The Founder (2016)
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A struggling salesman's relentless ambition leads to the creation of a global fast-food empire at the expense of the original founders.
The story
In 1954, struggling Prince Castle salesman Ray Kroc travels to San Bernardino, California, to meet Dick and Mac McDonald at their restaurant after the brothers purchase several of his milkshake machines. Kroc is impressed by their efficient, low-cost business model and becomes eager to expand the brand through franchising. However, the brothers are hesitant to expand beyond their current operations. Kroc must navigate complex contract terms and find a way to scale the business while facing mounting financial pressures and personal complications as he seeks to turn a local success into a national powerhouse.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1954, Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman, discovers the successful McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino. He strikes a deal with brothers Dick and Mac to franchise the concept, but the terms are strict. As Kroc faces financial ruin and a failing marriage, he partners with Harry Sonneborn to pivot the business into a real-estate model. This shift allows Kroc to bypass the brothers' restrictions and gain control of the land. Eventually, Kroc outmaneuvers the brothers, forcing them to sell their interests for $2.7 million. He rebrands the company as the McDonald's Corporation and expands rapidly. The film concludes with Kroc's success in the 1970s, while the epilogue reveals that he never honored his handshake deal regarding royalties, leaving the original brothers with nothing while the brand became a global icon.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Lee Hancock
- Writers
- Robert Siegel · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael Keaton · Ray Kroc; Nick Offerman · Richard "Dick" McDonald; John Carroll Lynch · Maurice McDonald; Linda Cardellini · Joan Smith; B. J. Novak · Harry J. Sonneborn; Laura Dern · Ethel Fleming
- Genres
- biographical drama; business
- Themes
- ambition; corporate greed; persistence
- Tone and mood
- serious; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- biography; business; fast food
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ray Kroc's autobiography and an unauthorized biography
- Reception
- generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Keaton and Offerman.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 80% · scale: percentage · review count: 246; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7/10 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 47
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be in the same vein as There Will Be Blood and The Social Network.; The film was ranked the 13th-best unproduced script of 2014.; The original octagonal San Bernardino restaurant was built in Newnan, Georgia for filming.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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