A 'Nation' of boredom

Swear off fast food. Swear it off now. The stuff is poison. That being said, are there really still people out there who haven't been made aware of the deteriorating health effects of fast food on the human body? \nThe fictionalized film version of the nonfiction novel by Eric Schlosser came out on DVD this week. I could have imagined a pretty interesting fictionalized account of the book for film, unfortunately, director Richard Linklater has not.\nHe is known for his meandering dialogue and slow, measured pacing. Strangely, he thought that this approach would be the right one for "Fast Food Nation," which ends up being more focused on the conversations that the characters are having about the fast-food industry than on the fast-food industry itself. \nA host of characters and their interactions make up the body of the running time. Greg Kinnear plays a marketing director for "Mickey's," and is developing a new burger when he is made aware of the high amount of fecal content in some burger samples. This is disturbing enough but underplayed. There was a real opportunity for some dramatic nuance in a storyline that involved two immigrant workers played by Catalina Sandino Moreno ("Maria Full of Grace") and Wilmer Valderrama. Their working conditions are less than tolerable, and there is something bittersweet about their situation. They work in questionable circumstances out of economic necessity, no doubt a sad truth for many of the low-level factory workers who handle raw chunks of beef day in and day out for little pay. Alas, though the actors themselves are interesting, the segment is flawed by its own dull pacing and poorly written dialogue. \nThe DVD extras are actually more hit than miss. There is a decent commentary (missing from DVDs as of late) featuring both Linklater and Schlosser. Also, there are some flash-animation cartoons looking at meat production that are especially entertaining, along with the obligatory making-of featurette.\nThe main problem is really with the basis of the film. They seem to think they are demystifying something when really all they're doing is taking what we already assume to be true and making it more specific. It is doubtful that any viewer will first discover that the Big Mac with special sauce they've been enjoying since the rosy days of childhood is, in fact, made of animal flesh. This movie is all missed opportunities, screenplay and character-wise.