The Founder
The Founder

The Founder

2016Movie115 minEnglish

The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire.

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Insights

IMDb6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes84%
Metacritic66/100
Google Users85%
Director: John Lee HancockGenres: Biography, Drama, History

Plot Summary

The film chronicles the story of Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman who meets the McDonald brothers, Maurice and Richard, in the 1950s. Impressed by their efficient fast-food operation, Kroc sees the potential for a nationwide franchise. He eventually maneuvers his way into taking control of the company, transforming it into the global fast-food empire it is today.

Critical Reception

The Founder received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Michael Keaton's performance as Ray Kroc. The film was noted for its exploration of ambition, capitalism, and the questionable ethics behind building a business empire.

What Reviewers Say

  • Michael Keaton delivers a compelling performance as the ambitious Ray Kroc.
  • The film offers a fascinating, if somewhat cynical, look at American capitalism and the drive for success.
  • It effectively portrays the cutthroat business tactics Kroc employed to build the McDonald's empire.

Google audience: Audiences generally appreciated the film's engaging portrayal of Ray Kroc's rise and the business strategy behind McDonald's. Many found Michael Keaton's performance captivating, though some felt the film was a bit dry or critical of its subject.

Fun Fact

The film's production faced several delays, with initial announcements of its release dating back to 2014, before eventually premiering in late 2016.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

3 reviews
The Movie Mob

The Movie Mob

**Overall : A brilliant telling of a bleak story that left a disappointing flavor in my soul.** I remember the plaque in our McDonalds growing up about its founder, Ray Kroc, but this movie tells a much different story. Suddenly, I am qu...
Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Ne...

**A decent film, although the story told is substantially stilted and made more tense than it actually was.** We all know that the business world is not for boy scouts. As the film's protagonist himself assumes, you have to be prepared f...
Reno

Reno

**Veni, vidi, vici!** I anticipated another inspiring biopic about a man who built an empire. That's partially true, because this was inspired by the right kind of wrong thing. I mean it was not actually about the McDonalds' story, the M...