Review of The Founder (2016) by Meredith W — 21 Dec 2016

"The Founder" is a dramatised account of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) gained control of the McDonald's brand and made it into a billion-dollar empire. Although interesting and well-acted, it's not a nice story as the film takes pains to remind viewers that the brand was founded by the McDonald brothers with high-quality foodstuffs to exacting quality-controlled standards yet made with incredible speed.

Far from charismatic, the travelling salesman's frenetic energy ends up becoming obnoxious. Indeed, the ending, as history tells us, is morally pessimistic - he may have brought someone else's golden arches to the world, but it was at the expense of others more deserving of success.