By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Avril Lavigne | Bobby Cannavale | Catalina Sandino Moreno | Ethan Hawke | Greg Kinnear | Paul Dano | Wilmer Valderrama
Country: united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 116
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460792/
Bruce says: “Being a fan of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, I was looking forward to Richard Linklater’s fictionalized version of Schlosser’s multiple exposés of the fast food industry, the Colorado meat packing industry, and the US immigration policies (or lack thereof). Sadly FAST FOOD NATION does not meet my lofty expectations. Like many other recent political ensemble pieces, FAST FOOD NATION tosses out important information by the bundle, mixes in some humorous moments
to make the subject matter more palatable and entertaining, adds shocking moments to capture the political urgency and then expects its audience to quickly sort out and process all that is so relentlessly presented. Sitting captive in a movie theater, it is not possible to digest so much so fast. This may be a film to watch at home where it can be paused frequently, similar to putting a book aside when it becomes too overwhelming to read on.
“FAST FOOD NATION begins with Mexicans sneaking over the border, risking their lives to get to a better place and earn more money. A coyote (driver who drops illegal immigrants at predesignated locations) picks them up and takes them to Colorado where they can get jobs for low wages, off the books. We get to meet some of them (Catalina Sandino Marino, Wilmer Valderrama, Ana Claudia Talancón, Juan Carlos Serrán), most all of whom stretch credibility by being movie-star attractive. Meanwhile, Don Anderson, a fast food executive (Greg Kinnear) is sent from the home office to find out why their number one selling product is testing positive for fecal matter, a precarious situation that could enrage the public and severely damage sales.
“The illegal Mexicans end up working at the same meat packing plant that Anderson is investigating. Dangerous working conditions, assembly lines operating at unreasonable speeds and lecherous supervisors all appear obvious to the viewer but Anderson is given a sanitized tour that circumvents ugly sights like the killing floor and the harassment of employees working
on the trimming room assembly line. Anderson expands his sphere to include talking to a rancher who has seen many devastating changes wrought by agribusiness and a corrupt consultant who embraces the status quo. All this made sense to me because I had read the book first. I cannot imagine how anyone could follow the onslaught of material without background
knowledge.
“Much of the dramatic content hinges on identifying with Greg Kinnear’s character. Kinnear plays his role satirically which doesn’t serve the film well. The viewer needs to be in his shoes, not laughing at them. Linklater fares much better when dealing with intimacy or simple satire. He isn’t a great muckraker. 3 cats.”