The Founder (2016)
February 15, 2017 11:54 AM - Subscribe

The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' fast food eatery, McDonald's, into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world.

This dramatization of Kroc's self-transformation from small-time travelling salesman into international mogul seems to be mostly true, though it certainly simplifies things (for example, it implies that Kroc left his first wife, Ethel, for his final wife, Joan, while completely omitting mention of the wife who spent five years with him between Ethel and Joan). Keaton appears in almost every scene, and he provides an amusing but knowing portrait of a man who prefers to be a nice guy, but is totally willing to be a jerk if that's what he needs to get what he wants. The attractions of the film include his performance, loving nostalgia for the fifties, many interesting titbits about an American institution, and the comedy of Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as the McDonald brothers, but I think its major contribution is its illustration of the difference between good ideas and vision.
posted by ubiquity (2 comments total)
 
Not mentioned in the movie, but the man who wrote Auntie Mame was Ray and Joan Kroc's Butler for a time.
posted by brujita at 1:23 PM on February 15, 2017


It's an interesting movie. On the one hand it's a paean to the worst caricature of the "american dream" commercialism & MBA theory. On the other hand it's a loving look at the unglamorous scrappy men and women trying to make ends meet. Starting restaurants. Worrying about cost and income.

And Michael Keaton wasn't doing his traditional acting tricks. So that's nice.
posted by jouke at 8:18 AM on February 18, 2017


« Older Podcast: 99% Invisible: 247- U...   |  Legion: Chapter 2... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster