The Founder

PG-13

Released Jan 20, 2017

1 hr. 55 min.

Biography

History

Drama

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81%

247 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and Dick McDonald (Nick Offerman), who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Kroc soon maneuvers himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a multi-billion dollar empire.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Wayne B

Outstanding story. Captures the rise to making a well run restaurant into a world franchise. Kroc was a great salesman and greedy self serving human.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/29/24

Full Review

Evin E

Straight up banger. The only thing that holds me back from giving it a 5 star is the lack of the actual Mac brothers in the story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

Full Review

Soundwave

The story behind the popular food chain is unfair and fucked up, great movie tho

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

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OxiCleeean

Keaton does an excellent job at setting up a sympathetic exterior before showing us the true greed of the common American public. At the same time John Carroll Lynch continues to fly under the radar with another incredible performance in a movie while reviewed we'll critically is still both over-hated and underrated. A truly well acted and well written film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

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Justin B

Very enjoyable and interesting film. Michael Keaton has an excellent performance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

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David W

The Founder tells the story of the individuals behind the rise of one of America's most prolific company brands. The talented cast adds enjoyable depth to each character and the filmmakers do a great job creating the time period setting without overwhelming the audience with nostalgia. With my only critique being it text-based epilogue, I found it to be an excellent film that I would definitely watch again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

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John Lee Hancock

Director

Michael Keaton

Ray Kroc

Nick Offerman

Dick McDonald

John Carroll Lynch

Mac McDonald

Laura Dern

Ethel Kroc

Linda Cardellini

Joan Smith

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The Founder: Trailer 1

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Hancock's bland biopic offers a sanitised and sympathetic take on the burger chain's beginnings and the man who turned it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 19, 2017

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

One of the many pleasures in John Lee Hancock's study of the man who made McDonald's an empire is its reminder that even the simplest ideas need to be invented.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 17, 2017

Full Review

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

The man, played with dark relish by Michael Keaton, has the fabulous name of Ray Kroc (there is a suitably reptilian air to his grin as he says things such as: "Contracts are like hearts. They're made to be broken").

Rated: 3/5

Feb 16, 2017

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

John Lee Hancock's The Founder is the perfect movie for a country that has just chosen a vapid brand for its chief executive.

Apr 6, 2023

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Thanks to a strong, character-focused script by Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) and engaging performances across the board, it all turns out to be pretty riveting stuff.

Rated: 8/10

Nov 1, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Underneath its biopic epidermis is a surprisingly rich character study that can be as shrewd as Kroc himself and that doesn’t shy away from looking at him with a skeptical eye.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 20, 2022

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Synopsis

The true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and Dick McDonald (Nick Offerman), who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. Kroc soon maneuvers himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a multi-billion dollar empire.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Executive Producer: Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Karen Lunder, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, David Glasser, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Holly Brown, David S. Greathouse, William D. Johnson
Screenwriter: Robert D. Siegel
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: The Weinstein Company, FilmNation Entertainment, Faliro House, The Combine
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.8M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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