THE FOUNDER
Director : John Lee Hancock
Year : 2017
Genre : Drama
Rating : ****1/2
"It's easy to have principles when you're rich. The important thing is to have principles when you're poor." -Ray Kroc
There is an undeniable thematic similarity between John Lee Hancock's latest biopic 'The Founder' and his 2013 gem 'Saving Mr. Banks'. In 'Saving Mr. Banks', Hancock told the true story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), through perseverance and a little bit of deceit, managed to convince author P.L Travers (Emma Thompson) to adapt her beloved childrens novel Mary Poppins into a live-action movie. With 'The Founder', Hancock shows us how Illinois salesman Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), through perseverance and a great deal of deceit, managed to convince two brothers to turn their tiny but beloved family restaurant business into a multi-billion dollar fast food empire.
Its a fascinating story and one was certainly unknown to me as I'm sure it will be to many other viewers. But it is a story that deserves to be told and both director Hancock and star Keaton have done a wonderful job bringing this fascinating piece of modern history to life. Every year, McDonalds restaurants serve millions of people around the world. But I wonder if all of those burgers, fries and shakes will taste as good now that we now that the reputable name of McDonalds was built on lies, deceit and treachery?
Its a fascinating story and one was certainly unknown to me as I'm sure it will be to many other viewers. But it is a story that deserves to be told and both director Hancock and star Keaton have done a wonderful job bringing this fascinating piece of modern history to life. Every year, McDonalds restaurants serve millions of people around the world. But I wonder if all of those burgers, fries and shakes will taste as good now that we now that the reputable name of McDonalds was built on lies, deceit and treachery?
Before he made his fortune, Ray Kroc was a lowly businessman, scouring 1950's America and trying to flog his specialised milkshake machines, but to no avail. But when he receives an unprecedented order for eight machines from a small Californian eatery, Kroc's luck begins to change. Travelling to the establishment in the dusty wastes of San Bernardino, he meets the McDonald brothers Richard and Maurice (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch respectively) who have devised an ingenious method for creating high-quality food in lightning-fast time.
Utterly enamoured with the concept, Kroc returns to the duo with the idea of franchising the restaurant to every corner of the country and despite their better judgement, they agree. But it isn't long before Ray's big ideas for the company begin to morph McDonalds into something either Maurice or Richard could have envisioned. Or even wanted. Before the ink has even dried on the contracts, Ray begins his devious plans to steal the company from beneath the McDonald brothers humble feet and forge his own catering colossus.
There have been a number of shameful snubs this awards season - Amy Adams, 'I, Daniel Blake' and 'Sing Street' immediately spring to mind. However, no name stands out more than that of Michael Keaton. He is simply brilliant playing the not-immediately unlikable Kroc whose ambitions and passions were quickly overridden by greed and selfishness. Like Hanks' aforementioned Uncle Walt, Keatons Kroc is shown to be a master negotiator and a true expert in his field but unlike 'Saving Mr. Banks' which kept its lead character in a predominantly positive light, 'The Founder' takes no issue with portraying Kroc as the bad guy in this story and this makes for a very evocative yet morally challenging viewing experience - you still end up rooting for the guy despite his terribly unethical actions.
The Best Actor category this year is already pretty full but in my opinion, Keaton delivers a performance that is far more compelling and developed than that of 'Fences' Denzel Washington or 'Hacksaw Ridge's Andrew Garfield. Both do good work in their respective films but for me, Keaton has the edge. Only an actor of his effortless charisma could play a man as greedy and as unscrupulous as Ray Kroc and still make him completely charming. There are also a number of terrific supporting turns from likes of Laura Dern who is wonderfully sympathetic as Kroc's put-upon wife, Linda Cardellini who is beautifully sultry as a piano playing business associate and John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman who really shine as the two McDonald brothers who unwittingly allowed Kroc to make millions with their product and their name.
Overall, 'The Founder' is probably the most fun I've had at the movies so far this year; possibly tied with both 'The LEGO Batman Movie' and 'Split'. It's story of betrayal and lust for fame may not sound like a barrel of laughs but thanks to Hancock's slick direction, Robert Seigel's humorous yet believable screenplay and a towering central performance from Michael Keaton, the movie is a very welcome breath of fresh air during this particularly dry and stagnant awards season. It's both a hugely entertaining film and an infuriating character study of one of the business worlds most ruthless figures and like 'Saving Mr. Banks' before it, 'The Founder' is one of the very best films of the year.
The Best Actor category this year is already pretty full but in my opinion, Keaton delivers a performance that is far more compelling and developed than that of 'Fences' Denzel Washington or 'Hacksaw Ridge's Andrew Garfield. Both do good work in their respective films but for me, Keaton has the edge. Only an actor of his effortless charisma could play a man as greedy and as unscrupulous as Ray Kroc and still make him completely charming. There are also a number of terrific supporting turns from likes of Laura Dern who is wonderfully sympathetic as Kroc's put-upon wife, Linda Cardellini who is beautifully sultry as a piano playing business associate and John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman who really shine as the two McDonald brothers who unwittingly allowed Kroc to make millions with their product and their name.
Overall, 'The Founder' is probably the most fun I've had at the movies so far this year; possibly tied with both 'The LEGO Batman Movie' and 'Split'. It's story of betrayal and lust for fame may not sound like a barrel of laughs but thanks to Hancock's slick direction, Robert Seigel's humorous yet believable screenplay and a towering central performance from Michael Keaton, the movie is a very welcome breath of fresh air during this particularly dry and stagnant awards season. It's both a hugely entertaining film and an infuriating character study of one of the business worlds most ruthless figures and like 'Saving Mr. Banks' before it, 'The Founder' is one of the very best films of the year.
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