MovieChat Forums > Fast Food Nation (2007) Discussion > Regardless of your beliefs, this movie a...

Regardless of your beliefs, this movie adaptation is awful.

posted 15 years ago by uphollow
28 replies | jump to latest

I read a book with this title years ago but the similarities end there. Shame on Eric Schlosser for selling his idea and participating in this 'adaptation.' I can only assume he took the money and put it into 'executive producing' There Will Be Blood. Eric, stick to your book! Your rich family will take care of you. You don't need Hollywood money.

Regardless of one's eating habits or beliefs, this film fails to deliver on any of the ideas or topics that made the book interesting. It deludes all of it into a weak mosaic/pastiche of modern Americana that goes nowhere and ends up confusing the issues. Bruce Willis' character Harry ends up giving the most believable ideas in the film - and that's the opposite of the goal!

I'm curious when they started editing it (as it was released in Nov of 2006) as I can only assume the surprise Oscar success of Crash in March of 2006 influenced their decisions of putting together such poorly developed scenes and characters and pretending it was all connected. Traffic (2000) and Syriana (2005), both written by Stephen Gaghan, also are clear influences. (I don't necessarily think any of these movies are much better, they just did it earlier)

The obvious problem with Fast Food Nation is that it doesn't attempt to finish the threads that it starts. The only character that develops at all is Amber - and she just quits her fast food job without being able to enunciate why.

The funniest part on the dvd is when Schlosser and Linklater talk about setting the book aside and just writing a story out of the characters. The book clearly isn't about characters and there are none to take from it. Linklater has an extremely limited skill set, and developing characters just isn't one of his talents.
Awful choices, guys.
You somehow made more opponents to any healthy and/or conscientious ideas of nourishing ourselves.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] joshuak47 15 years ago

"Regardless of your beliefs, this movie adaptation is awful."
----->That's YOUR belief.

I didn't read your post, sorry. The title is too ridiculous.

[–] rabidgoldfish65 15 years ago

snippy snippy... I think the poster was implying that no matter what your stance is on eating meat or being vegan, the adaptation was awful. I didn't think it was too ridiculous. Just an observation here. I thought it was a poor adaptation, as did a majority of those who would know.

rabidgoldfish65

[–] joshuak47 15 years ago

Well, it wasn't a faithful adaptation in that it wasn't a documentary. However, if they made a documentary, it would have likely gone to the same audience that read the book.

I read the book, but also watched some interviews about the movie. It seems they were trying to tell the story to an audience that wouldn't have read the book, and wouldn't watch documentaries.

[–] Nova_UB313 15 years ago

Well, it wasn't a faithful adaptation in that it wasn't a documentary. However, if they made a documentary, it would have likely gone to the same audience that read the book.

I read the book, but also watched some interviews about the movie. It seems they were trying to tell the story to an audience that wouldn't have read the book, and wouldn't watch documentaries.

That's very interesting. Now I'm also curious about the book.

My sister recommended this to me, and I purchased it on Amazon without even reading up on it because it was on sale for $5. I was expecting a documentary, so I was a bit surprised when I watched it last night, then realizing it was a proper film instead.

It was decent enough though, with a solid and effective message. There were some bits I had to speed up, like all the talking between Amber and her uncle. But the ending left me basically stunned and not wanting to think of anything other than what I had just seen.

It's not an anti-meat film, but more of an argument against corporate farming (and its cruel practices), in favor of smaller family farms where animals are allowed to free range naturally. I own a small estate/family/boutique farm (coffee), but I do comprehend exactly how the larger corporations try and squash out the little guys. Small farms are a threat to them, so they end up trying to bully us out of business because we cut into their profit margins and growth percentages. But that's about ALL they care about--people and animals mean nothing, and are just a means to bigger numbers.

So if there's one message this film drove home, it was to buy local. Support your small family farmer, as we're busting our asses trying to get a quality product on your tables. While also preserving the integrity of the land, the people and animals on it, including offering fair wages, and being appreciative of anyone that helps us bring in our harvest.

More science, less fiction.

[–] GrigoryGirl 15 years ago

You're right. Regardless of whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or a proud carnivore, this film is pretty damn bad. It was a terrible idea to take the book (which is actually very good) and make it a fictionalised, overly propagandised account.

The characters are, as you said, just one dimensional propaganda tools. It's a very pedantic, purely dogmatic exercise.

The book definitely has an agenda, but it's presented very well, it's well researched, and the book isn't preachy, like the film is.

[–] rabidgoldfish65 15 years ago

Amen.

rabidgoldfish65

[–] Chainsofreason 15 years ago

Yeah, I am very confused watching this film. Iguess it is semi-interesting, but the book is like one of the most important book printed in the last 50 years. How does this even have the same title?

Eric indeed did sell out, See how this movie only implicates an imaginary company? Eric's book takes names.

Very disappointing.

[–] roamingbrit 15 years ago

I've just watched the film and have not yet read the book, although I'd like to now.

The film was interesting, I liked it. Bruce Willis's character Harry was good and him and Don, the marketing guy were the most interesting to me. It was entertaining without really being hard hitting or, as it seemed fully developed.

Even without reading the book, and although this film focuses on a good topic it seems split between fully developing the personal stories of the characters like Amber and Don and Raul and his mexican friends and the state of the actual fast food industry.

I still enjoyed it though, it has encouraged me to read the book. So often now I see movies before the books they are based on, that the screen version is so often it seems just a taster for the real meat, for want of a better phrase, that comes from the books.

[–] pmiano100 15 years ago

The book did nothing. Fast food is as popular as ever. As for the movie, as a gesture of contempt and defiance, I went out to Wendy's and got a large double-cheeseburger combo with fries and a Coke.

[–] Dragon000 14 years ago

Personally, the book changed my eating habits and awareness - for good.
The movie was an interesting, but really unrelated to the book, film.
I agree that the name of the film should not have been the same title as that of the book. Making "Fast Food Nation" into a movie should have been done documentary style.

[–] pmiano100 14 years ago

American fast food franchises exist and succeed all over the world. I've seen them. If cheeseburgers anf french fries cut 5 years off my life, I can only say some things are worth dying for.

[–] Dragon000 14 years ago

You know, cheeseburgers and fries seriously do not have to be unhealthy and cut years off your life!
Try buying organic ground turkey, real cheese - not pasteurized/processed, whole grain buns, and making the fries from scratch with some olive oil, baked in the oven. Delicious and not so very damaging to your health at all.

[–] pmiano100 14 years ago

Beef or buffalo or bust!

[–] Dragon000 14 years ago

LOL I have yet to see a fast-food establishment selling buffalo burgers ...

[–] pmiano100 14 years ago

You haven't gone to the right places. Besides, buffalo meat is actually leaner and healthier than turkey or chicken.

[–] smoko 14 years ago

Then you haven't heard what Ted Turner's been up to:
http://www.notfortourists.com/viewRadar.aspx?radarID=25563&city=WA

[–] Kate_or_Keje 15 years ago

While I have never read the book, I would have to agree with many people's analysis of the film. I understood what the central message was that the film tried to convey, but I don't think the average film-goer would catch on quite as well. In my opinion, the filmmakers worked hard to pack in as many shocking scenes as possible and at times it led to the film becoming a little disjointed, which definitely contributed to weakening the overall impact of the film.

And I do agree that the film was so incomplete in some regards (Really, it ended so abruptly and without any sort of meaningful closure) that the film failed to open a dialogue about fast food and eating habits between everyday people. It had the potential to give people an excuse to examine how and why they do or do not consume fast food or meat but ended up a confusing mess of anecdotes that were meant to shock the audience but fell short.

It's not a 'terrible' movie, but judging from what other people who have actually read the book have said it seems that the movie is a disappointing adaptation.

"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted" - Mae West

[–] standardbearer 15 years ago

Not surprising.
This is awful even as standalone movie.

[–] Altho73 14 years ago

Buffalo meat is actually quite nice. It's served in restaurants in Wyoming and South Dakota.

[–] Dragon000 14 years ago

Considering I am vegan, the issue of buffalo meat being good or available is mute.
I was only trying to make a point that the burger and fries meal does not have to be so fattening and unhealthy, with some effort on the part of the consumer. I personally weigh the pros and cons of everything I eat - cost versus health benefits, calories and fat versus taste, and so forth.
Try to not mindlessly eat whatever is quick and easy, and put a little more time and effort into your nutrition choices. That was the point I was trying to make.

[–] smoko 14 years ago

The obvious problem with Fast Food Nation is that it doesn't attempt to finish the threads that it starts.

That's it. That's the number one problem with this movie. It starts a whole bunch of subplots, which is fine, but it doesn't finish them.

It would have been great if it had some finale where the threads connected somehow into a payoff.

They should have made a companion documentary. Something where former workers and management talked about how the industry worked, like in Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, which I enjoyed:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473107/

The book was great, which makes this movie even more of a wasted opportunity.

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

So very true. There are two or three excellent threads here (the Kris Kristofferson one was particularly compelling), but this film gets bogged down in soap operas that have more to do with romance and immigration than about food production. This is a well-meaning effort, but I'd much rather see a documentary-style interpretation of the book.

[–] smoko 14 years ago

Yes, they could have done so much more with Kristofferson's character, but instead they decide to spend time on Avril Lavigne. What a waste.

And the fast food workers who talk about robbing the place but never actually do anything. Argh!

I found out that there is a documentary based on the book called Food, Inc., so I hope they didn't screw that up as well:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

The thread about the plot to rob the restaurant was a huge distraction, and then they just dropped it. The guys talk about how they're being watched all the time anyway, and then the plot to rob the place while the cameras are running?

And I did a double-take when I saw Avril Lavigne. Cleary this was an attempt to reach a certain demographic, but it was one of many mistakes, casting and otherwise, that detracted from this film. The scene where they break down the fence and expect the cows to run seemed straight out of "Spinal Tap."

I've heard good things about "Food Inc.," but I haven't seen it yet.

[–] TheHerbivore 14 years ago

I completely agree. I LOVED the book so I was excited to see the movie. What a gip. Terrible storyline, underdeveloped characters, not so hot acting... sigh...