Biopics are tricky little films. Done well, they can not only educate, but they can also put you in the mind of a historical figure. Done poorly, they are tedious and nothing but drivel. They are also notorious for being Oscar bait, movies that aim to secure a handful of nominations come awards time. These films come with great highs, and, as well, great lows.
The Founder is the story of Ray Kroc (Micheal Keaton), a struggling salesman who comes across a booming restaurant in southern California called McDonald's. He is enraptured by the system that the McDonald brothers, Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and Dick (Nick Offerman) have created. It is something that hasn't been seen before, and instantly Kroc becomes obsessed with this restaurant. He sees potential in it, and he pressures the McDonald brothers into allowing him to franchise it.
What is interesting about this movie is the fact that it doesn't take any stance on the moral qualities of Ray Kroc. He is neither hero nor villain. He just is. It is up to the viewer to decide where he lands. The passion for seeing the franchise progress shifts the compass of Kroc, turning him from someone who has just seized an opportunity to someone who will stop at nothing, not only for the success of the franchise, but for his own personal financial well being.
Michael Keaton is wonderful in this role. We see him at the beginning of the movie, doing a routine sales pitch, and we feel for the guy. He is not successful. He is barely a provider. He is spending all of his time on the road trying to make a living to support him and his wife, who he barely sees. It is an incredibly sympathetic situation for a character to be in. It is the morphing of the character over the course of the film that becomes interesting.
Keaton is able to portray minuscule changes in character that shadow the journey from family man to someone who admits he would step on his opponent if they were drowning. Ever since starring in Birdman, Keaton has been in a resurgence. Most well known for his portrayal of Batman, he redefined his career and has been better off for it. His acting has matured a lot since movies like Multiplicity. He is refined, and able to dig down deep and pull out masterful performances such as in Birdman and Spotlight. This is just another movie to add to his ledger of outstanding achievements.
One of the refreshing aspects about The Founder is that it doesn't fall prey to the general tropes and trappings of most biopics (mainly a third act tension that is contrived and pulls away from the main narrative). These sorts of things affected the hugely popular, and I would almost say over-rated, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything. The Founder's script stays tight to the story of Kroc, and dares not deviate from it.
The only odd occurrence in the movie would be the score, done by Carter Burwell. It feels like something that is more fit for a Hallmark movie than the seedy character study that is portrayed on screen. I felt that it took away from the moral ambiguity of the character and insisted on an upbeat, positive bent. It was at odds with what was happening on the screen, and did not seem to be the best choice of music.
That criticism aside, The Founder is a solid biopic that never strays from the original purpose of telling the story of someone who we could either admire or hate. Depending on your own personal stance, you will have your own opinions of Ray Kroc as portrayed in this movie. That is the magic of what director John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks and The Blind Side) has graced us with. It is the opportunity to see what personal choices must be made to build an empire, and we are left to decide whether or not it was worth it.
Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars
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