'Super Size Me' filmmaker Morgan Spurlock passes away. How did his documentary expose the fast food industry?

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar nominee known for his critical examination of America’s food industry and his month-long McDonald’s diet to highlight the perils of fast food, has died at 53.

Spurlock passed away Thursday in New York due to cancer complications, his family announced Friday.

“It was a sad day as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” stated Craig Spurlock, who collaborated with him on various projects. “Morgan contributed immensely through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked with him.”

Who was Morgan Spurlock?

Morgan Valentine Spurlock was an American documentary filmmaker, playwright, screenwriter, and television producer. Over his career, he directed 23 films and produced nearly 70.

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Born in Beckley, West Virginia, Spurlock’s mother was an English teacher who meticulously corrected his work. He graduated with a BFA in film from New York University in 1993.

He is survived by his two sons, Laken and Kallen; his mother, Phyllis Spurlock; father, Ben; brothers, Craig and Barry; and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his children.

Super Size Me

Spurlock’s docudrama “Super Size Me” was released in the US on 7 May, 2004. He conceived the idea for the film while at his parents’ house for Thanksgiving, inspired by a news story about a lawsuit against McDonald’s by two teenage girls who blamed the fast food chain for their obesity. The film was produced for $65,000 and grossed $22 million.

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The film documents an experiment Spurlock conducted in 2003, during which he ate three McDonald’s meals daily (and nothing else) for 30 days. The title “Super Size Me” comes from one of the rules of his experiment: he would not refuse the “super-size” option when offered but would never request it himself.

As a result, Spurlock’s diet contained twice the calories recommended by the USDA. Additionally, he reduced his physical activity to match the average American’s exercise habits; he typically walked about 3 miles (4.8 km) a day, whereas the average American walks 1.5 miles (2.4 km).

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Throughout the experiment, Spurlock gained 25 pounds (11 kg), became puffy, and suffered liver dysfunction and depression. His supervising physicians compared the effects of his high-calorie diet to severe binge alcoholism.

However, after Spurlock’s 2017 admission that he hadn’t been “sober for more than a week” in three decades, the claims about his liver dysfunction solely due to eating McDonald’s have been questioned. Spurlock also did not release a diet log documenting his food intake during the filming of the documentary.

After completing the project, it took Spurlock fourteen months to return to his normal weight of 185 pounds (84 kg). His then-girlfriend (now ex-wife), Alexandra Jamieson, helped with his recovery through her “detox diet,” which became the basis for her book, “The Great American Detox Diet.”

The production was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Spurlock won the first Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay. In 2005, he wrote a follow-up book to “Super Size Me” titled “Don’t Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America.”

“Everything’s bigger in America,” he remarked in the film. “We’ve got the biggest cars, the biggest houses, the biggest companies, the biggest food, and finally: the biggest people.”

In a notable scene, Spurlock showed children a photo of George Washington, and none recognised the Founding Father, but they immediately identified the mascots for Wendy’s and McDonald’s.

The film, made on a $65,000 budget, grossed over $22 million and was followed by Eric Schlosser’s influential book “Fast Food Nation,” which criticised the industry for environmental harm and labour issues.

Super Size Me 2

Spurlock returned in 2017 with “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” — a serious look at an industry processing 9 billion animals annually in the US, focusing on the financial struggles of chicken farmers and fast-food chains’ misleading health claims.

“We’re at an amazing moment in history from a consumer standpoint where consumers are starting to have more and more power,” he told the Associated Press in 2019. “It’s not about return for the shareholders. It’s about return for the consumers.”

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Known for his gonzo-style filmmaking, Spurlock infused his work with quirky graphics and humourous music, blending a Michael Moore-esque confrontational approach with his unique humour and empathy.

“I wanted to be able to lean into the serious moments. I wanted to be able to breathe in the moments of levity. We want to give you permission to laugh in the places where it’s really hard to laugh,” he told AP.

Did the documentaries change the way fast-food industries operate?

Following his exposés on the fast-food and chicken industries, there was a surge in restaurants promoting freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table practices, and ethically sourced ingredients. However, he noted, “There has been this massive shift and people say to me, ‘So has the food gotten healthier?’ And I say, ‘Well, the marketing sure has.’”

At the time, not only did the documentary influence fast-food chains to add healthier items to their menus, but it also impacted the consumer world. According to the US National Library of Medicine’s online database, recorded in 2004 after “Super Size Me” premiered, McDonald’s profits dropped significantly, and “grand-sized” junk food products were phased out, such as Mars’ “king-sized” chocolate bar.

In the UK, McDonald’s pretax profits fell by three-quarters in 2004. Following the film’s release, Mars removed their king-size chocolate bar, and nearly all fast-food chains discontinued their “super-size” options to avoid controversy and potential legal action, which could further harm profits. In the same week of Mars’ announcement, Snickers also declared they would drop their “king-size” chocolate bar.

Spurlock’s other works and sexual misconducts

Spurlock’s work extended beyond food, with documentaries about the boy band One Direction, Comic-Con enthusiasts, life in Henrico County Jail, and a global search for Osama bin Laden in “Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?” He also explored product placement and advertising in “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.”

“Being aware is half the battle, I think. Literally knowing all the time when you’re being marketed to is a great thing,” he told AP. “A lot of people don’t realise it. They can’t see the forest for the trees."

“Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” was set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 but was pulled amid the #MeToo movement when Spurlock disclosed his own history of sexual misconduct, including a college rape accusation and a settled sexual harassment case with a female assistant. He also admitted to infidelity. “I am part of the problem,” he wrote.

“For me, there was a moment of realization — as someone who is a truth-teller and strives to do what’s right — recognizing that I could improve in my own life. We should be able to admit we were wrong,” he told AP.

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With inputs from agencies