This Friday, Richard Linklater's filmic fictionalization of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation arrives in a theater near you (if you live in New York or LA, at least), and we here at Peeled Snacks just couldn't be more excited.  The material in Schlosser's book obviously is close to our hearts and minds, and Linklater's novel (or novelistic, if you like) approach to the Schlosser's non-fiction certainly deservers some attention.

 As I wrote in a previous blog, I'm a rather orthodox Linklater fan, which means that I've seen all of his films, for better (Dazed & Confused, School of Rock, Before Sunrise/Sunset, A Scanner Darkly) or worse (The Newton Boys, Tape).  I haven't yet seen his latest, but its very creation means that either prominant members of our society are finally taking a stand against the ridiculously awful fast-food industry, OR that someone in Hollywood wants to follow 2004's Oscar nominated Super-Size Me to boxoffice gold (it made nearly $30 million on a $65,000 budget).

The film takes stabs at the sanitation standards and hiring practices of national fast-food chains, and apparently drenches the screen in abattoir gore (the scenes from slaughterhouses are supposedly gut-wrenching, LITERALLY).   One subplot revolves around revalations revealed in Schlosser's book that your average hamburger contains a little (just a smidge, hopefully) poop. 

This territory was dramatically laid out 100 years ago in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, which featured sausages instead of hamburgers (there were no burger joints in 1906), and Lithuanian immigrants as opposed to Linklater's Mexican ones.  But the two pieces have clearly similar goals in terms of exposing industrialized food production's impact on people, be they exploited workers, or just sad suckers who happen to fall into the meat grinder and get served to kids in bologna sandwiches.

Taking on fast food today is taking on myriad topics.  Super-Size Me mostly focused on fast-foods impact on an individual's health and well-being.  But there's the exploitation of workers to take into account.  There's the diabetes epidemic and malnutrition.  How about the ethical treatment of animals, or the creation of super-bacteria by feeding livestock anti-biotics? 

On the other hand, there's the economic impact on families- fast food is certain to feed a family of 8.  And if fast-food companies could be coaxed into serving healthier foods, could they perhaps be the most effective vehicles for positive change in the American diet?  In the film, supposedly Bruce Willis comes in to play the devil's advocate, and at least a couple of reviewers have referred to his scene as the film's most thought provoking.

Well, I'll find out this weekend, and write it up next week.  As a bonus, the film features  Catalina Sandino Moreno (from Maria Full of Grace), Patricia Arquette (From Nightmare on Elm Street 3: the Dream Warriors!!!), and Avril Lavigne (from, uh, the Sk8R Boi Video?)!!!  A MUST see, indeed.

-EN, Peeled Skinny