★★★★
The Founder, the latest creation from director John Lee Hancock, sees us journey through the rise of the most pervasive food empire the world has ever seen, McDonald’s.
Smack bang in the midst of it all is the story of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) and how this over the hill, 52-year-old milkshake machine salesman conquered more territory than the Roman Empire. McDonald’s now makes over US$25 billion a year, and The Founder shows how one man’s persistence set all the burgers in motion. Well, kinda – we’ll get into that.
The film opens with Kroc failing to sell milkshake machines. We’re swiftly taken through his contact with Dick and Maurice McDonald, who have just opened a revolutionary new BBQ restaurant in San Bernardino called McDonald’s.
The McDonald brothers are painted as hard-working, conscientious men of business, and tensions rise between their ideals and Kroc’s approach to expansion. Soon enough, the film baits us to take a side. Are you a Kroc or a McDonald? Does the end justify the means? What would you be willing to do to have your name etched into history as an underdog who won against the pack?
The Founder is an enthralling watch. Keaton performs phenomenally as Kroc – every twitch, savvy move and beguiling turn of phrase has you reeling either into or away from his aura. Hancock challenges you to consider Kroc’s motives: is he to be acclaimed, feared, emulated? The crisp soundtrack, too, swiftly transports you back to the ’50s with the impeccably tailored costumes dazzling at every turn.
At the end of the day, whether you like him or not, The Founder delivers a sharp and satirical take on Kroc’s dalliance with McDonald’s. Now someone pass the McNuggets.
The Founderopens in cinemas on Thursday November 24.
