The 1st Annual St. Patrick's Day Film Festival (part II)

The second movie I watched on Monday Night was Richard Linklater's "Fast Food Nation", and the reason it's taken me a little longer to write about this film is that it has stirred up a lot of different emotions in me that I can't quite describe. On the one hand, the film was beautifully shot in parts of Texas and Colorado making for some stunning visuals. The film was also brilliantly cast, starring the likes of Greg Kinnear, Bruce Willis, Luis Guzmán, Ethan Hawke, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette and Wilmer Valderrama (a bold film for him). Also, the film brought up a lot of points, both on the side of the consumer, and the key players in corporate Amerikkka making it all the more difficult to chose a side even though you think you have it all figured out very early on. I've always hated the movies where they just victimize the shit out of one side and vilify the other for the sake of sensationalism (I'm talking to you Michael Moore).

So this film was a roller coaster for me regarding both sides of the spectrum and it's been hard to decide whether or not I liked it, much less if I'll ever watch it again. It was harsh in it's utter lack of direction while it also maintained my interest throughout, which isn't easily done. There were subtle connections between the various story lines while realistically, it really didn't tie anything in at all. The moment you think you know what's what, you're thrown into another drama that may or may not go anywhere or be revisited if it did...confused yet? Don't be, it all makes sense if you watch it, and I may well even be the only coherent writer to have reviewed this film from what I've seen, because I really don't believe it lends itself to being perceived either one way or the other. It's there to provoke thought and raise questions while entertaining, and to me forming a strong opinion one way or the other is to totally miss the point.

Watch the movie, see for yourself, and be warned. There are some scenes and issues that are going to piss you off, make you want to vomit (literally), and you'll be tempted to form an opinion very quickly...just be careful Mr. and Mrs. Hypocritical America...because the people you're going to want to hate in this movie are the very people that YOU'VE put in power and kept there, the children you've raised (or not raised) and the people you call friends and family.

(((03)))