Skip to main content

The Founder


Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, and Patrick Wilson
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Screenplay by: Robert D. Siegel
Based on true events

     Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) is a salesman from Illinois.  It's 1954 and he's trying to sell five-spindle milkshake machines to various fast food restaurants around the country (a new trend at the time).  He constantly is traveling and finds out about a small burger stand in San Bernardino, CA.  Owned by Dick and Mac McDonald (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch respectively), the stand is called McDonald's.  But there aren't any golden arches over the place yet.  It's not a drive in place with car hop service, like Kroc is used to seeing.  Instead, one must physically park their car and exit the vehicle to place an order for their food.  And surprisingly, it's extremely quick; faster than car hop service.  So, Kroc decides to help out with this little operation, and with a lot of persistence and ambition, turns McDonald's into the largest fast food chain in the world.  But it's not as happy an ending as you might think.  You'll just have to see the movie to find out what happens.
     I think there's an element of nostalgia for just about everyone who sees this movie because many people have been to McDonald's a few times or more in their lifetimes, and many have had milkshakes there too.  If this doesn't make you want a milkshake after the movie, I don't know what would.
     This is not a film in which Ray Kroc is portrayed to be the hero by growing the business to its full potential.  In fact, Kroc is portrayed as almost an antihero type character in this film because he basically takes someone's idea, and runs with it to make it his own.  Perhaps the hardest part about the franchising is in the very beginning, when he asks them if he can be the guy in charge of the franchising operation.  The brothers would still be the owners of the corporation, but Kroc would essentially run the whole thing and franchise the hell out of it.
     Kroc seems to be struck mostly by the efficiency of the restaurant.  In one scene in which the brothers are explaining to Kroc how they came up with the idea (through flashback), they train the workers at the restaurant how to do everything as quickly as possible by simulating the kitchen area on a tennis court, drawing everything out in chalk exactly the way it should look on day one.
     This is a movie that seems at the beginning like a story of an ordinary man doing something incredible; building an empire from the ground up.  Instead, it's a story about building an empire from the ground up with the first floor in place already (a floor that Kroc never built).  It turns into a story driven more and more by greed and the possibility of higher profits.  For example, at another point in the film, he finds out about a way to cut costs by introducing instant milkshakes.  Just add water and you get a delicious tasting milkshake without the ice cream, milk, or even needing to keep any of it cold!  It's like you can't taste the difference.
     Overall, this is a fascinating film about a brand we all know about.  Michael Keaton delivers a powerful performance as Ray Kroc.  The story is well executed, leaving you feeling like you've learned something after you leave the theater.  So what is the bottom line about this movie?  I'm loving it!

I give The Founder an A-.

Image Source: Teaser Trailer

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins      If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.      In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.      I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.      If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters look absolutely ridiculous and are way too flashy, but the make-up is v

First Man

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, and Corey Stoll Directed by: Damien Chazelle Screenplay by: Josh Singer Based on the book by James R. Hansen      Yes, this is the same director who did La La Land from a few years ago.  But this is a true story this time, and not necessarily a feel good one.      Many of us know about Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.  First Man is not simply the story of the moon landing, but the story about Armstrong and what led him to be the first man in history to walk on the moon.  It's a story about making huge sacrifices for himself, and his family, in order to accomplish such a goal, as well as overcoming a great deal of grief.       The film focuses almost entirely on Neil (Ryan Gosling).  The film opens up on him as one of the premiere pilots in the military, piloting the X-15; a plane that was capable of flying over 100,000 feet altitude.  He is portrayed as

Rosewater

Starring:  Gael GarcĂ­a Bernal, Kim Bodina, and Dimitri Leonidas Directed by: Jon Stewart Screenplay by: Jon Stewart Based on the book " Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival" by Maziar Bahari      Remember last summer when Jon Stewart took three months off from hosting The Daily Show  leaving it to John Oliver?  This film is the reason.      Maziar Bahari is a journalist for Newsweek who is on assignment in Tehran, Iran for the 2009 election.  The election is between the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mir-Hossein Mousavi.  When Bahari first arrives in Iran, the polls show that it is likely Mousavi will win as he is gaining a rather large lead against Ahmadinejad.  Ahmadinejad is backed by the Supreme Leader and there are fears that the election will be rigged in favor of Ahmedinejad.  Well, that's exactly what happens.  There are protests in the streets, and Bahari's story has changed.  He first was coveri