The Complicated Legacy of Morgan Spurlock’s ‘Super Size Me’
Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me documentary hit the cultural lexicon with fervor. Spurlock, who died this week at age 53, experienced massive success on the heels of the 2004 film, which would end up grossing $22 million on a $65,000 budget.
Super Size Me became such a cultural juggernaut that it was regularly shown to students at school, with Spurlock and team releasing an edited version of the film just for that purpose after it was nominated for an Oscar.
The impact of watching Spurlock eat nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days, along with the purported health effects of doing so, sparked a wave of criticism of McDonald’s and fast food in general. However, 20 years later, the fast food industry is doing better than ever—and the health claims the doc makes have been called into question.