struggling salesman stumbles into the greatest idea in the food
industry. All he has to do is convince the folks who created it
that it can be the biggest idea in the food industry.
Directed
by John Lee Hancock Starring Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, Laura
Dern
Why I Liked It – This is Keaton’s movie, top to
bottom. He makes even Ray Kroc’s worst moments human.
The
golden arches of the McDonald’s franchise are one of the most
recognizable corporate logos on the planet. I remember when they
first became a nationwide sensation. We would pile into the family
car, drive in and it was cheeseburgers and fries for everyone. With a
side of my father’s stern admonition to not make a mess in his car
(that was a BIG no-no in my family). Today they are an ingrained part
of American popular culture. But it hasn’t always been that
way.
This is the story of the man who called himself the
“founder” of McDonald’s. Which he wasn’t, but yes, he was.
Ray Kroc was a salesman. At the moment of his professional epiphany,
he was trying to sell a machine that could make multiple milkshakes
at a time. The problem was, no one needed that many milkshakes made
at a time. Except for two brothers in southern California named
McDonald. They’d come up with a new way to make and serve food. And
they couldn’t keep up with the milkshakes.
What follows
that moment is a fascinating piece of American business history. Kroc
becomes a partner in the business that serves “the best burger I’ve
ever had” (apparently things have changed over the years), only to
discover his partners have no intention of trying for anything beyond
their one store. It’s a battle that will come close to killing one
of the three.
There’s a fine supporting cast here, but
this is a make or break movie for the lead character. Even when
Keaton isn’t on screen, Ray Kroc is there in spirit, or on the
phone. There aren’t many of those moments. Kroc sees a category
busting idea in the restaurant. It’s the big one, the “white
whale”, the holy grail, the project that will set him for life.
What he has to do to make that dream come true is uncomfortable at
times. There are several things he does that are dubious from an
ethical/moral point of view. Keaton’s vision of Kroc is one who
isn’t mean spirited, just driven. That drive will push him into
places he never imagined, both good and bad.
And he will
“found” the version of McDonald’s we all know today.
This
is a bio-pic and suffers from the usual issues. If you don’t care
about the person being bio-ed, there’s not a lot of “action”
here. I didn’t see any major liberties taken with the historical
fact. As these things go, it wasn’t hard to keep watching. Michael
Keaton is the special sauce for this one.
– *** Worth A Look
Stories Are My Life 
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