McDonald’s is one of the most well known companies in the world, feeding millions of people a day. However, the fast food giant’s widespread patronage didn’t translate into curiosity about its origins, as The Founder entered and exited theaters to little interest among moviegoers. It was an unfortunate reminder that many good films can be found in the sea of box office bombs. The Founder is an intriguing biopic, its by-the-numbers elements propped up by Michael Keaton’s commanding performance as Ray Kroc, the man largely responsible for turning a lone fast food restaurant into a multi billion dollar franchise.
Even with no knowledge of the real life events, it doesn’t take long to see that Ray is quite a divisive figure, whose unscrupulousness only seems to rise with his success. Keaton forcefully depicts Ray as a ruthless, vindictive businessman. “Contracts are like hearts, they’re meant to be broken,” he says emphatically. But there are other sides, not that they excuse the bad – his pre-McDonald’s struggles as a traveling salesman, the initial bumps encountered along his road to massive success, and his absolute refusal to settle for mediocrity. The movie doesn’t go out of its way to demonize its subject, instead leaving it up to audiences to balance out his admirable and despicable traits in their own minds.
The Founder is at its best when depicting the doomed partnership between Ray and the McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac (impressively played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch, respectively), who will likely garner a lot more sympathy. Ray undeniably victimizes the brothers, but arguments can also be made that unlike them, he saw the big picture and was willing to take risks that they weren’t. Regardless of whose side you’re on (the spectrum likely extends from completely with the McDonalds to somewhere in the middle), the clash between the vastly different personalities and business ideologies plays out compellingly on screen.
For those who are hoping to see some detailed insights into McDonald’s beginnings, Dick and Mac lay out their backgrounds in a comprehensive sequence. This includes a memorable scene in which they draw a diagram of their restaurant to scale on a tennis court and have employees pretend to interact at their workstations in order to figure out the most efficient setup. The promising start makes the end all the more tragic. It’s hard not to feel his pain when Dick laments, “There’s a wolf in the hen house; we let him in!”
Attempts to inject parts of Ray’s personal life into the plot are much less effective. He has a supportive wife, Ethel (Laura Dern), but it’s clear that if they once had a spark, it went out a while ago. The various scenes about their loveless marriage and Ray’s flirtations with who would become his third wife, Joan (Linda Cardellini), ultimately feel unnecessary and bring unwanted halts to the momentum established by the main storyline. Ray is easily interesting enough that much of this material could’ve been trimmed.
Although The Founder doesn’t successfully incorporate all of its narrative elements, it remains an engaging character study and overview of an entrepreneurial journey. When Ray talks about how McDonald’s can become “the new American church,” synonymous with wholesome family and American values, it’s hard to tell if they’re the words of a conman or idealist. Perhaps it’s a lot of both. Ray Kroc achieved the ultimate American dream, but your mileage will vary in determining at what cost.
Dogomon 