If there's any actor out there who I'm glad to see make a comeback, it's Michael Keaton. I've loved him ever since I saw Batman for the first time, and as I've explored more of his work, he's become one of my favourite actors. He was the driving force behind my favourite film of 2014, Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), and his face has become one that I've begun to associate with fantastic dramatic work. Pretty much the only reason I had any interest in this film is that Michael Keaton is starring in it, because the story behind how McDonald's came to be isn't exactly one that I'm desperate to know. Really, I like to know as little about McDonald's as I can, because it makes the food a lot more enjoyable. But the story being told in this film didn't make me feel as unhealthy as the food does. Still, I enjoy the food a lot more.
This film follows Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a salesman who comes across an innovative fast-food restaurant, owned by the McDonald brothers, Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and Dick (Nick Offerman). When he sees the potential that the restaurant has, he begins to expand the brand across the country with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness. This film is based on a book by Kroc himself, and biopics are a genre that I've steadily been gaining interests in over the past few years. The only problem that I face with these films - especially ones that explore how certain companies came to be - is that they largely hit the same story beats. Conflict emerges from the same place, the resolutions are similar, and then we see a montage before the end credits of what happened afterwards. Even if these films are based on events that actually happened, the actual plots can feel a bit generic. That's definitely the case with The Founder, because while I definitely enjoyed it, that enjoyment was rooted in the quality of certain scenes and moments, rather than the experience as a whole.
The greatest strength of this film is definitely the writing. While the overall story is nothing revolutionary, the dialogue is very punchy, and is always delivered at the perfect pace to execute jokes. The film is rooted in business, and the fast-talking, charismatic speaking style of the characters in that world fits the various wheelings-and-dealings very well. Ray Kroc feels like a very real salesman, and I felt myself on his side from the very beginning, aside from the fact that Michael Keaton is fantastic. He has just enough franticness and energy balanced with personal doubt. Keaton for sure a very strong leading man, and while it's unclear how accurately he channels Ray Kroc himself, it's certainly an engaging and entertaining performance. Keaton can say a lot with just a look or a few words, so the times when the film shows and doesn't tell are among the best parts.
Every actor is fantastic, with Nick Offerman standing out in particular by bringing a new intensity to his usual deadpan delivery. I got a lot of joy out of seeing actors that I love appear out of nowhere, like BJ Novak, Linda Cartellini, and Patrick Wilson. While none of these actors blew me away, they were certainly all good, and not wasted in any regard. Another great aspect of the film, which works in perfect harmony with the dialogue, is the editing. The editing keeps the tone and pace of the film well in balance, letting the fast moments play out in rapid succession, and the slow moments breathe and unfold naturally. The sense of ruthlessness could very much be felt with Ray's character as the film went on, but none of his big moments ever had a solid dramatic landing. The Founder is really missing those The Social Network-esque emotional gut-punches that it needed to make the story feel more impactful.
Aside from the occasionally rapid-fire editing, this film isn't really delivered with any specific flair or style. The retro world and environment of the 1950s is captured well, but there have been a lot of movies that take place in the past. There were some very memorable shots, but I would attribute them more to classic iconography than just cinematography. There are also a lot of moments that felt a little too "movie-ish". I believe that Kroc would have a moment of reflection when he's buying up land and screwing the McDonald brothers, but do we really need to see him kneel down in the plot, pick up a handful of dirt, roll it around in his hand, and throw it in slow-motion with voice-over? Moments like these just felt schmaltzy, and like they were put in there because "this is a movie, so this has to happen now, because it's a movie." The soundtrack was one of the more flat elements of the film as well, because it sounded like cheap stock music you could find online.
The Founder was an overall okay experience, with a few spikes of enjoyment littered throughout. It never necessarily dragged, but I never found myself too invested in the story and how the corporation was developing. Considering that was the point of the film, the story was kind of lost on me, and I'm still wondering if a McDonald's origin story was a film that needed to be made. It's boosted by a very fun script and solid performances all around, but it doesn't do anything special in terms of a biopic. Maybe it needed more flair or a more interesting take on the story, even if those wouldn't absolutely sync up with reality. Maybe the book is a more interesting experience, and I do want to seek it out and read it now. If there's anything this movie accomplished, it was getting me to read more. At the same time, I didn't really need this film's help in that regard, and The Founder itself is just fine.
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