Two and a half stars (R)

Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette

It seemed like a brilliant idea: Take a popular, non-fiction book about the fast food industry and turn it into fiction, combining the talents of the book’s author (Eric Schlosser) and writer/director Richard Linklater (A Scanner Darkly). After a promising beginning, however, the film deteriorates into a series of lecture-ish scenes devoid of action and replete with too-obvious metaphors. When Greg Kinnear’s character disappears just over half-way through, so does the narrative. Still, if you’re not going to read the book (highly recommended), at least see the film. However fatally flawed, it’s exploring an essential subject. 114 minutes. DVD INFO: Includes audio commentary by Linklater and Schlosser; a featurette; animation shorts; plus a photo gallery.