The Founder

In The 1950’s, two brothers named, Dick & Mac McDonald, opened a restaurant together in California called, McDonald’s, its not just a casual restaurant, but a fast food restaurant. As the brothers work their butts off, a struggling sales person named, Ray Kroc, visits the place. He was in awe as if he’s never seen anything that extraordinary. Upon encountering with The McDonald Brothers, Ray came up with an idea to expand the business into a franchise, by opening many locations across the country, as a golden opportunity to earn wealth and power. McDonald’s became a game changer in the fast food business, spawning other fast food franchises including Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Jack-In-The-Box, and many others. It continues to be one of the most successful fast food corporations in history. A biopic involving the rise of Mcdonald’s starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc as the titular character himself is none other than, The Founder, which is also a prequel to Super Size Me.

The Founder was released in 2016. It received decent reviews from critics and it managed to make enough revenue at the box office.

This review doesn’t contain any SPOILERS. It means you’re allowed to read this article.

Delicious: Michael Keaton did a fantastic job on his performance as Ray Kroc.

Several Cast Members including, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, Patrick Wilson, B.J. Novak & Laura Dern, all did a good job on their respective performances.

We get to witness how The McDonald Brothers conceived the idea of a fast food restaurant in the first place and they’ve also invented a technique called “The Speedy System.”

Ray Kroc’s goal is about aking over The McDonald Brothers’ business. At first he seems like a nice guy, but as the film progresses, greed manifested his career and personal life as well.

During the early years of Mcdonald’s, a patty shaped figure was the mascot of the company, This was before Ronald McDonald taking over the role as the company mascot.

McDonald’s menu at the time only consists of Hamburgers, Fries, & Soft Drinks This was way before Big Macs, McMuffins, Quarter Pounders, Chicken McNuggets, etc. I’m so happy that we have a lot of items on the menu instead of having three.

There’s a scene involving a powdered milkshake which plays a pivotal role for the company.

Cinematography looked descent without any excessive use of Shaky Cam throughout.

The film ends with a montage of what happened to Ray Kroc and the people he encountered who helped him build his empire.

The song, “Sprit In The Sky,” is played during The Ending Montage. It was also featured in Suicide Squad. Does Batman or DC Comics ring any bells? Michael Keaton formerly played Batman in two films. Don’t forget Ben Affleck’s cameo in Suicide Squad.

Disgusting: Product Placement featuring the following brands such as, McDonald’s, (obviously) Coca-Cola. I’m gonna give this con, a pass, because this is a McDonald’s related film. Plus, actual products can be used if a film is based on real life events.

Where the heck is Ronald McDonald? Seriously?! How was he created in the first place?! The Clown was never shown during The Ending Montage! Imagine if a movie about Nintendo, never shows us the creation of Mario! I find that pretty insulting to not include a famous icon featured in a film that made a franchise so popular!

The Final Verdict: A-

In my opinion, The Founder is a decent picture involving the origins of McDonald’s and how it became a game changer in the fast food industry, forever influencing various fast food businesses. I highly recommend this movie. Make sure you don’t get easily hungry as I did upon watching the movie from beginning to end.