THE FOUNDER is a film much like Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK: a business-based biopic that sounds rather dull on the page, but which turns out to be spellbinding when on the screen. It's a tale looking at the inception and growth of McDonald's in the 1950s in the hands of the ruthless salesman Ray Kroc, who saw potential in a small business and made it into the franchise it is today. The film is lengthy but perfectly made with just the right pace, and the acting from the principal players is exemplary: Michael Keaton is fully enjoying his career renaissance and as good as he was in SPOTLIGHT, while John Carroll Lynch brings the same heart to the film as he did to FARGO. As with THE SOCIAL NETWORK, this turns out to be less about business and success than about the human capacity for greed and ruthlessness, and man's ability to step on his fellow man in order to reach the top of the ladder. It's remarkably engaging.
Review of The Founder
