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Storyline
1954. Having worked as a salesman most of his adult life, Ray Kroc has been a hustler in most senses of the word. That hustling has made him the target of derision among certain circles for peddling what have ended up being more novelty or faddish than useful products, but it has also placed more than a comfortable roof in Arlington Heights, Illinois over his and his wife Ethel's heads. Ethel, however, wishes that he placed as much effort into being at home with her than he is in selling, his current job of peddling five-spindle milkshake makers for Prince Castle which has him constantly on the road going from one drive-in restaurant to another. It is because of the beefs he has with the whole drive-in experience (bad food, bad service) in constantly eating at such establishments while on the road that he becomes enthralled with the concept of McDonald's Restaurant in San Bernardino, California, it owned and operated by brothers Richard McDonald and Maurice McDonald - Dick and Mac. ... Written by
Huggo
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Taglines:
Risk taker. Rule breaker. Game changer.
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Details
Release Date:
20 January 2017 (USA)
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Box Office
Budget:
$7,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend:
$3,404,102
(USA)
(20 January 2017)
Gross:
$11,205,243
(USA)
(10 February 2017)
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Company Credits
Technical Specs
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Musician Mark Knopfler wrote and recorded a song about Ray Kroc called "Boom Like That" because he was inspired by Kroc's autobiography. The song appears on Knopfler's album Shangri-La.
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Goofs
As Ray Kroc drives from San Bernardino California to Phoenix Arizona in order to see an early McDonald's franchise, he is shown turning onto US Route 17 in Arizona. The actual US Route 17 begins in Virginia and ends in Florida, and is nowhere near Arizona.
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Quotes
Ray Kroc:
[
to Ethel during dinner]
I want a divorce.
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Soundtracks
Calcutta
(a/k/a "Tivoli Melodie" )
Written by Hermann Gaze
Performed by
Lawrence Welk
Courtesy of RANWOOD RECORDS, exclusively leased to CONCORD MUSIC GROUP, INC.
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The Founder is another tale of the American Dream. It's the kind of tale we've seen a million times before. American man wants to become successful, sacrifices morality for moolah, etc. It's The Godfather, it's The Social Network, it's The Wolf of Wall Street. And The Founder, while entertaining, offers pretty much nothing new, or distinctive, to contribute. It is directed fairly conventionally, the story hits all the beats you'd expect, and it's not going to stick to your memory for too long.
But that discounts the fact that the film is rather well made. Performances are uniformly solid, and the film is undeniably compelling for much of its run time. But the real reason to see the film is the powerhouse performance of Michael Keaton, a neglected actor throughout the 2000s who seems to be finally getting roles that he deserves with this, Spotlight and Birdman to consider. He is slimy, charismatic, and curiously sympathetic in all the right ways.
In all The Founder may not light your world on fire, but it's a rock solid tale of greed and the American Dream that ought to entertain most that it meets.
Side Note -I have no idea why this is playing in Australia over a month before it comes out across the rest of the world, but hey I'm not complaining.