The story of Ray Kroc,
a salesman who turned two brothers' innovative fast food eatery,
McDonald's, into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world
with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.
TRAILER
Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Robert D. Siegel (as Robert Siegel)
Stars: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch
Before I start with the review and the usual points which are important for a review I just want to point out that this is a movie from 2016, but since we have cool down phase in cinemas and there is off peak season, this movie might be in cinemas at the end of April 2017.
So here we go with the review.
The Founder's running time is about 115 minutes, is PG-13 rated and starts in cinemas (only a few) on April 27, 2017 and takes us into the year 1954. Having worked as a salesman most of his adult life, Ray Kroc
has been a hustler in most senses of the word. That hustling has made
him the target of derision among certain circles for peddling what have
ended up being more novelty or faddish than useful products, but it has
also placed more than a comfortable roof in Arlington Heights, Illinois
over his and his wife Ethel's heads. Ethel, however, wishes that he
placed as much effort into being at home with her than he is in selling,
his current job of peddling five-spindle milkshake makers for Prince
Castle which has him constantly on the road going from one drive-in
restaurant to another. It is because of the beefs he has with the whole
drive-in experience (bad food, bad service) in constantly eating at such
establishments while on the road that he becomes enthralled with the
concept of McDonald's Restaurant in San Bernardino, California, it owned
and operated by brothers Richard McDonald and Maurice McDonald
- Dick and Mac. Unlike most of Ray's customers who will only require
one five-spindle milkshake maker at any given time, the McDonald
brothers end up purchasing eight machines for their single restaurant.
Primarily on Dick's initiative, the brothers have redesigned the whole
concept of the drive-in restaurant to focus on quality food through a
smaller menu of only the most popular items (hamburgers, fries, sodas),
consistency in product so that customers know what to expect from time
to time, change in the target market from lounging teenagers to
families, and perhaps most importantly speed in having any order ready
within seconds, many of these goals achievable through assembly line
styled production. They had tried franchising previously, but failed in
that they lost control over many of those aspects which made their San
Bernardino restaurant successful. Despite believing Ray a bit off kilter
(in other words, crazy), the McDonald brothers somewhat hesitantly
enter into a contract with him to be their head of franchising. Ray's
experience in the job is not without its problems, especially as his
franchisees seem to be making more money than he is, he who is only
breaking even. He is not averse to advancing ideas provided to him to
get ahead - original ideas which are not his forte - he seeing the
brothers as his biggest problem in they thinking small. These
differences lead to a standoff between Ray and the brothers, the former
who has a different goal for "his" business in profit and stoking his
own ego seemingly his main priorities.
For
many the thought nowadays of takeaway food is but a convenience we all
enjoy (some more than others) but at one stage during human history the
very idea of having your burger, fries and ice-cold Coke ready in mere
seconds was a novelty that began sweeping the nation of America before
taking over the world as we now know it today.
A staple for over 60 years, McDonalds restaurants are a mainstay of everyday life, a reliable source of cheeseburger delicacies, crispy French fries and refreshing beverages that continue to supply the goods to those both young and those young at heart. When consuming McDonalds however, its unlikely many of us have ever truly considered where this establishment was born from and thankfully for all us, the story is a real doozy.
It's often the case these days that high profile, well-marketed biopics are reliable as a Big Mac (you always know what you're going to get) but John Lee Hancock's film is imbedded with both an energy and pace that elevates it above the usual bio-fair and with another awards worthy turn from Michael Keaton as its centrepiece, this enthralling slice of history is a fabulously entertaining ride tinged in nostalgic 1950's vibes and garnished with a quick- smart script from The Wrestler screenwriter Robert D. Siegel.
Capturing the time, place and allurement of this mankind changing business model, The Founder does a great job of transporting us back in time as we ride alongside struggling salesman Ray Kroc, whose eyes are opened when he comes across the McDonald brothers, whose business model of "fast food" finally gives Ray the chance his so longed for all his life, to make a buck and then some.
Keaton's performance as Kroc is quite the feat. His a genuinely cold and calculated character but as the film begins we are happy to see him put in the hard yards as his franchise model of stores takes off but as the brand grows so does Kroc's ego and Keaton's performance morphs naturally as it does in fascinating and unexpected ways.
Come the films later stages, the real feat of Keaton's turn comes into the spotlight and what we're left with is a layered character brought to life by the performer, whether it's in comical situations or brutally raw moments shared with lawyers, Keaton is on fire here and while his ably supported by the likes of Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as the unfortunate McDonald brothers Dick and Mac, The Founder is founded off the back of Keaton's turn and whilst unlikely that this film will find itself in to many awards categories, Keaton is looming as a key player in the upcoming awards season.
The Founder is one of those rare biopics that grabs you from the get-go and doesn't let up.
A staple for over 60 years, McDonalds restaurants are a mainstay of everyday life, a reliable source of cheeseburger delicacies, crispy French fries and refreshing beverages that continue to supply the goods to those both young and those young at heart. When consuming McDonalds however, its unlikely many of us have ever truly considered where this establishment was born from and thankfully for all us, the story is a real doozy.
It's often the case these days that high profile, well-marketed biopics are reliable as a Big Mac (you always know what you're going to get) but John Lee Hancock's film is imbedded with both an energy and pace that elevates it above the usual bio-fair and with another awards worthy turn from Michael Keaton as its centrepiece, this enthralling slice of history is a fabulously entertaining ride tinged in nostalgic 1950's vibes and garnished with a quick- smart script from The Wrestler screenwriter Robert D. Siegel.
Capturing the time, place and allurement of this mankind changing business model, The Founder does a great job of transporting us back in time as we ride alongside struggling salesman Ray Kroc, whose eyes are opened when he comes across the McDonald brothers, whose business model of "fast food" finally gives Ray the chance his so longed for all his life, to make a buck and then some.
Keaton's performance as Kroc is quite the feat. His a genuinely cold and calculated character but as the film begins we are happy to see him put in the hard yards as his franchise model of stores takes off but as the brand grows so does Kroc's ego and Keaton's performance morphs naturally as it does in fascinating and unexpected ways.
Come the films later stages, the real feat of Keaton's turn comes into the spotlight and what we're left with is a layered character brought to life by the performer, whether it's in comical situations or brutally raw moments shared with lawyers, Keaton is on fire here and while his ably supported by the likes of Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as the unfortunate McDonald brothers Dick and Mac, The Founder is founded off the back of Keaton's turn and whilst unlikely that this film will find itself in to many awards categories, Keaton is looming as a key player in the upcoming awards season.
The Founder is one of those rare biopics that grabs you from the get-go and doesn't let up.
The camera is stable, not too fast, not too much action, it is focusing on the settings of the movie, it follows the dialogues, and is most of the time good.
The music is also good, not too loud, not too much, and also not too dominant.
The settings are like what we can expect and imagine from the 50s, cool landscapes, nice colours, and also great scenes shwoing that the action is really transported from the 50s in 2017s version of the screen by the 50s.
The movie has no effects.
What I like about the movie:
- well shot, scored and acted studio film that tells a story worth
telling (plus one of the best advertisements McDonald's has never paid
for), The Founder offers a fascinating insight into the beginnings of
the McDonald's brand that also gives us an equally fascinating real life
figure and another chance for the career revival of Michael Keaton to
continue on its merry way.
What I don't like about the movie:
- reminds me too much of The Wolf of the Wallstreet, it is hard in language, sarcastic, and sexual language is often used. The movie tries to be a copy of The Wolf of Wallstreet, but it could be more harder, more direct in offending language to be a real copy. You will notice that it wants to be like this, but it fails here.
All in all this is a movie for all who love biopics, who are fans of The Wolf of Wallstreet, who like Drama, and who wants to see the history about the biggest and best fast food restaurant in the world.
Accordingly to this I will give The Founder 8 out of 10 points for its genre (biopic, drama, and history) and overall 7 out of 10 points and this is it with the review of The Founder, in chosen cinemas on April 27, 2017. But also already available on DVD and BluRay, which might be a better choice here.
