have only had one major success with Super Size Me, but there's no way to discredit his masterpiece. No one would ever expect that a 30-day junk-food-only diet could lead to anything other than weight gain and unhealthiness. That was only the absurd punchline for a documentary that enjoyably showed that McDonald's was encouraging obesity and led to the fast food giant ultimately eliminating the unhealthy "super-size" option.