Cult director Richard Linklater takes Eric Schlosser's shocking expose of the fast food industry, 'Fast Food Nation' to the big screen, but the results are unimpressive... When it was released in 2001, Schlosser's book - a factual journey through the US' fast food industry which exposed every dark secret about the industry and proved conclusively that junk food is aptly named - was genuinely shocking, but Linklater's movie version is weak and anaemic by comparison... Maybe it is because it's following in the wake of the stomach-churning 'Supersize Me' where Morgan Spurlock effectively showed the physical effects a junk food diet has on people, with predictable Maccy D aversion pretty much guaranteed afterwards... Maybe it's because Linklater chose to make a fictional film from a factual book and it just didn't work... Or maybe it's just unforgivably dull and, quite frankly, a bit of a mess... Quite possibly, it's all three at once... 'Fast Food Nation' examines the impact that the industry has on the lives of people involved in it, from the high-flying executive behind the successful ad campaigns for fictional restaurant chain Mickey's who hears the shocking revelation that faeces has been found in the burger meat (Greg Kinnear) to the apathetic restaurant staff (Paul Dano, Ashley Johnson), small-town ranchers under-cut by the meat processing plants (Kris Kristofferson), cynical food buyers (Bruce Willis), political activists, determined to expose the grim reality of the industry (Lou Taylor Pucci, Avril Lavigne) and Mexican workers in the meat processing plant (Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ana Claudia Talancon, Wilmer Valderrama), illegally brought into the country by transporters (Luiz Guzman) and exploited by their supervisors (Bobby Cannavale). There are some decent story strands and some good performances. Kinnear has probably the most interesting role, as the executive sent to investigate why there is sh*t in the burgers, but he disappears after a shocking chat with Willis' character (a definite highlight) and isn't seen again until the end credits. However, the movie is let down hugely by focusing too much on the life of Johnson's character (she works in a Mickey's restaurant and she's desperate to leave small-town life behind her... and this has relevance to the rest of the story how?), in particular including too many scenes with her family, and in particular, with an uncle (Ethan Hawke) that has no relevance to the rest of the story whatsoever and merely wastes screen time... The storyline which should have the most resonance is the plight of the illegal processing plant workers, but it's also similarly dull and ill focused, making it hard to care about the characters, even when a brutal factory accident occurs. The storyline also offers nothing new to shock the audience. So, illegal workers are treated badly by their employers - what a shocker of a revelation that is! Even the impact of what is clearly meant to be the most shocking scene - scenes on the 'kill floor' of the plant - is lessened by the fact that the process has already been so well covered by the media and television... So, overall 'Fast Food Nation' pledges to be a meaty, well-packaged drama which will leave you satisfied that all areas have been covered... Instead, it's an undercooked affair, which is too slight to really get your teeth into and will leave you hungering for something more substantial... 'Fast Food Nation' is due to be released in cinemas on June 8. Kirsten McAlpine
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