“The Founder” is the latest in a series of films that challenge the notion of the American dream by revealing that the ways in which people rise to the top are not always as savory as a McDonald’s hamburger.
From “The Social Network” to “The Wolf of Wall Street,” filmmakers have explored the dog-eat-dog individualism that underpins American culture and propels our most revered tycoons to success. Ray Kroc, played by Michael Keaton, is a definitive example of how the ruthless run roughshod over the complacent in our capitalist system.
Kroc, at the time a humble milkshake machine salesman, comes across a remarkable little gem of a diner out in San Bernardino, California, in 1954, run by two salt-of-the-earth brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald. Stunned by the speed of the restaurant’s service, he probes the brothers for answers, and they willingly explain their story to him. Like all great American businesses, the McDonald brothers prioritized efficiency. They served only three items and they prided themselves on fulfilling orders in less than 30 seconds. In one incredible scene, the viewer watches overhead as Dick McDonald conducts a “burger ballet” on a tennis court, preparing his new employees for the rigors of the assembly-line kitchen. Kroc is instantly enamored not only with their system but also with what he sees as a deeper symbolism.
As he persuades the brothers to open up to franchising, he delivers what I believe to be the film’s central idea. Kroc explains that as he drives through small little towns across middle America, they all have two things in common: churches, adorned with crosses, and courthouses with flags. Kroc’s vision is for a third visual staple: the golden arch, a proverbial beacon of hope and familiarity. He implores the brothers, “Do it for America.”
Director John Lee Hancock, familiar to Ole Miss Rebels as the sports biopic mastermind behind “The Blind Side,” excels at establishing a narrative of ambition in Kroc, but we never really get to know what makes him tick. The closest we come is in two brief but revealing scenes.
In the first, Kroc, while sitting in his hotel room and later driving across the country, listens attentively to self-help audio about the power of positivity, seemingly entranced by the speaker’s “go get ’em” attitude. The second scene is a conversation with his docile and frustrated wife, who asks, “When will it be enough?” Kroc replies readily, “Probably never.” In these two scenes, we catch glimpses of Kroc’s inner objectives: success and domination. The latter comes through especially in his interactions with Dick McDonald, played with expert sincerity by Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman.
At times, it seems we are watching Ron Swanson, what with the McDonald brother’s disdain for all things frivolous and artificial. Offerman certainly outshines his counterpart John Carroll Lynch, though some of this disparity seems to be written into the script. Regardless, the tense standoff between Kroc and the McDonalds is the highlight of the film, as Kroc slowly but surely overtakes the company and embarks on his own rise to national dominance of the fast food industry. A veritable McFlurry of chaos ensues, including a divorce that reflects Kroc’s attitude toward commitment, as he eviscerates the brother’s hopes with a brutal one liner: “Contracts are like hearts– they’re made to be broken.”
Kroc’s coldblooded pursuit of success seems to destroy those around him, but it launches an American icon, an institution that is familiar and endearing to families across the country. I left the film with a suspicious aftertaste, pondering both the human costs and triumphs of American capitalism. I went straight to the nearest McDonald’s.
Rating: B+
