Super Size Me was a terrific cheeky stunt – small wonder Morgan Spurlock never matched it

Back in the day, Morgan Spurlock, a comedic documentarian who used a wild and unconventional approach, was one of the most significant beneficiaries of the Michael Moore documentary craze. In his amusing 2004 movie called Super Size Me, he impressively tricked the colossal McDonald's corporation. This hilarious work of art exploited the rising anti-corporate and anti-fast-food sentiment, which was particularly prevalent in the United States following the McLibel trial.

He made McDonald's feel ashamed and forced them to stop their practice of serving excessively large portions through his own efforts, even though their attempts at providing health-conscious choices were not effective. He made them swallow their pride and apologize, all without the aid of social media in a time where it was challenging to create a widespread movement.

Spurlock transitioned from being a playwright and a mischievous MTV host (as seen on his show I Bet You Will, where he challenged ordinary people to perform outrageous antics) to a filmmaker.

He caught on perfectly to the latest trend in documentary films, which embraced an outrageous and engaging style while exploring important societal issues. This was a popular approach popularized by filmmaker Michael Moore. Additionally, Spurlock influenced comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's acclaimed mockumentary, Borat.

He set out on a revolting mission to consume only McDonald's food for an entire month, making use of the frequently available option to excessively increase the meal size.

The film was quite amusing and demonstrated something, but what exactly did it demonstrate? It amusingly asserted that McDonald's was endorsing obesity and dependency. As Spurlock indulged in his excessive eating, he was undoubtedly gaining weight, becoming unhealthy, and, most critically, feeling low.

Naturally, nobody truly thought something else was possible. Consuming solely extremely nutritious apples could also be detrimental to your health. Additionally, it has recently come to light that Spurlock's continual excessive alcohol consumption throughout that renowned 30-day period weakens the significance of the documentary as a legitimate scientific study. Furthermore, he never fully disclosed the specifics of his dietary regimen.

Spurlock's brilliance in the movie was that he didn't take it too seriously and lecture people. His comical and impressive journey with junk food was the highlight. Despite McDonald's looking relatively unchanged since Spurlock's critique, he played a role in changing discussions around healthy eating. A year later, Jamie Oliver began his mission to ban unhealthy foods like turkey twizzlers from public school meals, inspired by Spurlock's efforts.

He never experienced the same level of triumph after his initial success. In The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), he tried to determine if a movie could be financed entirely through product placement, which was somewhat entertaining. Even so, his Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? (2008) was an attempt to answer a valid question that fell flat with its silly and unfunny response before Bin Laden's discovery and assassination in 2011. His fly-on-the-wall documentary about One Direction, This Is Us (2013), was a competent but unoriginal piece of work that was accessible to anyone.

Regardless, Super Size Me was his greatest work - a non-fiction film that truly made an impact and confronted the way we perceive food.