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The Founder is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc , the film depicts the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, which eventually involved forcing out the company's original founders to take control with ...
The Founder: Directed by John Lee Hancock. With Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini. The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' innovative fast food eatery, McDonald's, into the biggest restaurant business in the world, with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.
- (182K)
- Biography, Drama
- John Lee Hancock
- 2017-01-20
The Founder. 2017 · 1 hr 56 min. PG-13. Drama. The compelling true story of how a struggling salesman from Illinois made the McDonald’s franchise into a billion-dollar burger empire. Subtitles: English.
- John Lee Hancock
- 115 min
- January 1, 2017
The Founder puts Michael Keaton's magnetic performance at the center of a smart, satisfying biopic that traces the rise of one of America's most influential businessmen -- and the birth of one...
- (248)
- John Lee Hancock
- PG-13
- Michael Keaton
- Overview
- Plot
- Cast
The Founder is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film portrays the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, which eventually involved forcing out the company's original founders to take control with conniv...
In 1954, traveling milkshake machine salesman Ray Kroc observes that many of the drive-in restaurants that he tries to sell to are inefficiently run. After learning that a drive-in in San Bernardino, California is ordering an unusually large number of milkshake mixers, Kroc drives to see it. What he finds is McDonald's, a popular walk-up restaurant with fast service, high-quality food, disposable packaging and a family-friendly atmosphere.
Kroc meets with Maurice "Mac" and Richard "Dick" McDonald, who give him a tour of the restaurant. The next day, Kroc suggests the brothers franchise the restaurant but they hesitate, pointing out that they already tried, only to fail. Kroc persists and eventually convinces them to allow him to lead their franchising efforts on the condition that he agrees to a strict contract, which requires all changes to be subject to the McDonald brothers' approval.
Kroc begins building a McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, while attempting to entice wealthy investors to open franchises but encounters the same poor management ethic which doomed the original franchise efforts. After encountering a Jewish Bible salesman, Kroc hits on the idea of franchising to middle-class investors and begins visiting local fraternity organizations and church communities finding their members to be more inclined to uphold McDonald's quality as they are more invested than their wealthy counterparts. It proves successful and new franchises begin opening across the Midwest, with Kroc representing himself as the creator of McDonald's and Fred Turner, a burger cook at the Des Plaines restaurant, as his associate. During that time, Kroc meets Rollie Smith, an upscale restaurant owner in Minnesota who wishes to invest and Rollie's wife, Joan, to whom Kroc is immediately attracted.
Kroc expands rapidly but his shares of franchise profits are limited due to his contract, which the McDonald brothers decline to renegotiate. Joan Smith suggests saving money by introducing a powdered milkshake but the brothers consider it to be degrading to their food quality standards. Kroc's wife Ethel is upset by a visit from the bank since his mortgage is three months' late and she did not know Kroc had mortgaged their house. Harry Sonneborn, a financial consultant, tells Kroc the real profit opportunity is in providing real estate to the franchisees, which will not only provide a revenue stream, but give Kroc leverage over his franchisees and the brothers. Kroc incorporates a new company, Franchise Realty Corporation and attracts new investors, while opening new restaurants without the brothers' approval. This upsets the brothers and emboldens Kroc, who increasingly defies them by circumventing their authority and providing powdered milkshakes to all franchisees but not their restaurant. Kroc also divorces Ethel who gets all his assets except any shares in his business.
Ray Kroc renames the company the McDonald's Corporation and demands to be released from his contract and buy the McDonald brothers out, which sends Mac into diabetic shock. Kroc visits him in the hospital and offers a blank check to settle their business. The brothers agree to a $2.7 million lump sum payment (equivalent to $26 million in 2020), ownership of their original restaurant in San Bernardino and a 1% annual royalty but when the time comes to finalize the agreement, Kroc refuses to include the royalty in the settlement and instead offers it as a handshake deal. Afterwards Dick McDonald confronts Kroc and asks why he had to take over their business when he could have easily stolen their idea and recreated it. Kroc answers that the true value of McDonald's is the name itself, which expresses the attributes of Americana.
The McDonald brothers are forced to take their own name off the original restaurant and Kroc opens a new McDonald's franchise directly across the street. Kroc marries Joan Smith, who has left Rollie Smith. In 1970, Kroc prepares a speech for California Governor Ronald Reagan – plagiarized heavily from a motivational speech he heard earlier in the film – crediting himself for his success, which he claims was achieved not through talent or education but through persistence.
•Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc
•Nick Offerman as Richard "Dick" McDonald
•John Carroll Lynch as Maurice "Mac" McDonald
•Linda Cardellini as Joan Smith
•B. J. Novak as Harry J. Sonneborn
•Laura Dern as Ethel Kroc
Currently you are able to watch "The Founder" streaming on Tubi TV for free with ads or buy it as download on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store. It is also possible to rent "The Founder" on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store online.
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Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, which eventually involved forcing out the company's original founders to take control with conniving ruthlessness.
