The Founder

"The Founder" stars Michael Keaton and Laura Dern. Directed by John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side”, “Saving Mr. Banks”) and written by Robert D. Siegel (“The Wrestler), the film tells the story of the beginning and evolution of the giant franchise operation known worldwide as “McDonalds”. More to the point, it tells the story of a down on his luck salesman named Ray Kroc who by chance comes upon the hamburger and shakes stand owned and operated by the McDonald brothers (the real founders) and how he ultimately took their small enterprise and made it into one of the most well known and successful international food serving entities in history (and which, by estimate, is now serving approximately 1% of the world’s population). Alas for poor Mr Keaton who always seems to be so much better than the movies in which he appears. This film falls into that category except for the fact that this is, after all,  the story of McDonalds and how one man was able to create this huge enterprise and make it the most powerful force in the franchise food industry. Add to that the always dependable quality performance of Mr. Keaton and the film’s historical significance and it becomes a vehicle well worth viewing. I give the film 3 stars with a reminder that if it wasn't telling the story of McDonalds, the film would  be more like a Big Mac with only the bun.