Fast Food Nation (2006) R - 3 Stars

Now here is a movie that puts fast food into perspective in today's world. It's all about making the buck while getting a passable product at an affordable cost. But at what expense? We've become such a nation of fast food eaters, myself included. Why, because it's a hell of a lot cheaper than preparing your family a healthy alternative, on a daily basis, purchased from a healthier store like "Whole Foods," or "Trader Joe's." This movie doesn't focus so much on the obesity problem plaguing the world or even what consuming the product is doing to our systems. It focuses more on the actual product itself - meat - and how to get it to the table as cheap as possible, from the laborer preforming the slaughter, to the executive staff working on a new catchy slogan to hustle the product. Mickey's is the popular fiction based fast food chain, but we all know the writer is relating to the McDonald's and Burger Kings of the world. I must say, if I saw much more footage like there was at end of this movie, I would probably have to become a vegan.

Don Henderson (Greg Kinnear) is a top marketing executive for Mickey's fast food chain. It is his team that came up with the catchy title for their most popular product, "The Big One." But when it is discovered that these "Big One" frozen patties have been contaminated with trace particles of fecal material, Henderson travels to the source to get to uncover what exactly goes on in the slaughter houses. Along the way he makes stops at the scientific labs harvesting artificial flavorings and the cattle ranch men as well as the slaughter houses where unskilled laborers risk bodily harm trying to keep up with their production lines.

Also starring Patricia Arquette as Cindy, Ethan Hawke as Pete, Bruce Willis as Harry and Kris Kristofferson as Rudy.

Recorded Picture Company, Hanway Films, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater, Eric Schlosser
Producers: Jeremy Thomas, Malcolm McLaren

I viewed 9/09