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Fast Food Nation (2006) DVD Review
Fast Food Nation (2006) DVD Credits:
Fast Food Nation (2006) Directed by:
Richard Linklater
Fast Food Nation (2006) Written by:
Eric Schlosser, Richard Linklater
Fast Food Nation (2006) Cast:
Patricia Arquette, Bobby Cannavale, Luis Guzman, Ethan Hawke, Ashley Johnson, Greg Kinnear, Kris Kristofferson, Avril Lavigne, Esai Morales, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Lou Taylor Pucci, Ana Claudia Talancon, Wilmer Valderrama
Fast Food Nation (2006) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Fast Food Nation (2006) DVD Release Date:
6th March 2007
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Fast Food Nation (2006) Synopsis:

A dramatic feature based on material from the incendiary novel "Fast Food Nation," a no-holds-barred exploration of the fast food industry that ultimately revealed the dark side of the "All American Meal."

Fast Food Nation (2006) DVD Review:

Fast Food Nation is certainly an educating and entertaining film, but it lacks some of the punch that the book carried. Films like Super Size Me have already begun turning the public against many large chains, and the media has been hitting them for years now, so there were few moments in fast Food Nation which felt sincerely revealing, despite a successful execution of some obvious opinions.

Based on the book by Eric Schosser, but interestingly adapted into a narrative, Fast Food Nation shows the many dark corners of a popular fast food chain. Through the discovery of the characters living and working for the company we see the many disastrous environmental and social consequences of the industry, which may also be feeding the customers an occasional serving of cow feces. Greg Kinnear is Dan Henderson, a PR guy working for the company, sent down to find out if there are any worrisome practices going on in the slaughterhouse.

Fast Food Nation does a great job of showing us the smiling faces dealing with the public, giving off an important image which is not always true. As the plants are examined everyone is as friendly as can be although there are illegal immigrants losing limbs and allowing for feces to fall in the meat, the clerk at the fast food restaurants might be extremely friendly and following a script to the dot, but in the back the employees are dropping the food on the floor and still serving it. There is even a great scene in which two of the workers, who have not learned English, are trying to order food at a restaurant. Even though the waitress is unable to communicate with them she just keeps smiling to hide her irritation, showing that even when there is a smile in front of a large corporation, it is not an accurate representation of the reality. Fast Food Nation almost made me wary of good customer service, nervous for what is being hidden in the back room.

Ethan Hawke believably carries out the anti-fast food message which is at the heart of the book as a rebellious uncle bringing the truth to his young naïve niece working at a chain fast-food restaurant. Making the choice to have this be a narrative film may have been a wise choice with the onslaught of exposition documentary films coming out recently, but the film also comes off a bit soft at times. It lacks the punch that a documentary might have passionately carried for an entire film whereas Hawke is only able to carry the film so far.

If there is anything that the film has going for it is the impressive ensemble cast which includes everyone from Bruce Willis to Avril Lavigne. All of the actors do a great job, but unfortunately the focus is more on the meat than the characters and we spend far more time jumping around from character to character to ever really care about any of them.

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Fast Food Nation (2006) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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