The Founder (2016)


'You know what? Contracts are like hearts. They are meant to be broken'

IMDb Plot Summary: 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 know that a lot of people hate McDonalds. I on the other hand absolutely love it; in fact, its my favourite fast food franchise, always has been. And this is the story of the man who helped bring this food industry empire to a stage where it feeds 1% of the world's population everyday.

The story of McDonald's is available all over the internet, but I'll put a short version of it here. Two brothers with the family name McDonald started a restaurant called McDonalds that served burgers in 30 seconds instead of the standard 30 minutes; at that time, this was a giant feat and no one had done something like this before. By chance, a sales agent called Ray Kroc happens to stumble upon these brothers and their business and partners up with them to franchise McDonald's and to spread it all across America. This comes with a lot of hurdles, especially with the McDonald brothers' ideals conflicting with Ray's ideas for expansion. I won't say what happens as it could ruin the fun of finding it out for yourself by watching this film.

I do feel sorry for the McDonald's brothers for the way they were cut off from their own brand. They did have some faults of their own, but at the very least, they deserved to get paid the royalties which they never did even though Kroc had informally agreed to it. This movie lets us get into the minds of a sales mastermind and it works brilliantly with the viewers. Great acting, script and direction. Slow at times but just in tiny bits here and there, no major flaws to be considered as such.

 I have to specially mention this. Towards the end of the movie, Ray Kroc talks to one of the McDonald brothers who asks Kroc why he didn't just steal the brothers' idea. That's when Kroc replies 'That would have never worked. How many people have you given a tour of your kitchen, like me? And how many of them might have though about doing the same thing. But none of them succeeded. Why? McDonald's isn't great just because you serve food in 30 seconds. Its the name McDonald's that makes it great. If I started a restaurant that was called Kroc's, no one would come and eat there. McDonald's is the very definition of America; it makes people feel at home. The name is what makes it so great'.

Watch this if you are looking for a good Biographical Drama. An IMDb 8/10. Recommended.

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