The Founder
The Founder (2016)
Having spent my awkward teen years salting fries and grilling burger patties I am no stranger to the ethos of the Golden Arches; the speed, the diligence, the cleanliness. I’m not sure what took me so long to watch The Founder (PTSD perhaps?). I feel it was largely forgotten about and buried. It didn’t receive any attention from awards bodies or even from any film friends. With precious hindsight you have to suspect the timing of its release. But more on that later!
The Founder tells the true story of Ray Kroc; a wearied businessman who sees the promise of a revolutionary little burger shop and turns it into a global enterprise, spinning a little (titular) white lie along the way.
From the director of Saving Mr Banks John Lee Hancock has top notch previous form with nostalgic biography. But unlike his aforementioned masterpiece don’t expect any sentimentality here. It’s pretty brutal. On the one hand you have a small but successful business run by the McD brothers (Mac and Dick McDonald) selling hamburger, cola and fries to families for 35c. And on the other hand you had Kroc pushing to make a fortune in franchising.
The conflict between the two parties raises a healthy debate. Is Kroc a bad guy? Michael Keaton certainly makes no attempt to make him likeable. If you want sinister it’s not Tom Hanks you call. Keaton’s Kroc plays dirty to achieve his dream but evidently he gave everyone around him an invitation to join him. Their foresight and ambition didn’t match his own and he left them behind. Cold, yes, but villainous?
And though you can’t help but share your commiserations with the McDonald brothers - the “overnight sensation 30 years in the making” - according to this biopic they were given a chance to join Kroc on his risky yet pioneering endeavour. However I’m afraid I lost all sympathies with the siblings when they strike a certain deal. It’s nothing short of mind-blowing and the scene should be shown in schools as a cautionary tale. In whichever class, it doesn’t matter. I was screaming at the screen.
Released at the end of 2016 it’s interesting to consider it with 2021 goggles. Just prior to the #MeToo movement it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow at the opening Weinstein logo and wince at Kroc’s bulldozing methods and disregard for decency. Also it was just before the inauguration of another sleazy businessman who manipulated his way to the top. I’m not so sure the artistic world was ready to engage in a story like this.
A tale about capitalism over moral values. Ambition over love. It’s about growth and persistence. But fundamentally (and commercially) it’s not about burgers, it’s about land.
Watch this with a Domino’s Pizza or a KFC Family Bucket Meal. That’ll show ‘em!
8 Persistent Thumbs Up!
