In case you do not know at this point: fast food is bad for you! After
many years of submitting to the manipulative clown better known as
Ronald McDonald, the entertainment
industry has decided to take a look beneath the bun in the greasy world
of fast food. With obese children running amuck and Jared Fogel taking
over the airwaves, it is no wonder the public has taken a sudden
interest in food. After all, it is what we eat! It was only yesterday
when Morgan Spurlock regurgitated a burger in
Super Size Me and
forever changed the way some of us looked at the Double Quarter Pounder
with Cheese. However, another man, Eric Schlosser, produced another
fast food expose that had the world talking.
Fast Food Nation, published in 2001, is Schlosser's
best-selling, non-fiction novel that reveals the dark side of the
beloved fast food industry. Everything from the mistreatment of
workers, to the creation of artificial flavors, to the manipulative
marketing towards children is uncovered in all its sinister glory. It
only makes sense that a book
with this much popularity and true-to-life content would be adapted into a documentary. However,
Fast Food Nation's long-anticipated transition to the screen is surprisingly reproduced as a fictional film, and is done so by renowned Texas filmmaker, Richard Linklater.
So how does one take hard-hitting documentation and make it into a
fictional movie? While Schlosser's novel is the author's personal
exploration of inner workings of the fast food industry, Linklater and
Schlosser's re-vamped script cuts out the first-person investigation
all-together. Instead, it gathers various findings from the novel, and
integrates them into a multi-layered script that is strikingly familiar
to the interconnectedness of
Traffic and
Crash.
The film sets up multiple storylines in multiple locations that attempt
to reveal how each and every person is affected in this artery-clogging
world of fast food. The audience is taken to the top where Don Anderson
(Greg Kinnear)
charismatically comes up with marketing ploys for a popular fast food
chain known as Mickey's (coincidence?). Don is forced to leave his cozy
seat in the boardroom to investigate a meat-packing plant in Colorado.
Apparently the meat patties at Mickey's have been turning out a high
fecal count (or as it is commonly stated in the film, "There is sh*t in
the meat").
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Raul (Wilmer Valderrama)
and Sylvia (Catalina Sandino Moreno) have traveled illegally from
Mexico and have landed jobs at the aforementioned meat plant in
Colorado. As imagined, the non-English speakers experience the harshest
of treatment at their new job. While top-notch executive Don is shown
the most sterile sector of the meat plant during his investigation,
Raul and Sylvia are placed on the killing floor where they are forced
to spray away blood, hair, and feces. As you have probably guessed,
this is indeed the "sh*t" that goes into the meat.
As if these characters
are not enough to drive this two-hour film, we are also introduced to
high-schooler Amber (Ashley Johnson) who spends half the days of her
youth making minimum wage at the local Mickey's. However, after a
surprise visit from her outspoken, liberal uncle (Ethan Hawke), young Amber must decide whether she should hold onto her financial security, or quit her disgusting, part-time profession.
Believe it or not, there are still plenty of characters that I have
failed to mention. There is the sadistic slaughterhouse supervisor that
forces illegal immigrant women to sleep with him (Bobby Cannavale),
there is the innocent ranch-owner who knows the evil agenda behind the
fast food industry (Kris Kristofferson), and there is the
money-grubbing business negotiator who thinks feces should be
eliminated from burgers by simply cooking them (Bruce Willis).
Fast Food Nation is an ensemble film that feels like it is about
to explode from its insistence on so many storylines and characters.
Being that Schlosser's book was intended to awaken the activist inside
us, it is no surprise that the film's full agenda is pushed even
further by its preachiness. The film quite humorously proves its
objectives when Richard Linklater daringly takes stabs at actual
franchises such as Wal-Mart and McDonald's. Unfortunately, these gags
do not know when to quit beyond the first 20 minutes of the film. To
put the icing on the cake, Ethan Hawke makes a pointless appearance
mid-way through the film and annoyingly explains to the audience (as if
they have not figured it out already) that fast food is a nasty,
corporate machine that consumes small-town America.
Yes,
Fast Food Nation is blatantly preachy. In serving as an informative mouthpiece about the fast food industry, it fails. However,
Fast Food Nation
does manage to succeed as another terrific character exploration from
the always-reliable Richard Linklater. The reason I did enjoy this film
is because of Linklater's ability to direct actors. As the filmmaker
best known for capturing loose conversations in a 24-hour time period (
Dazed and Confused, Tape),
Linklater does include his signature eavesdropping technique. One
minute we are listening to a teenage fast food worker explicitly
describe how he would rob Mickey's. The next minute we observe Greg
Kinnear's businessman as he dresses himself while simultaneously
watching hotel porn. While Linklater is not the best persuasive
storyteller, his characters here are rich as always.
Fast Food Nation really is a film that dishes out a fair amount
of flaws. It is understood why Richard Linklater's long-awaited take on
the best-selling book falls short for some critics. So many raw and
revealing facts are not justified properly in this script. However,
looking past the film's ability to convey the truth, I very much
enjoyed watching it from start to finish. Richard Linklater is one of
the more impressive filmmakers to come out of the new millennium.
Despite a possible weakness in plot, he still manages to impress with
his easy-going direction and vivacious characters. Would I recommend
Fast Food Nation?
Sure. However, if you are looking for a convincing revolt against the
fast food industry, I highly suggest curling up with the book instead.