Think you know the story of McDonald’s and how it went from a small California town burger joint to the international business titan that serves “billions and billions?” Think again, because as showcased in the brilliant The Founder — out now on DVD and Blu-Ray — the truth of how Ray Kroc became the face of McDonald’s and a business titan is much more sinister and salacious.
In The Founder, the film’s first stroke of genius was its casting. Michael Keaton is brilliant as Kroc, who plays him from Midwest-based struggling traveling salesman with vision, all the way through him shepherding the McDonald’s formula for success to all corners of the globe. Another brilliant move was the tapping of The Blind Side helmer John Lee Hancock to bring Robert Siegel’s (The Wrestler) explosive script to the big screen. Together, they have crafted a biopic that is so much more than simply telling one man’s story. It is in many ways the story of greed in America and how it can bring out the worst in us as we do our best work.
Kroc traveled the country selling milkshake machines. He struggled to make ends meat to pay the mortgage and keep a roof over the head of his wife (played by Laura Dern). While out on the road one day, he hears of a restaurant out in California who has ordered multiple milkshake machines and he can’t believe his ears. He has to head out to The Golden State and see it for himself. When he gets there, he sees an operation that does for restaurants what Henry Ford did for automobile manufacturing. The McDonald brothers have managed to maintain quality of their delicious hamburgers, French fries and milkshakes, all while delivering it to customers in record speed. Fast food is born. Immediately, Kroc sees potential for a McDonald’s in every town. The brothers have other ideas believing that their business plan would get muddied with expansion. Somehow, Kroc convinces them to let him handle the expansion and before they can say “ketchup,” Kroc has weaseled his way into being the face of this exploding corporation, listed himself as The Founder and taken these two San Bernardino-based men who simply wanted to make burgers’ dream and stolen it away, leaving them with practically nothing.
Witnessing how this all plays out is stunning and although we know exactly how it plays out, you cannot look away. All involved have elevated their game to the point where The Founder is easily one of the best films of 2016. Sure, it missed out on Oscar nominations, but that was one of our big snubs of this past awards season.
The stellar cast is rounded out by BJ Novak, Linda Cardellini, Nick Offerman (as Dick McDonald), Patrick Wilson and John Carroll Lynch (as Mac McDonald). Each matches Keaton’s intensity note for note, making the film an utter joy to behold on so many levels.
When it comes to bonus features, Behind the Scenes is a fantastic five-part feature that delves deep into the making of the movie from a quintet of quintessential angles.
The Story Behind the Story goes deeper into the story and gives us quite the framework of all the characters involved in one of America’s great and previously unknown true success stories. Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc is a sensational, albeit too short, spotlight on the star of the film and how he got into the head of the billionaire. It includes salutes from the cast and crew and only further adds to our appreciation for what the man who used to be Batman did with this incredible film. The McDonald Brothers, along with the film itself, finally gives the brothers who invented a formula that changed everything in not only the restaurant business, but in the business world as a whole, a bright spotlight. Lynch and Offerman provide priceless insight into these unsung American heroes.
One of the things that also stands out in the film is its uncanny ability to recreate and era. The Production Design illustrates how filmmakers miraculously crafted the McDonald’s in the film that recall another time, but also gives insight into what it was exactly that drew so many millions of Americans to these facilities that would make them legendary.
In that vein, Building McDonalds: Time Lapse Video is an amazing look at how a McDonald’s was built for the movie, literally from the ground up.
For those who want to go even deeper into the making of the film, might we suggest you check out the final bonus feature, Press Conference with Filmmakers and Cast. The 37-minute presser took place on January 12 of this year and features all the players adding even more insight into a film that is now an instant classic.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A-