Ranking Every Richard Linklater Film Worst To Best

Based on Eric Schlosser's scathing assessment of the fast food industry's influence on America and the wider world, Fast Food Nation's best feature is its ensemble cast, which includes the likes of Greg Kinnear, John Hawkes, Patricia Arquette and Bruce Willis. Outside of the strong performances, and brief moments where the characters' individual stories are quite affecting, the film is proof that some books just don't work on screen.

Fast Food Nation is filled up with statistics, concerning facts and surprising revelations, and Linklater has some trouble properly translating the book's biggest talking points into the film. The link between fast food and conformist culture is well-made as a whole, but only because the heavy-handed dialogue leaves little room for subtly or interpretation.

It's far from a bad film, but in the same way as Bad News Bears, does little to justify its existence, sounding too preachy and unnatural throughout its two-hour runtime. Stick with the book.