Eric Schlosser's 2001 expose "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" did at the turn of the 20th century what Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" did at the turn of the 19th: reveal the gruesome truths behind one of the country's biggest food industries.

The book's cinematic adaptation, however, fails creatively to flesh out its sociopolitical commentary. Directed by Richard Linklater (see interview at right), "Fast Food Nation" brings the book's detailed imagery of labor exploitation, oppressive working conditions and capitalistic corruption into harsh and often gory fruition.

Multiple stories reveal the steps it takes to produce a hamburger and the lives involved: Raul and Sylvia, an illegal immigrant couple (Wilmer Valderrama, "That 70s Show," and Catalina Sandino Moreno, "Maria Full of Grace"), work in hazardous conditions just to eke out a buck; Don Anderson, the CEO of fictional fast-food franchise Mickey's (Greg Kinnear, "Little Miss Sunshine"), struggles through the moral qualms of discovering that Mickey's meat is contaminated with fecal chloroform (essentially, cow shit); Amber, a Mickey's employee and high school senior (Ashley Johnson, "What Women Want"), discovers how hyperbolic collegiate political awareness can be. Each step criticizes a different aspect of the United States' capitalistic economy and social atmosphere.

With a somber and occasionally bloody tone, Linklater's film alternates between satire and the sort of sensationalistic propaganda that plagues a Michael Moore film. It's as if Linklater wasn't sure if he should try to rival Jason Reitman's smart "Thank You For Smoking" send-up or make his own serious commentary on American politics. "Fast Food" is void of the sarcastic and ironic narrative of the smug "inside" man in "Smoking."

But when Linklater stops forcing the humor, he produces some poignant shots. Consider the opening sequence: a Mickey's hops with customers, and the camera zooms into a porous section of hamburger. Slowly, the image fades to a dog running through a dilapidated Mexican street, setting the tone for the film's depiction of Americans who are oblivious to their food's content and introducing the film's signature use of frank juxtaposition.

Linklater continuously parallels the experiences of an American CEO or white teenager with those of the Mexican grunt workers. Perhaps the most poignant comparison in the film comes from a fade between shots of Raul's arduous labor in the packaging plant and the seemingly endless fields of cattle on a ranch in Cody, Colorado. The meat industry completely disregards the well-being of its workers. To CEOs, the grunts are worth less than cattle: They cost money and offer no meat.

There are appearances from Bruce Willis ("16 Blocks"), Luis Guzmán ("Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle"), Patricia Arquette (TV's "Medium"), Ethan Hawke ("Before Sunset") and a bevy of other random celebrities - hell, even Kris Kristofferson ("Blade") and Avril Lavigne appear, as a disillusioned rancher and an impassioned but na've college student, respectively. No one in the large crowd, however, stands out as an acting sensation. Paul Dano ("Little Miss Sunshine") offers a comedic insight into the life of a disgruntled high school burger-flipper, but it's all too brief. "Fast Food Nation" ends up a prime example of the very principle its subject matter criticizes - quantity is no replacement for quality.

Fast Food Nation
At the State Theater
Fox Searchlight
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars