Fast Food Nation (2006) **1/2

As a statement, Fast Food Nation should get its message across to the unconverted. As a film, it started to drag when, of all people, Bruce Willis is discussing the quality of hamburgers with star Greg Kinnear and when Ethan Hawke is talking about suburban life. The problem with the story--derived from the book, which is essential reading in more detail--is that there is too much uncompelling time spent on the lives of the characters and not enough on the issues with the fast food industry. In one of the three plots, which would work better if they intertwined more, immigrants from Mexico walk a great distance to cross the border and get jobs. Yes, it's a long, long journey. It's not fun. I get it. But we don't need to see more than a half minute of them walking and getting picked up in a van. In the second story about a girl working at the restaurant, there's an attempt to get to know her, her mother and uncle Ethan Hawke. This only stalls the issues. In the third story, there's a lot more that could have been explored than the idea that there's literally crap in the hamburgers. The immigrant workers' story is the only one that gets intense, whether you agree with Mexicans coming here or not. And at the end of Fast Food Nation, when we finally see how the cows are killed, mutilated and broken down in pieces for Americans to put in their mouths, there comes to mind the idea that, well, some suckers are doing this horrible job every day. And, according to the film, desperate abused illegal aliens are the ones doing it. It's only a small part of what's wrong with the fast food industry as well as the country's culture. If the slightly entertaining and minorly thought-provoking Fast Food Nation can prevent a handful of people from eating animals or even take action, then congrats to director Linklater. Otherwise, the cows are still screwed. PS. note the My Morning Jacket poster towards the end. PS. there's a lot of cameos here, so expect people in the theater to be declare out loud, "Bruce Willis!" or "Avril Lavigne!". shut up. -Kenyon