If Morgan Spurlock’s gross-out documentary Super Size Me exposed the dangers of the McDonald’s Big Mac, The Founder is the fast-food franchise’s wholesome origin story. An attempt to recast its Henry Ford-style speedy system and memorable golden arches as hallmarks of all-American decency (and capitalist efficiency), John Lee Hancock’s bland biopic offers a sanitised and sympathetic take on the burger chain’s beginnings and the man who turned it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise.
Michael Keaton stars as Ray Croc, a persistent, Machiavellian salesman weaned on self-help tapes, who rebranded and franchised the San Bernardino burger bar started in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch respectively). “Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent,” says Keaton’s Croc to the McDonalds, though the opposite seems to be the film’s ominous kernel of truth.
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This discussion is now closed for comments but you can still sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion next timeA very bland and bite-sized review (a bit like the burgers themselves), however the film is meaty with a terrifically central performance by Keaton and shows the depth of determination to get what he wants despite treading or stamping on those who get in his way. I was pleasantly surprised that it made you hate McDonalds even more after seeing this movie. Definitely not a 2 star movie - sad!
That's it? That's the Guardian's review of this film? What a terribly wasted opportunity to provide a detailed analysis of a story that is so on point for the changes the US is currently going through. I'd say more, but I tire of seeing Guardian commenters putting more effort into their comments than journalists put into the work they're paid for.