SYNOPSIS

Born and raised in suburban Southern California, McDonald's and fast food have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. As a young child I was fascinated by McDonald's; as a teenager. I grew to despise the Golden Arches. Today I spend most of the year in France, but even here, in the land of croissants and coq au vin, I can't seem to escape the long arm of McDonaldization.

MY McDONALD'S: Memoirs from the Fast Food Nation offers an intimate history of fast food —my own story evoking key moments in the industry's growth— and a personal reflection on the far-reaching impact of fast food on contemporary society.

The film is my personal burger odyssey: a revelatory journey from France to California and across the American West, a voyage from an age of innocence to an era of disillusionment. Throughout my trip I encounter a variety of people —workers, customers, farmers and activists— who provide surprising insights on our fast food predicament. And, at the end of the film's journey, I find an unexpected glimmer of hope that the fast food reality of standardization and chain ownership may not, in the end, devour us all. Not if we fight it.