Rating of
3/4
"What's next? Frozen french fries?"
Indyfreak - wrote on 05/16/17
Director John Lee Hancock specializes in glossy biographical dramas and he's always been good at it. His latest subject is Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's which became the most profitable fast food company in the world (and this reviewer's culinary guilty pleasure).
Unlike his other movies where there's some degree of earnest sincerity and optimism, The Founder features a fairly jaded view of the fast food business with Ray Kroc the poster boy for all things good, bad, and ugly. Ray Kroc is admirable for his dogged determination but his slick opportunism and ruthless tactics are on full display without being sugar coated.
Michael Keaton is sleazy yet oozes an oddly amiable charm as Ray Kroc who appears as oily as a used car salesman but there are times where you see his actions from a practical business perspective. Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch play the actual owners of the very first original establishment, Dick and Mac McDonald. Both give good performances as the well meaning good natured small-town businessmen who are no match for the cutthroat franchise minded Kroc. Laura Dern, Patrick Wilson, BJ Novak, and LInda Cardellini make appearances and do fine but they seem to enter the story and leave at their leisure.
The story does not shy away from the uglier side of McDonald's beginning. Ray Kroc did some pretty shady things to get things started and Michael Keaton's performances excels at reveling in that 'dog eat dog' darwinist outlook. It's surprisingly humorous and the business genius on display from many different characters is interesting to watch.
