Fast Food Nation (2006)

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

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers:

Eric Schlosser, Richard Linklater,

Stars:

Wilmer Valderrama, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Greg Kinnear

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Coltrane	...	Jay Anderson (as Ellar Salmon)
Dakota Edwards	...	Stevie Anderson
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson	...	Debi Anderson
Luis Guzmán	...	Benny (as Luis Guzman)
Bobby Cannavale	...	Mike
Francisco Rosales	...	Jorge

Storyline

Don Anderson is the Mickey's food restaurant chain's Marketing Director. He is the inventor of the "Big One" the hamburger best seller of Mickey's. An independent research reports the presence of cow's feces in the Big One. So Don is sent to Cody, Colorado, to verify if the slaughterhouse, main supplier of Mickey's, is efficient as it appears and the production process is regular. During his investigations he discovers the horrible truth behind a simple hamburger; the reality is not like we think it is. Don discovers what the mass production system involves, from the temp workers like Amber, to the exploitation of Mexican irregular immigrants. It is not only the meat that is crushed in the mincing machine, but all our society.

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Plot Keywords:

food | meat | fast food | hamburger | immigrant | 

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Taglines:

Do you want lies with that?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us] Hanway Films [uk]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Geração Fast Food

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$410,804 (USA) (17 November 2006)

Gross:

$1,004,059 (USA) (26 January 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Participant Productions, Fuzzy Bunny Films (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 114 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Rudy Martin: Dwight D. Eisenhower would never have put up with their shit.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"A Place in the Sun"
Written by Bill Elm, Mike Semple
Performed by Friends of Dean Martinez
Courtesy of Aero Recordings

User Reviews

It's not just in the beef... it's in this movie.

Fast Food Nation was a great book, and as a piece of nonfiction, it is still one of the best pieces of long-form journalism of the decade. But Eric Schlosser and Richard Linklater's fictionalized take on the same topic isn't deserving of the original book's name.

First, the film tries far too hard to do far too much at once. Is it a cautionary tale about eating beef? Cattle farming? Illegal immigration? Paying workers too little? Crystal meth? Optimism? Any one of these (or even two) would have been enough fodder for a 2-hour film, but tackling them all in one movie is a blunder. A very Big One. No topic is explored enough, and in the process, they all suffer.

Second, the casting is hit-or-miss. Wilmer Valderrama is surprisingly good, as are Greg Kinnear and Ashely Johnson. As expected, Catalina Sandino Moreno runs away with the film, when she's on camera, which is not very much. But Avril Lavigne is laugh-out-loud terrible, as is the comically unscary Luis Guzman.

Third, the grossout factor. There are graphic and bloody scenes of animal death and dismemberment in the movie, but to what end? They're stuck in with no discussion or reflection on them, and because of this, they seem simply gratuitous, not moving or instructive. And really, that's the story of the entire film.