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Fast Food Nation (2006)
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Reviews Counted:136
Fresh:70
Rotten:66
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: 15 [See Full Rating] for disturbing images, strong sexuality, language and drug content.
Runtime: 2 hrs 36 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:04-05-2007
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
Reviews for Fast Food Nation
Engaging, thought-provoking and sharply written, this is an impressively directed drama with superb performances from its talented ensemble cast.
Though it may well make you vow never to eat a burger again, the film never really holds itself together.
Certainly food for thought then, just a shame the characters aren’t as fully-fleshed.
The stories lack shape, and the procession of famous faces detracts from the low-key, realist tone.
Intelligent and radical, this meaty exposé of corporate greed offers plenty to chew on.
This movie has taken a firebrand book and turned it into a whingeing piece of defeatism.
Not as hard-hitting and incisive as it could have been but a relatively thoughtful and thought-provoking film nonetheless.
A gross and engrossing attempt to humanise a hot-button subject, using a star-sprinkled cast to reveal some unpalatable truths.
Rather like a fungus-based meat substitute, this film feels as though it's good for you, but actually there are few lasting benefits.
Engaging, thought-provoking and sharply written, this is an impressively directed drama with superb performances from its talented ensemble cast.
While the original book assumed an adult level of intelligence, the film pitches itself squarely at the sort of American teenager who would be shocked to learn that a fast food chain was anything but a pillar of the local community.
A dramatic movie that's engaging and provocative in a way a documentary couldn't be.
Avril Lavigne even pops up to rail against deforestation. Who knew she could pronounce it?
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