Fast Food Nation is a also bit of a queasy mess.
Fast Food Nation (2006)
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Reviews Counted:137
Fresh:70
Rotten:67
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Despite some fine performances and memorable scenes, Fast Food Nation is more effective as Eric Schlosser's eye-opening non-fiction book than as Richard Linklater's fictionalized, mostly punchless movie.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for disturbing images, strong sexuality, language and drug content.
Runtime: 2 hrs 36 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Nov 17, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $905,718
Synopsis: When it was published in 2001, Fast Food Nation quickly became a New York Times bestseller, with its no-holds-barred, non-fiction exploration of "the dark side of the All-American meal." The big... When it was published in 2001, Fast Food Nation quickly became a New York Times bestseller, with its no-holds-barred, non-fiction exploration of "the dark side of the All-American meal." The big screen version FAST FOOD NATION is a dramatic feature penned by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and Oscar® nominee Richard Linklater, who also serves as director. Explains Linklater: "The movie is not a documentary, but a character study of the lives behind the facts and figures. I'm more interested in fiction than non-fiction. You get to the point through human storytelling." Writer/Director Richard Linklater has helmed such diverse works as DAZED AND CONFUSED, THE SCHOOL OF ROCK, BAD NEWS BEARS and WAKING LIFE and was nominated for an Oscar in 2005 for penning the script for BEFORE SUNSET. In addition to his career as a writer, Schlosser is an award-winning correspondent for "The Atlantic Monthly." FAST FOOD NATION is produced by Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas (THE LAST EMPEROR, SEXY BEAST, MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE) and musical entrepreneur Malcolm McLaren. The film's co-producer is Ann Carli (BROTHER, FESTIVAL EXPRESS) and executive producer is Jeff Skoll (SYRIANA, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.). FAST FOOD NATION stars a diverse roster of award-winning actors that span ages and ethnicities, including Wilmer Valderrama ("That 70's Show"), Catalina Sandino Moreno (a 2005 Oscar nominee for MARIA FULL OF GRACE), Ana Claudia Talancon (EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO), Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear (AS GOOD AS IT GETS, MATADOR), Bobby Cannavale (a 2005 Emmy winner for "Will & Grace"), Oscar nominee Kris Kristofferson (SONGWRITER, DREAMER), Ashley Johnson (WHAT WOMEN WANT), multiple Grammy-nominated recording artist Avril Lavigne, Oscar-nominated actor and writer Ethan Hawke (BEFORE SUNSET, TRAINING DAY, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13), Patricia Arquette (2005 Emmy winner for her role on the NBC series "Medium"), Lou Taylor Pucci (THUMBSUCKER), SAG Award winner Luis Guzman (TRAFFIC, DREAMER), and Esai Morales ("NYPD Blue"). --© Fox Searchlight Pictures [More]
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Bruce Willis, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Bruce Willis, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Ethan Hawke, Wilmer Valderrama, Kris Kristofferson, Avril Lavigne
Director: Richard Linklater
Director: Richard Linklater
Producer: Jeremy Thomas, Malcolm McLaren
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Reviews for Fast Food Nation
Too many story threads are consistently ignored or dropped altogether.
A frustratingly toothless film whose heart is in the right place even if its head isn't.
Linklater and Schlosser have plenty to say. They just fail to say it cohesively.
Richard Linklater’s latest is a humorless, glum multicharacter melodrama that plays like John Sayles Lite.
A study of contamination in the food chain and in the culture at large, whether the offending microbes spill forth from cattle intestines, the corridors of corporate power or the seat of government.
Though eye-opening, it's as non-threatening as any film involving sexual coercion, grotesque factory accidents and conveyor belts loaded with cow kidneys could be.
Fast Food Nation would have benefited from a longer running time -- the movie often feels like it's missing big chunks of plot -- but Linklater's cautionary message gets through.
Fast Food Nation tastes like something everyone says is good for you, but has little flavor.
No question, these are alarming issues, but I would direct you to Schlosser's book.
Where's the beef? There is no tasty nutritious plot to chew on, merely lots of cheap info McNuggets meant to be gulped down quickly without thinking too much.
The film is finally an uneasy marriage of his diverting technique -- rich performances, great talk, breezy pace -- and a subject too big and (ahem) meaty for him to swallow.
A serious subject; a director who loves to listen to people talk things out; and the nightmare this must have been in the editing booth, play out in front of us in 100 of the longest minutes you might ever spend in a theater.
This perfectly paced, thoughtfully written, and impeccably acted masterpiece is a gourmet meal from one of American cinema's master chefs.
By taking a fictional approach, and drastically easing out of the attack mode, Fast Food Nation offers about as much bite as a day-old french fry.
It's a lot of food for thought -- even if sometimes, a bit too much is on the menu.
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