THE FOUNDER – Rated PG-13

“Making his stolen fortune one burger at a time….”

THE FOUNDER – Rated PG-13 – 1 hour 55 minutes

Starring Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern and Linda Cardellini

Based on the real-life story of how the worldwide McDonald’s fast-food restaurant came to be…we meet milk shake machine salesman Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), pushing his wares all over the U.S.

When Kroc decides to visit one of his biggest accounts in San Bernardino, he meets the genius-ly talented brothers, Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch) McDonald. Since the McDonald’s brothers are very proud of their new “fast-food” establishment, they see fit to give Kroc a personal, guided tour of what they have all developed…

Blown away by what he has just seen, Kroc envisions these restaurants all over the US, making the present Drive up style establishments essentially obsolete.

Nervous to walk down this road, but eager to see what Ray Kroc can help them do in the arena of taking their restaurant nationwide, the McDonald’s brothers work out an agreement, allowing Ray to take their restaurant idea back home to Illinois.

As Kroc manages to secure enough investors to make this franchising thing a big hit all across the Midwest, the McDonald’s brothers are getting weary of Ray, and his new, big ideas.

And weary they should be, as it looks like Kroc not only has helped them build an empire all across the US, but he’s also figured out a way to work them both out of their restaurants, and their name too…

I give THE FOUNDER a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN~ Keaton is fabulous as the franchising master turned crooked businessman Ray Kroc, as you watch him effortlessly going from intrigued salesman to shrewd and conniving businessman, all in the blink of an eye. Offerman and Carroll Lynch are also perfectly cast as the engineering marvels behind the fast-food giant that bears their name. Dern and Cardellini are also very convincing as Mrs. Kroc #1 and #2, respectfully.   Watching this story play out on the big screen at the beginning felt quite enjoyable, but then, I began to feel my heart sink, as Kroc moved in for the kill. I have eaten those delicious McDonald’s burgers my whole life, but now knowing the way that Kroc managed to build his empire, and at the expense of true founders of the establishment that bears their name, I’m thinking that that food choice for me, is now, no longer on the menu.

Kathy Kaiser