Morgan Spurlock, documentary filmmaker behind 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
NBCMAY 17 2024
'Super Size Me' Director Morgan Spurlock Passes Away at 53
Above: Morgan Spurlock during The 10th Annual US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, United States, March 6, 2004. Image copyright: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc via Getty Images
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.