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Since 1996 |
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Fast Food Nation Stars: Greg Kinnear, Bobby Cannavale, Luis Guzman, Ashley Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ana Claudia Talacon and Lou Taylor Pucci Director: Richard Linklater Scriptwriters: Richard Linklater and Eric Schlosser Fox Searchlight Pictures Running Time: 105 minutes Rated: R Fast Food Nation is trying to make a point, but confuses the issue of meat quality with several story lines. They include illegal aliens, work conditions, food production politics and romance. The script is adapted from the best selling book, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, who is a scriptwriter along with director Richard Linklater. The story begins with Greg Kinnear who does marketing for Mickey's Fast Food, a composite of the major chains you are familiar with. Mickey's is having a problem with contaminated meat, feces to be exact, and Kinnear heads to the American Heartland to do some research. He is shown a spotless meat processing plant, but what is really going on? The people Kinnear meet have their own stories to tell, and soon, there are many stories that lead nowhere, like the spokes of a rimless wheel. Kinnear eats at a local Mickey's and the cashier is a young girl who wants to leave that small town and go to college, which her somewhat rebellious uncle (Ethan Hawke) is urging. In the meantime, we cut to Luis Guzman; a "coyote" (transports illegal aliens) who is at work shuffling people from the border to various work places, all for a fee. Catalina Sandino Moreno is one of these people who is in love with another illegal alien and trying to blend into American society, but language is a problem. She tries working at a processing plant, but the work is overpowering and Catalina then works as a maid. Her sister, however, progresses at the plant because she is trading sex for favors from the manager, Bobby Cannavale. He sleeps around so much you wonder why he bothers to show up for work. More stories are added as Kinnear meets a rancher (Kristofferson) who fills him in on the illegal tactics of big meat processing and then we switch to the cashier who decides to join a teen animal rights group. This could spin out for hours, but the cut-off time for "Fast Food Nation" is 105 minutes. The idea of investigating meat processing is not a new one, but using stories of people involved adds a good view. However, this film has so many, and each person Kinnear meets has screen time for what is happening to his or her lives. The film has serious moments, especially with illegal aliens and their attempts to cross the border. Drugs are prevalent and as one man says, "It makes the job of cleaning out guts easier." The audience is taken into a processing plant, and I don't know if this was a real one or a make-up, but you will get the picture on what happens from a cow in a pasture to the hamburger on your plate. What people do to survive is detailed well, from sex for favors to pulling kidneys from a carcass. The acting in "Fast Food Nation" is good, particularly Bobby Cannavale as the macho manager who didn't meet a woman he doesn't like to Catalina Sandino Moreno as the young girl in over her head and Luis Guzman as the transporter of illegal aliens who has to carry a gun for protection. The problem is, Fast Food Nation is an expose', but doesn't go anywhere. If that is what Richard Linklater and Eric Schlosser wanted, they have it. I see it as spinning your wheels in circles on a dirt road and I'm waiting for resolution. Copyright 2006 Marie Asner
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