Check Out the Trailer

Despite some structural problems, FAST FOOD NATION shines with intelligent debate, an impressive cast and a layered approach at looking at the entire fast food industry from the corporate level to the meat supply level to the store level. Based on the bestselling non-fiction book, director Richard Linklater and co-writer Eric Schlosser find a way to bring out a bit of the human side behind the disturbing facts that were revealed in the original tome. Seen side by side with the documentary SUPER SIZE ME, one may never eat a fast food hamburger ever again.

For the film’s corporate look, the fast food chain Mickey’s is riding the success of their new burger the Big One. Marketing exec Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) is sent to Colorado to investigate one of their beef supply facilities after an independent report reveals a high level of crap in the meat, literally. For the supplier side, we follow a group of illegal Mexican immigrants — Raul (Wilmer Valderrama, TV’s THAT 70S SHOW), Sylvia (Catalina Sandino Moreno, MARIA FULL OF GRACE) and Coco (Ana Claudia Talancon, THE CRIME OF FATHER AMARO) — as they cross the border and get jobs at the meat packing plant. On the local store level, Amber (Ashley Johnson, TV’S GROWING PAINS) is working to make enough money to go to college, because her mother Cindy (Patricia Arquette, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER) can’t afford to send her.

Other key cast members include: “coyote” Benny (Luis Guzman, BOOGIE NIGHTS); jerky meat packing supervisor Mike (Bobby Cannavale, THE STATION AGENT), who takes advantage of the pretty illegals; Amber’s fellow fast food store worker Brian (Paul Dano, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), who dreams of robbing one of the stores; Mickey’s store manager Tony (Esai Morales, LA BAMBA); rancher Rudy Martin (Kris Kristofferson, BLADE); Harry Rydell (Bruce Willis, DIE HARD), the Mickey’s exec who makes the deals with the meat packers; Amber’s uncle Pete (Ethan Hawke, BEFORE SUNRISE), who wants to see Amber really make something of her life; and young activists Andrew (Aaron Himelstein, TV’s JOAN OF ARCADIA), Alice (singer Avril Lavugne) and Paco (Lou Taylor Pucci, THUMBSUCKER).

Part of the film’s problems lie in the fact that the screenplay runs out of things for Don to do and abandons the thread about half way through the film. It’s more captivating than the Amber story at times, which brings attention to its absence toward the end. Additionally, some dramatic power is lost within the heavy amounts of dialogue. However, there was enough character development and conflict to keep the story moving.

Don has been moving his family around a lot and despite his discovery of disheartening facts about his company, he is stuck towing the company line to keep his job. Amber’s journey from working hard at Mickey’s to trying to find something bigger to believe in, drags at times dramatically, however the subtle characterization of her, her mother and her uncle combined with a great performance by Johnson, brings life to the segment. Johnson has come a long way since her days as the cute addition to the Seaver family on GROWING PAINS. The most emotional and dramatically power segment is the Mexican immigrants. Raul and Sylvia dream of a better life in the U.S., however Sylvia can’t handle the meat packing plant. Coco learns the hard way how illegal immigrants are treated. Later on we learn just how disposable they are. Because it’s the most heartbreaking of the stories, I wish we would have seen more closely where they came from so we could see the full contrast between Mexico and the U.S. lifestyles.

Some people find the final slaughter floor scene very disturbing, however any person who has ever hunted or fished won’t find it too awful. I actually felt the industrial accident scene was more frightening. In the end, FAST FOOD NATION is a thought-provoking indictment of the fast food industry, which puts profits over public safety at every turn. Ideas and interesting characters help bring this real life horror story to life. This scary tale brings new meaning to the term splatter film.