fast food nation: the movie

I finally got around to watching Fast Food Nation. What a disappointment. I had high expectations because the book was intriguing, informative, and moving. I had received Fast Food Nation from my brother before I became a vegetarian, and it only reinforced my desire to live a healthier lifestyle. The book provides a rich history of the industry, and is filled with vivid descriptions of the working conditions and environment of a meatpacking plant. It is truly disturbing, but in a good way… if that’s possible.

I was hoping the movie would mirror the imagery portrayed in the book. The main characters include a fictional fast food chain executive, a teenage girl who works at one of the fast food restaurants, and a group of illegal immigrants from Mexico who get jobs at the corporation’s meatpacking plant. Throughout the film, you barely get a glimpse at the inside workings of the plant, which should have been much more prominent. The film is filled with irrelevant story lines, including the girl’s uncle coming for a visit and taking her out to a bar (what the heck?), the executive having dinner with a random employee played by Bruce Willis, and a plant manager harassing the Mexican women that work at the plant. They even show the cows grazing happily outside, when I’m pretty certain most cows destined for a big mac never see the light of day, get pumped full of antibiotics and hormones, and live on a concrete floor covered in their own excrement.

My main hope was that the film would move people to change, take action, and give up their drive-thru habits. But the only truly disturbing part they saved for the very end of the movie - an actual cow getting slaughtered, gutted, and going through the machinery to turn into a frozen patty.

In my opinion, the book’s purpose was to raise awareness of the backwards workings of the fast food industry, and to motivate and move people to choose a healthier and more socially responsible meal. I certainly don’t think the movie accomplished the same goal.

After this disappointment, I am really looking forward to seeing Food, Inc. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to see it in the theater, but it is currently sitting in my NetFlix queue, waiting to make it to my mailbox.