SnoopyStyle Fast food chain Mickey's Burger has a hit in the Big One. Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear) is a marketing VP in development in their California headquarters. Independent research has found extremely high fecal count in their frozen patties and Don is sent to the Colorado meat-packer to investigate. Old-timer Rudy Martin (Kris Kristofferson) tells him about the hard truths. Harry Rydell (Bruce Willis) is their corrupt meat buyer. Amber (Ashley Johnson) and Brian (Paul Dano) work at the local Mickey's. Amber lives with her single mom Cindy (Patricia Arquette) and they're visited by activist uncle Pete (Ethan Hawke). Meanwhile illegals like Raul (Wilmer Valderrama), Coco (Ana Claudia Talancón), and Sylvia (Catalina Sandino Moreno) sneak into the US to become part of low wage workforce being exploited. Supervisor Mike (Bobby Cannavale) abuses his position by hooking up with Coco. Her sister Sylvia is not happy with the relationship and her drug use.Director Richard Linklater is adapting the scathing investigative book on the fast food industry by layering three stories on top of the material. It leaves the movie scattered, a bit flat, and too preachy to have much compelling shock factor. Linklater is caught trying to make drama while doing a documentary. I do find two of the three stories to be pretty interesting. I don't like Kinnear's character's awkward naivety. He's in the meat business but has to act dumb. Willis may as well twirl his evil mustache. There is a tale of corporate political corruption but it fails to dramatize it. Ashley Johnson is an interesting lead but her side of the story pales in comparison to the illegals working in the plant. I think that is where the movie shines and it also has the horrifying slaughter room walk-through. The movie would have been more compelling concentrating on that story.

chenrici I saw this in the library, I checked it out not knowing much about this movie other than the blurb on the box, that it was loosely based on a nonfiction book indicting the fast food industry. Unlike some others here who felt let down and disappointed by the movie, I had the opposite reaction, "Fast Food Nation" was better than I thought it would be. If you expect a Michael Moore type film on the fast food industry you might not like this. It is more of a humanistic view of not only fast food chains effect on people's lives, but franchises in general. The central points of the movie are not limited to the evil big mac (or "big one" as its called in the film), it's asking some broader questions. Should people be happy with a Big Mac and a pair of Nikes? What happens to bring it to them? and is there maybe something weird about a culture where plenty of people are actually happy with a big mac and a pair of Nikes, or maybe a "Happy Meal". Bruce Willis' character represents the other side of the coin who basically says- nobody is making immigrants come here (a big mac and a pair of Nikes is probably still better than what they had), plus plenty of other things kill people besides fast food. And I'd also add there is a bit of s**t in just about any tap water as well as that "big one" burger. It was probably presented as a "fictional" movie to avoid legal problems, and to avoid being tied into Michael Moore territory. Overall I like the approach they took. All the actors are good, and I especially liked Bruce Willis and Ethan Hawke in their short parts. "Fast food nation" is a unique achievement encompassing both dark humor and moving drama. The moralistic tone of the film and the killing floor scene combine to make a strong impact. It could have been a little more focused, but this is a well done film IMO.

sdesh03 Another reviewer said that the makers of this movie have lost a valuable opportunity. I completely agree with that opinion. This film is a disaster. The movie touches on important subjects in today's society (exploitation of Mexican immigrants, abusive US corporate power, the brutality of the meat industry, grass-root activism etc) but unfortunately it presents them in a shallow and dull way. The dialogues go nowhere and the events unfold with little sense of direction. The film doesn't even provide basic facts or data on the issues mentioned above. It's fiction that just doesn't bite. If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly suggest to avoid wasting 2 hours of your life on it. If you want to learn the facts of the fast food industry, you won't find any here.

L_Miller This is a great movie. Some criticism is that the movie is too many things; I think it's actually one of the film's strengths.One of my favorite parts of this film is the university students forming their group and deciding to take action, then seeing their action not have the effect they hoped it would. You can see Amber having a formative experience in her life, and her eyes opening into a larger world and that's worthwhile for anything else.I didn't really care for Ethan Hawke dropping the same slacker science bit he did in "Reality Bites" ten years ago, but no film can be perfect.I believe this movie should be rated higher than it is, as a reflection of our times. I think the food companies want very much to trivialize it and most people don't want to face up to the impact that the choices they make have on the lives of others.