Fast Food Nation (2006)

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers (WGA):

Eric Schlosser (written by) and
Richard Linklater (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Truth Is Hard To Swallow

Plot:

An ensemble piece examining the health risks involved in the fast food industry and its environmental and social consequences as well.

Plot Keywords:

Food | Fast Food | Restaurant | Cow | Immigrant

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Wilmer Valderrama	...	Raul
Catalina Sandino Moreno	...	Sylvia
Ana Claudia Talancón	...	Coco
Juan Carlos Serrán	...	Esteban (as Juan Carlos Serran)
Armando Hernández	...	Roberto (as Armando Hernandez)
Greg Kinnear	...	Don Anderson
Frank Ertl	...	Jack
Michael D. Conway	...	Phil (as Michael Conway)
Mitch Baker	...	Dave
Ellar Salmon	...	Jay Anderson
Dakota Edwards	...	Stevie Anderson
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson	...	Debi Anderson
Luis Guzmán	...	Benny (as Luis Guzman)
Bobby Cannavale	...	Mike
Francisco Rosales	...	Jorge

Also Known As:

Coyote (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing images, strong sexuality, language and drug content.

Runtime:

USA:116 min | France:114 min (Cannes Film Festival) | Argentina:113 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15A | USA:R (certificate #42721) | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

BBC Films

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the scene where Amber and her friend are driving and talking about going to a college party, an HEB grocery sign is clearly visible in the background. This grocery is only located in Texas, so therefore the girls in Colorado wouldn't be driving by it.

Quotes:

Don Anderson: [Rudy lets him in through a mechanical fence] You should get a clicker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: Wilmer Valderrama" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Was It You?

An Optimistic In A Bleak World

I really like Richard Linklater, the director of Fast Food Nation, because no matter what pop culture, market research, or his distributors tell him he continues to make movies where people talk. I don't mean talk as in "Hasta la vista, baby," or some other cliché-ridden "isn't that clever" marketing jargon, but TALK, as in conversations; the kind that were common place before TV, the Internet, and X-Boxes.

In Fast Food Nation, the film's message is mainly delivered through words. Sure, there's sex, and violence, and even a special effect, but for Linklater's film to be truly affecting it requires the audience to listen. And if they do, they will be rewarded. It's a gamble that I hope will pay off because it's a story that we need to hear. And within his story is an underlying hope--or perhaps just blind faith--that an audience will watch a film about real people dealing with real issues.

There are no true good guys or bad guys in the film. In an interview with my friend, Denis Faye he says, "It's like, hey, everyone's doing their best in this world, you know?"

His characters, like all of us, are all flawed. The good aren't all good, nor the bad all bad, which is something mainstream movie goers, particularly in the USA, seem to have a problem with. Maybe it's because we don't watch movies to watch people in conflict because we get enough of that in our own life.

But to me, at least, this is a great statement of optimism and belief in our society; that we will, when given the choice, choose to listen, think, and make our own decisions. Even in a film that shows life to be pretty bleak, it's a very optimistic view of the world.