The Founder

Score:  **** out of ***** (B+)

Directed by John Lee Hancock
Starring Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, et. al.
Running time: 115 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  The Founder brings the story of the McDonald's restaurant's rise to fame to the big screen.  Michael Keaton shines as Ray Kroc, the man who took the concept and made it huuge.  With him as the focus and a slightly satirical tone, the film manages to balance the nastiness within the story with plenty of humor and optimism.  Recommended for all.


In the 1950s, traveling salesman Ray Kroc (Keaton) bounces around the casual restaurants of the midwest trying to sell his milkshake machines.  He is increasingly frustrated with the grind, but is surprised to one day receive a large order from a joint in southern California.  He drives there himself and finds an entirely new kind of business, called McDonald's.  Instead of servers on skates slowly delivering food to a gruff crowd, he finds long lines of families receiving clean, delicious meals - astonishingly quickly.  McDonald's brother owners Dick (Offerman) and Mac (Lynch) proudly give Ray a tour, showcasing their efficiency and high standards.  The businessman in Ray is ecstatic, and eventually convinces the brothers to allow him to franchise their restaurant.  His wife, Ethel (Dern), is supportive, happy for her husband's renewed enthusiasm.  But she does not realize that McDonald's has taken hold of her husband like none of his previous ventures, and it soon drives him to both amazing success and profound personal change.

The Founder features a cast of familiar faces which give the film a vivid, interesting set of characters.  Michael Keaton plays Ray Kroc so well that it is difficult to imagine another actor more suited to the role.  As foreshadowed by the playing of a motivational record, Keaton constantly displays the persistence of his character; in the beginning, this makes the struggling Ray a sympathetic underdog, but it transforms him into a cold, ruthless corporate dictator by the end.  All along the way, Keaton gives a physical performance, particularly in his rhythm of speech, slight accent, and facial expressions, that embodies Ray's natural salesmanship.  But he also shows an intensity of thought and emotion in pivotal scenes both with others and alone.  Dick and Mac McDonald, played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch, are fun characters, though much less developed.  In some ways they are almost charicatures, with Mac as the optimistic, friendly half and Dick as the gruff, get-to-business half.  Offerman in particular is suited for his part - almost too closely, as it is difficult to separate him from his Parks & Rec Ron.  Laura Dern is great in a small role, a supportive yet savvy, knowing wife; she is perhaps the most tragic character, suffering in silence.  There are several other decent roles, including the seductive wife of a business partner (Linda Cardellini) and a scheming adviser played by B.J. Novak (The Office).

The Founder is a strong drama focused on its title character, both enhanced and limited by a larger-than-life, almost satirical style.  Keaton's performance as already mentioned is outstanding, and serves as, well, a solid foundation for the film.  Although there are colorful characters around him, it's his film, and wisely so.  The events are of course based on those that actually occurred, but they are often presented in a slightly mocking, satirical tone, as if the film is almost pretending to be an advertisement for McDonald's.  This gives the film a unique tone, and allows flexibility in the script, which alternates somewhat (and somewhat effectively) between realistic, serious dialogue and quiet observations, and more dramatized scenes which include semi-fantasy images of the restaurant.  It also allows for a good dose of quality humor, while further pushing forward Ray's point of view.  However, the style choices also restrict the subtlety and nuance that is possible; the few and best bits of this come from Ray's wife Ethel.  Characters not named Ray can seem almost plot devices; even the McDonald brothers are fairly simple symbols of hardworking America getting screwed over.  The film has a sense of inevitability for its overall direction and even individual plot points, particularly Ray's courting of Joan (Cardellini).  Still, after a film full of outsize characters, romanticizing business, and humor, there is a lasting feeling of disquiet brought forth effectively at the end.

***

The Founder is a strong film, and well worth seeing not just for the quality but also for bringing something new to the table - and an interesting origin story for the ubiquitous restaurant.  It has its share of flaws, largely as a result of limitations of the very style that makes it interesting.  But Keaton's performance might itself be worth taking a look at this film.  Over the next few weeks, I'll be watching some much different movies; although the series of dramas I've seen over the past few months have been outstanding, I'm looking forward to something a little more lighter.  You don't need to rush out to the theater to see The Founder, but I recommend it to any audience for at least a home viewing (Netflix, on-demand, etc.).




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