Fast Food Nation (2006)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers (WGA):

Eric Schlosser (written by) and
Richard Linklater (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Truth Is Hard To Swallow

Plot:

An ensemble piece examining the health risks involved in the fast food industry and its environmental and social consequences as well.

Plot Keywords:

Food | Fast Food | Restaurant | Cow | Immigrant

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Wilmer Valderrama	...	Raul
Catalina Sandino Moreno	...	Sylvia
Ana Claudia Talancón	...	Coco
Juan Carlos Serrán	...	Esteban (as Juan Carlos Serran)
Armando Hernández	...	Roberto (as Armando Hernandez)
Greg Kinnear	...	Don Anderson
Frank Ertl	...	Jack
Michael D. Conway	...	Phil (as Michael Conway)
Mitch Baker	...	Dave
Ellar Salmon	...	Jay Anderson
Dakota Edwards	...	Stevie Anderson
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson	...	Debi Anderson
Luis Guzmán	...	Benny (as Luis Guzman)
Bobby Cannavale	...	Mike
Francisco Rosales	...	Jorge

Also Known As:

Coyote (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing images, strong sexuality, language and drug content.

Runtime:

USA:116 min | France:114 min (Cannes Film Festival) | Argentina:113 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15A | USA:R (certificate #42721) | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

BBC Films

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the scene where Amber and her friend are driving and talking about going to a college party, an HEB grocery sign is clearly visible in the background. This grocery is only located in Texas, so therefore the girls in Colorado wouldn't be driving by it.

Quotes:

Don Anderson: [Rudy lets him in through a mechanical fence] You should get a clicker.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Manufacturing of 'Fast Food Nation' (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Moon Woman II

It's not just in the beef... it's in this movie.

Fast Food Nation was a great book, and as a piece of nonfiction, it is still one of the best pieces of long-form journalism of the decade. But Eric Schlosser and Richard Linklater's fictionalized take on the same topic isn't deserving of the original book's name.

First, the film tries far too hard to do far too much at once. Is it a cautionary tale about eating beef? Cattle farming? Illegal immigration? Paying workers too little? Crystal meth? Optimism? Any one of these (or even two) would have been enough fodder for a 2-hour film, but tackling them all in one movie is a blunder. A very Big One. No topic is explored enough, and in the process, they all suffer.

Second, the casting is hit-or-miss. Wilmer Valderrama is surprisingly good, as are Greg Kinnear and Ashely Johnson. As expected, Catalina Sandino Moreno runs away with the film, when she's on camera, which is not very much. But Avril Lavigne is laugh-out-loud terrible, as is the comically unscary Luis Guzman.

Third, the grossout factor. There are graphic and bloody scenes of animal death and dismemberment in the movie, but to what end? They're stuck in with no discussion or reflection on them, and because of this, they seem simply gratuitous, not moving or instructive. And really, that's the story of the entire film.