The Founder (4½ Stars)

True Stories #24

Name: Ray Kroc

Lived: 5 October 1902 – 14 January 1984

Film dates: 1954 to 1970

Film made in 2016

I've known Michael Keaton for many years, but I've only recently realised what a great actor he is. I wouldn't say that he's improving. He's always been good. I just took him for granted until now. I'm now at the stage where I want to watch any film he appears in. That's an honour he shares with Jim Carrey, Gemma Arterton and Chloe Grace Moretz. Usually I judge films by their directors, but these are a small group of actors that I always want to watch.

Ray Kroc wasn't a pleasant man. "The Founder" makes him sympathetic to the viewer, but that's the result of Michael Keaton's smooth acting. If I'd met the real Raymond Kroc I would probably have been taken in by his charm. He was a charismatic man, but beneath the surface was ruthless greed.

In 1954 Ray Kroc was a travelling salesman. He wasn't poor, but he wasn't rich either. In the words of his wife, their savings went up and down. He had an idea, it worked, so he made money. Then he had another idea, and it didn't work, so he lost money. Then he had a new idea that was successful, so he made money again. It was an endless cycle for him.

Then he saw a small drive-in restaurant called McDonald's in San Bernadino, Texas. It was a family business run by the brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. Ray wanted McDonald's for himself, and he did everything he could to steal the business for himself.

Ray Kroc was a parasite, and like most parasites he seemed pleasant at first. He persuaded the McDonald brothers to expand their operation. "Franchise" was the buzz word. Ray took it upon himself to open new restaurants all across America. He had control over all the new restaurants, while the brothers just had their original restaurant, so Ray grew into a market giant while the brothers remained local tradesmen. It was like a cuckoo growing up in a nest. The time came when he pushed the other birds out of the nest. He forced Dick and Mac out of business shortly after the events of the film.

Ray Kroc had the temerity to call himself the founder of McDonald's. He called one of his restaurants in Illinois the #1 store as a provocation to the McDonald brothers. It's kept this name until today.

If I were a man with strong principles I'd boycott McDonald's after watching this film. I'm not. Besides, if I boycotted every company that was founded by greedy businessmen I'd be naked and starving by now. I have friends in England who boycott Wetherspoons pubs because of the owner's political views, but they're the pubs that sell the cheapest beer, so I don't care what Tim Martin says. McDonald's sells good food for a cheap price, though probably not as good as it was in the 1950's. I don't often visit McDonald's these days, maybe twice a year, but by coincidence I visited McDonald's two days ago before going to see "Licorice Pizza". There was a buy one get one free deal for Big Macs, so I bought two. I only intended to eat one and save the other till later, but it was cold, so I ate both on the bench in front of the cinema.

Michael Keaton's acting is incredible. It's the mark of a good actor that he can make us like a bad guy.

Success Rate:  + 1.4

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