Golden arches line the entryways to a gourmet fast food restaurant, though there was a time where they didn’t exist at McDonald’s
Note: This review contains spoilers.
Drive through the heart of most populated areas in the United States and you will likely see an image almost as iconic and patriotic as the American flag: McDonald’s golden arches.
There was a time in history, however, in which golden arches did not exist, and neither did McDonald’s.
“The Founder” follows businessman Ray Kroc, brilliantly portrayed by Michael Keaton, in his endeavors from first learning of the original McDonald’s existence to building it into the culinary empire it is today.
Kroc, originally seen in the film as a struggling milkshake machine salesman, is down on his luck and needing an overall morale boost.
He then visits McDonald’s in San Bernardino, California, and arrives in awe of the facility.
Co-owners, Mac and Dick McDonald — portrayed by John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman, respectively — are brothers who opened the original McDonald’s restaurant. They greet Kroc and allow him to tour their restaurant, further hooking him on the brilliance of their efficient restaurant.
Kroc persistently pesters the brothers to allow him to be part of the business even though they originally denied him.
Throughout the remainder of the film, persistence rang through as a central theme.
Kroc, the self proclaimed founder of McDonald’s, wound up in a situation where he broke his contract and ruined the ownership of McDonald’s.
Ultimately, this was a great movie but the ending felt rather salty. As portrayed in the movie, it almost seems like Kroc purposefully screwed the McDonald’s brothers out of their own business.
According to TIME, however, Kroc had bought out the brothers fairly for their business and its rights.
I’m a very loyal McDonald’s customer, but it was difficult to look at a McDonald’s briefly following the movie. I try to live with the philosophy that business is business though, and this makes the movie more understandable.
I would give the movie an 8 out of 10, though I urge viewers to learn the true story of the company before jumping to rash conclusions about the company due to the movie.