It’s rather telling of the world we live in that the golden arches of McDonald’s are one of the most recognisable symbols on earth. The Founder tells the true story of Ray Kroc (played by the irrepressible Michael Keaton), the man who took McDonald’s – a small burger restaurant – and turned it’s 35,000 locations into a globe-conquering symbol of American capitalism.
The film chronicles the life of Kroc, a struggling salesman from Illinois, and his meeting with Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food at their San Bernardino hamburger stand and the crowds of patrons it attracted, Kroc immediately saw franchise potential and maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire. And thus McDonald’s was born.
Helmed by director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr Banks) the film is more than big-screen propaganda from the restaurant’s marketing department, but rather it focuses on Kroc’s persistance and aggressive drive to make the company the world’s biggest chain restaurant no matter the cost, ethical or otherwise.
One thing is for certain, it’ll either impress you, or make you hungry.
The Founder is out in cinemas now.