Review Film: The Founder (2017)
THE REVIEW
Over 36,000 outlets spread across 119 countries, serving more than 68 million subscribers a day, it is undeniable, McDonald's or what we are familiar with as McD is one of the giant brands of fast food restaurants that are already part of the world pop culture. The problem is, not everyone who enjoys french fries or Big Mac is delicious they know about the history of the founding of McD or at least know who the most meritorious to make a restaurant that was founded in 1948 it could be worldwide. Well, through The Founder directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Snow White and the Huntsman) we will know a lot about that.
Not two brothers Richard McDonald (Nick Offerman) and also Maurice McDonald (John Carroll Lynch) from California who in fact was the first to give birth to McDonald's, this is the story of a Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a 52-year-old ambitious and opportunist businessman, machine salesman Shuffler whose life changed drastically when he met with two brothers McDonald's as the only party who bought his product up to six pieces. Stricken with surprise and curiosity, Kroc then chose to travel to California and was surprised to find that the little burger restaurant was not only crowded in customer visits but also running with an interesting system that he thought could be a revolution in the culinary business. Kroc was interested in marketing McDonald's bigger, making it a nationwide business. But of course not easy to run Kroc's ambitions, in addition to financial problems, Kroc also often get the hurdles of two brothers McDonald the idealist who often oppose his new ideas to advance McDonald's bigger and bigger.
In the end, it's hard to say The Founder as one of the best biopic ever made, but it's also hard not to be interested in watching it because the great charm of McD can no longer be released from our lives, like it or not. Of course, we can read everything through Wikipedia, how it stands, who started it, blah ... blah ... blah ... But the film media always gives a compelling offer to be able to learn, get acquainted and look back on history from an audio visual point of view with dramatization here and there.
In the case of The Founder, it becomes interesting when the manuscript written by Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler) does not take from the viewpoint of the actual inventor who is none other than the two brothers Richard and also Maurice McDonald but from the ambitious side of Roy Kroc. This is not just a story of great success but also how to get it that was never easy and never walked according to the guidebook. Hancock gave The Founder two sides, light and dark, serious and relaxed where these two opposing elements could be combined well enough and balanced to present a cinematic rendering that is, of course, more dramatic than real life.
But in addition to his dense narrative and filled with intrigues and conflicts about the business world as well as the effective directing of Hancock, The Founder's greatest appeal is in the character of Roy Kroc that in which history records him as the person most responsible for the fantastic success that McDonald's gained to date this. But to be honest, Roy Kroc who played so well by Michael Keaton who is full of charismatic with his comedic side may not be the kind of character you can worship. Though we can see his enormous ambition with "persistence" as his life's motto, the darker side of The Founder describes Kroc as a dirty player, he does everything, even the most unworthy of ways to achieve his goals, including sacrificing his family, especially his wife, Ethel Fleming (Laura Dern) who later divorced her for another woman, Joan Smith (Linda Cardellini) who was none other than the wife of her business associate, or the worst was how she treated the McDonald brothers, how she destroyed them until there was no left. Hancock seems to want to convey a social critique, that business is business, no word of friends or relatives, a cruel world for the weak and unskillful use of the situation without ever making the character of Kroc become too evil even though he actually deserves to be called "The Devil Capitalist".
RATING (7,5/10)
Don't forget, give your feedback in the comment section
Don't forget, give your feedback in the comment section
Great review and congrats for surviving the movie. Michael Keaton is great, but I must admit, I watched this movie this a friend, and we couldn't finish the movie, it was interesting, but not enough. Something about the structure just didn't click with us and we stopped about 3/4 in.
Thanks for your review. I will watch this movie.
I saw the movie and was shocked at how Ray took their business entirely at the movie's final moments. But I then a little introspective later, I did some deep thinking and thought "If he hadn't done this after persevering against the brother's stubborn business practices, we wouldn't be where we are with Fast Food restaurants competing for the best delivery service in the food industry"
Ray might have went beyond standards to accomplish this but maybe he had a right cause.
I really liked this movie and thought it gives you a rather realistic (it is still a movie) portrayal.
It is not a typical biopic with lots of inspirational scenes and music, which artificially elevate the character. Instead the movie shows the good and bad of both the founders.