Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Michael Keaton, Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, BJ Novak, Patrick Wilson, Linda Cardellini
At the end of The Founder, Ray Kroc (Keaton) addresses the camera asking how a 52-year-old milk shake machine salesman could create the McDonald's empire. He says "Persistence". But that is only part of the story. He also was ruthless, telling his partners, "If one of my competitors was drowning, I would stick a hose in his mouth," He asks his partners if they would do the same thing. They said they would not. The partners were Dick and Mac McDonald (Offerman and Lynch), who created the first McDonald's along with its unique hamburger building system in San Bernadino, CA, but were content to keep McDonald's local so they could maintain control of their standards. Ray Kroc saw the dollar signs in franchising. The rest is history.
As The Founder opens, Kroc is a struggling milk shake machine salesman trying in vain to sell his machine to drive-in restaurants which have no interest. He then stumbles across a large order of machines from McDonald's in San Bernadino. Traveling cross country to pay them a visit, he is astonished to learn the McDonalds' precisely choreographed system for building the perfect burger and even more astonished that it takes thirty seconds to make deliver one after ordering. Kroc enters into a contract with the brothers allowing him to franchise and off he goes. The contract states that all changes and new ideas need to be go through the McDonalds, but as Ray eloquently states it as only he can, "Contracts, like hearts, are made to be broken," As McDonald's franchises open quicker than you can say "Big Mac", we see Kroc's vision far exceeds the McDonalds', but the contract is the contract...for now.
Ray is married to Ethel (Dern), who wishes Ray were home more and able to take her to dinner at the country club more often. We all know she will be dumped, although I'm sure she was as taken aback as we were when Ray tells her matter-of-factly over dinner: "I want a divorce," Ray isn't one for sentimentality here either, refusing even to give his ex-wife even one share of McDonald's stock. But, he does let her have the house and the cars. Swell guy.
Despite McDonald's growing number of franchises, Kroc himself is barely breaking even. An accountant (Novak) who overhears Ray pleading with his bank to give him more time on his mortgage, looks at the books and determines Ray (who per the contract owes the McDonald's 1.4% of all profits from sales) should be buying up land to lease to potential franchisees. He is correct, and Ray soon becomes a billionaire. He becomes even less of a swell guy as he muscles his way out of his contract and ultimately screws the McDonalds over.
Ray Kroc, as depicted here, is not a wonderful guy and the movie does not attempt to explain or sentimentalize him, but it does understand him. It makes no excuses for Kroc's ambition which swallows up everything in his path. After years of failed business ventures, Kroc found something which would finally make him rich and important. Nothing would stand in his way. While still married to Ethel, he sets his sights on Joan (Cardellini), the wife of a Minnesota franchisee who has the same look in her eyes as Kroc does when discussing how to maximize profits. She dreams up the idea of an ice cream-free milk shake, which horrifies the brothers, but could save franchisees oodles of cash on refrigeration costs.
The Founder's biggest strength is the Keaton performance. Roger Ebert once described Keaton as an actor who can talk faster than many people can think. He is correct. Keaton approaches Kroc with zeal. He doesn't ask for our sympathy when things go wrong and he doesn't expect applause when things go right. He wants the audience to be in awe of his acumen, his nerve, and his ruthlessness. We do feel for the McDonald brothers, who we know are slowly, but surely being edged out of the picture. Dick and Mac stick to their business principles (sometimes to their detriment) and see Ray's visions as a personal affront, which we know will ultimately lead to their financial doom. Principles don't have much use in Ray Kroc's world. We cringe as, after all that has transpired, they agree to a handshake deal with Kroc on royalties we know will never materialize. Keaton's trademark energy serves him well here. We watch in fascination even if we don't approve of the methods.
Kroc eventually bought the San Diego Padres after retiring as McDonald's CEO in 1974. He just wanted something to do with his time and money and McDonald's was already a world conquered. It is a cruel twist of fate that Kroc died early in 1984, the same year in which the Padres would eventually go to the World Series for the first time in its history. Or maybe it was the universe doing to Kroc what he did to the brothers all those years ago.
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