By Robert Scucci
| Published
After getting home from a late night out with a bag of McDonald’s nestled securely in my passenger seat, only to find out that the packets of ranch that I paid extra for were missing from my order, I was furious. Deciding to watch The Founder in a misguided search for answers while I hate smashed my way through my large #3 (with no ranch on the side for dipping), I learned the lesson found at McDonald’s core: quality and quantity cannot coexist. This dynamic is thoroughly explored through the fictionalized version of the relationship between overzealous blender salesman Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), and the Mcdonald brothers, Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch) in The Founder, which allowed me to make peace with the idea of progress, and the resulting collateral damage that we’re still dealing with to this day.
The lesson I learned? Convenience is great, but you should also be well-stocked on your condiments at home for those late-night fast food orders.
Quality And Quantity Are Always At Odds
The Founder centers on the monastic obsession of Ray Kroc, the man responsible for McDonald’s massive growth in the 50s, 60s, and onward. After a string of bad luck as a blender salesman, Kroc receives a call from the McDonald brothers, who put in a large order for his product. Not believing that they’d need to move that many milkshakes to keep up with their customer’s demands, Kroc decides to check out their San Bernardino location to see what all of the fuss is about.
Kroc’s world is immediately rocked in The Founder because the original Mcdonald’s location was like nothing he’d ever seen before; the entire process is automated, and primed to belt out quality food at an alarming rate for those on the go. After hearing the brother’s story about their past failed attempts to get a meaningful business of this caliber off the ground, and how they painstakingly designed the restaurant down to the smallest, most seemingly insignificant details, Kroc knew that he had to get in on the action, no matter the cost.
After convincing the McDonald brothers to allow him to be in charge of franchising in The Founder, Kroc becomes frustrated over how restrictive they are when it comes to approving changes that would simultaneously make the entire operation more efficent and cost-effective because they want to control every aspect of the restaurant so they can continue to maintain the high level of service and quality that they had become known for.
Obsessed with the idea of seeing McDonald’s grow into the fast food juggernaut that we’re all familiar with today, Kroc does everything he can to seize control over the entire operation, all in the name of progress.
Not Totally Accurate, But The Sentiment Rings True
The Founder isn’t a by-the-books biographical drama in the sense that a lot of creative liberties were taken to make a more compelling narrative. Most importantly, it’s publicly known that Ray Kroc was always a shrewd and calculating business man waiting for the right opportunity. In other words, the real-life Ray Kroc wasn’t necessarily the bumbling blender salesman as depicted in the film; he was sharp as a tack, but had not yet found his calling, which resulted in some financial struggles along the way. The real-life Mcdonald brothers, who are depicted as still being 100 percent hands-on with their original restaurant, weren’t as active in the day-to-day operations by the time Kroc discovered them, and were already close to retirement.
However, the artistic license taken to allow The Founder to become an effective biographical drama isn’t entirely rooted in deception, but rather for its inherent entertainment value– seriously, who wants to watch two near-retired restaurant owners arguing over contractual stipulations with their franchise guy and their lawyers?
Streaming The Founder
With that in mind, The Founder is an excellent watch because Michael Keaton is equal parts slimy and charming, which is a fantastic contrast to Nick Offermans and John Carroll Lynch’s Mcdonald brothers, who were equal parts meticulous and guarded.
The moment Keaton’s Ray Kroc quizzically raises his eyebrow after experiencing their restaurant first-hand, you see the fire in his eyes that sets the rest of the film in motion, and whether the day-to-day exchanges in The Founder are rooted in fact or fiction are totally irrelevant because the personalities in question, to the best of my knowledge, are pretty spot on.
But what do I know? I wasn’t there. I’m just a guy using store-brand ranch for my french fries and nuggets asking questions.
As of this writing, you can stream The Founder on Netflix.
