Despite saying I was pretty much done with all things Marvel and Star Wars recently, on Sunday night I decided to give the first episode of Ahsoka a go on Disney+.
10 minutes in I was so mind-numbingly bored that I felt myself filling with rage at having been sucked in by yet another “take-your-sweet-arse-time-getting-to-the-point” offering from Disney (a streaming service I plan to cancel in the very near future). Anyway, after giving it another 10 minutes (20 in total) Mrs Screen Room and myself opted to save our sanities and put something else on instead.
Whilst mulling over the options I remembered that a few of you had mentioned in the comments of my recent Michael Keaton post (Facebook) that there was a particular film of his that was well worth a watch. So with a quick switcheroo to Netflix I found it and hit play on the remote.
The Founder (2016)
If you haven’t seen it, it’s a biographical drama starring Michael Keaton (Batman), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac), Linda Cardellini (Green Book) and Laura Dern (Jurassic Park) among others.
It’s basically the story of how the fast food chain McDonalds came to be.
This is what it’s about according to the internet:
“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.”
I can’t say I’ve ever thought about the origins of McDonalds, it’s just always been there. I’m old enough to remember Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar and the rest of those weird characters that someone thought were a good idea back in the day (what was the big purple one meant to be anyway?) I certainly didn’t think a film about how it all started could be good entertainment. How wrong I was!
In hindsight I should’ve known that when everyone’s favourite Batman stars in a movie about everyone’s favourite fast food chain, the results would inevitably be a film well worth watching. And worth watching it certainly is!
From the opening scene where Michael Keaton is looking straight into the camera telling us why we should buy the latest milkshake-making machine I was fully invested. In fact I was more engaged in the first two minutes of this film than I was the entire time I was watching Ahsoka (I also wanted one of those milkshake machines).
Michael Keaton is so good in this movie! His character changes dramatically throughout the course of the film and it’s actually quite a sad journey, especially considering the film is based on a true story. You start off feeling sorry for him and rooting for him to succeed. You really feel his desperation to improve his situation and to succeed at something. As things evolve however (for reasons you’ll discover when you watch it) he gradually turns into a complete @rsehole.
Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch (who never seems to age) play the original McDonald brothers. They both do a great job and it’s easy to see early on where the cracks in their relationship with Ray Kroc (Keaton) are going to stem from. All three characters are very likeable and you genuinely sympathise with their individual situations to the point where, even though you know where the story’s heading, you still hope for a happier ending for everyone involved.
There are also great supporting roles from the extremely underrated Patrick Wilson, Linda Cardellini and Laura Dern who's excellent as Ray Crock's long suffering wife (your heart will break for her in one particular scene).
I never knew there was such an interesting story behind the “Golden Arches” but this film truly captivated me. To be fair, Michael Keaton is a huge part of what makes it so watchable, but even so, the story itself is really engaging. I’ll never look at McDonald’s in the same way again (even if they did get rid of my go-to burger; The Chicken Salsa Legend).
If you haven’t already seen this movie I highly recommend giving it a watch.
It’s a brilliantly acted, excellently told story of how, to be successful in this world you have to be tough, ruthless, and basically sh#t on anyone who stands in your way.
It’s currently streaming on Netflix.
Seen it? Let me know your thoughts (and your favourite Maccy D meal) in the comments.