The Founder Review
I’m starting to come to the end of my must see movies list for 2016. The Founder was one of the last ones to check off. I’m a fan of biopics and when they are about such iconic things like McDonald’s, they often turn out to be pretty interesting.
The Founder is a really solid film. I just reviewed Patriot’s Day yesterday and talked about the issues and benefits of releasing a movie so close to the actual true stories. The Founder is a case that shows why waiting can be very beneficial. If this film was made right after McDonald’s founding, the company wouldn’t have been as big of an icon as it is now and the movie most likely would have not been as interesting. I think everyone knows what McDonald’s is and has eaten there at least a few times. However, I’d be willing to bet that a lot of us have never really thought about how it all started. This film goes into all the details of that and I think it’s very cool that a lot of us who grew up with McDonald’s already being a global superpower get the chance to see and learn about its beginnings.
The Founder isn’t a film like Arrival, which came out earlier this fall, that feels like it offers a new perspective on storytelling. It isn’t a game changing film but not all movies need to be that. What it is, is an engrossing account of how a unique new take on fast food turned into a world phenomenon. John Lee Hancock directed the film. He also directed 2013’s Saving Mr. Banks which focused on Walt Disney trying to make and acquire the rights to Mary Poppins. The Founder is very reminiscent of Saving Mr. Banks in my opinion. They are two completely different stories but I think if you like one, you’ll like the other.
The thing that stood out the most to be about this movie was the dialogue. I thought it was extremely strong. It chooses to focus a lot on the in’s and out’s of the business world and includes clever metaphors and comparisons on certain principles of running a company. What I found the most interesting was how someone would bring up a certain aspect of the inner workings in starting McDonald’s and other businesses in general and talk about how viewing said issue from a different perspective completely changes the operation. All in all, it’s a fascinating story about business. I felt like I was watching a How It’s Made or Unwrapped episode about McDonald’s.
Another strength of the film was the acting and in particular Michael Keaton and Nick Offerman. I started noticing about halfway through the film how good Keaton is in the movie. It’s very hard for a famous actor like him to not come off as doing a good impersonation of a particular character. Luckily, Keaton succeeds in that regard and transforms himself into playing Ray Kroc. I think in regards to Nick Offerman, I didn't know what to expect since to me he’s Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation. He’s great in the movie and him being a comedian definitely helped him with the role. His character is actually kind of similar to Ron in some ways.
Movies like this, that focus on true stories, often choose to take an opinion on which of the parties involved was right and which one was unjustified in their actions. The Founder does that to an extent but it also leaves enough breathing room to let you think about what happened and formulate your own thoughts on who and what was right or wrong. I liked that because it opens it up for discussion and keeps you thinking.
The Founder is another great 2016 release. It takes an interesting story and transfers it to the big screen in a very engaging way. Like I said, I don’t think it’s a movie that you walk out of and are completely blown away by. Fortunately, not all films need to do that and by focusing on such an intriguing subject that I think a lot of people don’t know about it succeeds. I give it 8.5/10
