Everybody knows the Golden Arches, but the story behind how they came to symbolize America is strikingly entertaining. Michael Keaton expectedly slays as Ray Croc, the former milkshake-machine salesman who struck a deal with the McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch), that led fast food to dominate the American dinnerscape.
Keaton marshals as much of his considerable charm as he can, but director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) and writer Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) do not give in to the Hollywood’s hagiographic tendencies. Croc did not become the founder of what is arguably America’s most recognizable brand without making his share of enemies, at home and at work. Anyone who has ever scarfed down that distinctive burger and fries will find The Founder delicious and maybe just a little bit stomach-churning.
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