The Founder

Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, BJ Novak, Laura Dern, Justin Randell Brooke, Patrick Wilson, Kate Kneeland
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) teams with the McDonald Brothers to turn their fast food business into an American icon, but soon sees them as a roadblock to his success.

Review:
Tim: The Founder is a pretty fascinating film that tells the little-known story about how Ray Kroc "founded" McDonalds (spoiler: he didn't really). The movie is an interesting study of a man and of a franchise's roots, neither of which too many Americans know. It was interesting for me to reflect on how many times I've been to McDonalds (an embarrassing number), and yet I knew very little about Kroc. This movie paints an unflattering portrait of the man who ruthlessly expanded McDonalds into the ubiquitous chain it is today.

Now, the biggest attraction in this film outside of the seedy details of Kroc's business activities is the performance of Michael Keaton. I love that he's enjoyed a career resurgence as of late. That continues here, with a very strong performance. I love how Keaton played this character- he's complex. He can be incredibly likeable and admirable, but he can also be despicable and damnable. In this film, Kroc is a fascinating character. His journey is an intriguing one, as we see him start out with the noblest of intentions. He starts out wanting to make a living, and once he realizes the opportunity in front of him, a living is no longer good enough. This journey into greed and immorality is a very entertaining, thought-provoking one. It's a nice examination of a man who created an American institution- one that most Americans aren't proud of, even if they frequent more than they would admit. Keaton does a really good job in the lead role, reminding us once again that he's a talented actor.

The supporting cast didn't have huge names, but some really good performances. I loved Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as the McDonald Brothers- their performances were both top notch and I enjoyed every scene they were in. They were the perfect supporting duo. Laura Dern was good but underutilized. It was fun see BJ Novak in a small role, same goes for Patrick Wilson. Really, the cast as a whole was quite strong.

Now, while I liked this movie, John Lee Hancock could have done a better job of telling this story. The movie feels exceptionally long, even though it clocks in just under two hours. The pacing was a little off, which leads to these periods that feel like there's just not enough forward momentum. The building of the McDonalds empire seems to take forever. There needed to be more of a sense of movement. Especially in the middle, I found these pockets where it was hard to stay focused. As Kroc makes the transition from someone we like to someone we're not sure of, Hancock starts to lose the audience a bit. He needed to give us a more compelling reason to stick with the story. Eventually, the movie picks up momentum as it moves towards its conclusion, but the soggy middle certainly hurts the film. While watching the movie, I thought of The Social Network, another story about a complex, somewhat unlikable billionaire. Whereas David Fincher made Zuckerberg this fascinating, Shakespearean character that we could never forget, this film is treated more like a history lesson. I'm not saying they should have taken creative liberties with history, but Fincher elevated his material in a way that Hancock isn't able to. I still really liked the movie, but it's not a truly great film.

Still, The Founder is well worth watching. It's informative and interesting and features Keaton in another strong role. I enjoyed this movie and would certainly suggest seeing it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Social Network, Steve Jobs, Birdman