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The Founder puts Michael Keaton's magnetic performance at the center of a smart, satisfying biopic that traces the rise of one of America's most influential businessmen -- and the birth of one of its most far-reaching industries.
All Critics (233) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (191) | Rotten (42)
The Founder ends up feeling extremely wishy-washy, unable to scrub the nastiness of Kroc's success but also incapable of confronting it. Feb 9, 2017 | Full Review…
The Founder ends up feeling extremely wishy-washy, unable to scrub the nastiness of Kroc's success but also incapable of confronting it.
David Sims
One of the must-see entertainments of the year. Jan 25, 2017 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
One of the must-see entertainments of the year.
Rex Reed
Its omissions and elisions are the result not of natural narrative contours but of open choices, gaping holes, psychological wounds that a filmmaker displays all the more via the elaborate efforts at concealment ... Jan 23, 2017 | Full Review…
Its omissions and elisions are the result not of natural narrative contours but of open choices, gaping holes, psychological wounds that a filmmaker displays all the more via the elaborate efforts at concealment ...
Richard Brody
Keaton is fascinating as Kroc, a bad guy who embodies the American Dream - a man who isn't necessarily the best or most talented but who's willing to step on anyone to get ahead. Jan 20, 2017 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Keaton is fascinating as Kroc, a bad guy who embodies the American Dream - a man who isn't necessarily the best or most talented but who's willing to step on anyone to get ahead.
Katie Walsh
The Founder remains fascinating largely because Keaton is so good at guile and bile. Not once does he wink at the audience or overplay the obvious. Jan 20, 2017 | Full Review…
The Founder remains fascinating largely because Keaton is so good at guile and bile. Not once does he wink at the audience or overplay the obvious.
Peter Rainer
John Lee Hancock serves up a biopic of McDonald's king Ray Kroc that is not unlike the restaurant's product: precisely prepared, brightly packaged, and uncomplicated in its appeal. Or at least, that's how it goes down much of the time. Jan 20, 2017 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
John Lee Hancock serves up a biopic of McDonald's king Ray Kroc that is not unlike the restaurant's product: precisely prepared, brightly packaged, and uncomplicated in its appeal. Or at least, that's how it goes down much of the time.
Matthew Lickona
It's a classic American story. It's the American dream. And it's a lie. Apr 16, 2019 | Full Review…
It's a classic American story. It's the American dream. And it's a lie.
Richard Trenholm
With Donald Trump the President-elect of the United States, The Founder acquires new and tragic relevance as a parable for these uncertain times. Mar 15, 2019 | Full Review…
With Donald Trump the President-elect of the United States, The Founder acquires new and tragic relevance as a parable for these uncertain times.
Keva York
The Founder is by and large very watchable, with a uniformly strong cast largely underused behind an under-directed Keaton. Ultimately, the filmmakers just weren't the right people for the job... Mar 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
The Founder is by and large very watchable, with a uniformly strong cast largely underused behind an under-directed Keaton. Ultimately, the filmmakers just weren't the right people for the job...
Calum Baker
The Founder may not be as wholesome as the global brand markets itself, but it is an engaging story about the great idealism and darker reality of American capitalism. Jan 23, 2019 | Full Review…
The Founder may not be as wholesome as the global brand markets itself, but it is an engaging story about the great idealism and darker reality of American capitalism.
Nathalia Aryani
A biography of some sorts that does the job while 'forgiving' some aspects of the story. [Full review in Spanish] Jan 15, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
A biography of some sorts that does the job while 'forgiving' some aspects of the story. [Full review in Spanish]
Federico Furzan
The Founder is almost satisfying but it seems like it has been under the heat lamps for a little too long and winds up soggy and lacking in flavor. Oct 30, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…
The Founder is almost satisfying but it seems like it has been under the heat lamps for a little too long and winds up soggy and lacking in flavor.
Sean Mulvihill
Pretty entertaining and well paced biopic about the making of McDonald's. While the beginning is pretty amusing and you feel sympathy for the ambiguous con man character played perfectly by Keaton, things get a little more serious in the end and you pretty much change your view of the man. That's an interesting untold story full of 1960s nostalgia but rather modern camera work and editing for our viewing convenience.
Super Reviewer
Reads like an unpolished draft. Tried to cram too much in instead of focusing on only great scenes with emotional impact. More like a book report than a biopic. Made me crave a McD's cheeseburger though so I guess in that sense, it was a success.
Good movie, but about a hideous man. I didn't know the story of Macdonald's prior to watching this and I really felt sorry for the brothers who owned the original restaurant. That guy who took it over was a sleazy little weasel. I spent most of the movie wishing harm on him!
The Founder is a very thorough depiction of business. As the chronicle evolves, we get a tale that metamorphosizes from a drama about entrepreneurial spirit into a commentary on the sins of capitalism. What emerges is a riveting portrayal of Ray Kroc. He comes across as a very intelligent guy but he can be a ruthless tycoon as well. The brothers are depicted in a more sympathetic light. They place a premium on high-quality ingredients for example. Yet their "stuck in a rut" way of thinking is part of an outmoded business model that has kept their attempts to franchise from succeeding in a big way. Did Ray Kroc exploit the brothers' geniality or was he the visionary that saw opportunities that they didn't? It's an interesting discussion and one that the screenplay encourages. You will both admire and chastise this man. That duality grounds The Founder. I enjoyed every morsel that it served up. fastfilmreviews.com
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