Review: The Founder (12A)

Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) is a salesman, who neglects his wife Ethel (Laura Dern) to travel around the country selling milkshake machines to cash-strapped diner owners.
BIG BUSINESS: Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in The Founder. PICTURE:  PA Photo/StudioCanal.BIG BUSINESS: Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in The Founder. PICTURE:  PA Photo/StudioCanal.
BIG BUSINESS: Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc in The Founder. PICTURE: PA Photo/StudioCanal.

During a visit to San Bernardino in California, Ray takes a tour of the hamburger stand owned by Richard McDonald (Nick Offerman) and his brother Maurice (John Carroll Lynch), who have perfected a lightning quick cooking system. Ray scents a lucrative business opportunity and persuades the siblings to sign a contract that allows him to franchise the McDonald’s model around the country.

At first, the arrangement works well and Ray attracts numerous franchise owners. However, the contract terms prevent Ray from tampering with menu items, so he joins forces with a slippery financial consultant to wriggle through legal loopholes.

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“There’s a wolf in the henhouse, and we let him in!” bellows Richard as Ray seizes control of their brand name.

The Founder pivots around Keaton, who stares unflinchingly into the camera for scenes that bookend the film, willing us to believe his smooth patter. It’s a bravura portrayal of a deeply flawed man, who put profits ahead of personal relationships and made himself – and the people closest to him – obscenely rich.

On general release