FILM ANALYSIS: The Founder (2016)
SYNOPSIS
“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” (IMDb). The Founder is a 2016 biopic film directed by John Lee Hancock, written by Robert Siegel, and starred Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, and Laura Dern; which is based on a true story of how a man gained supremacy in the food industry. The film highlights business principles, personal integrity, and success through wealth as its themes while being a sight of wonder as a motion picture.
CONTENT OF THE FILM TACKLED
Starting as a salesman, Ray Kroc travels from state to state to offer and market supposedly useful products by Prince Castle but always gets rejected or ignored. Receiving a call of six orders of his 5-spindle milkshake maker, he thought it was a mistake until he finally called the customer to clear the said order which auspiciously became eight instead. Puzzled and intrigued, Kroc decided to pay a visit and found the place to be surprisingly thriving. He finally met Mac, the one who ordered the multi-shake mixers, and his brother Dick; together, they own a small burger-joint called McDonald’s which primarily serves hamburgers and fries. Surprised by the quickness of the service, Kroc got to learn the “Speedee system” invented by the brothers to effectively and efficiently serve food to their customers in just 30 seconds.
Ray Kroc thought that what the brothers have in their restaurant was revolutionary and he knew it would be a game changer as he immensely envisioned. The brothers openly shared the whole history of their business, both the ups and downs, to Kroc who is hugely interested that made him desire to franchise McDonald’s. Although already tried and failed, the brothers were convinced by Kroc to open McDonald’s for franchising again and so they did. Kroc franchised it under a stricter contract by Dick and Mac.
Navigating through his recent acquisition, Kroc manages to make more franchises by meeting potential franchisees until he is able to expand nationally. Still bound by the provisions of the franchise and principles of McDonald’s as set by the brothers, he finds himself challenged but still persisted to innovate and think bigger. In the end, Ray Kroc outsmarted the brothers and managed to acquire the brand, make a fortune out of it, and become successful, or so he thought.
EVENT/S FEATURED
Ray Kroc’s acquisition of his first franchise from the brothers would serve as the stepping stone for his bigger acquisition of McDonald’s in the years to come. Initially, he also experienced the franchise problem – quality control, inconsistent menus, and mismanagement, as faced by the brothers when they tried franchising their brand before. Shifting potentials franchisee from upper-class businessmen to suburban couples, Kroc penetrated the suburbs with the belief of “McDonald’s is Family”. Along this development was his wife who has always supported him in his attempts but is evidently contented with what they already have. This non-visionary nature of his wife made them distant and aloof with one another, leading to their divorce later.
With regards to finance, banks became cautious at lending Kroc after his many unsuccessful endeavors as a salesman. Due to lack of resources, he resorted to mortgaging their house without the knowledge of his wife. Ray Kroc still risked as he firmly believes and prays that this one thing, the McDonald’s, be finally “right” for him. Having materialized his franchises and expanding as quickly as the brothers feared, Kroc experiences revenue deficiency as the cut was low. He dared to renegotiate to fix the problem with Dick and Mac but the brothers were as firm as the contract they made.
From chasing potential franchisees to being chased by interested franchisees, Ray Kroc met a couple in the name of Rollie and Joan Smith, who particularly helped him solve the deficit and save cost by replacing ice cream used in milkshake by a powdered one called ‘insta-mix’. Such changes were not allowed under the contract but Kroc still persisted and had the operations in his way undermining the brothers’ approval. This does not end well to an extent legal actions had to be done to settle and make both parties at peace.
MAIN CHARACTERS
The story revolves on how Ray Krocs, a salesman, managed to turn a restaurant franchise into a food giant in the industry. The original founders of McDonald’s, Richard and Maurice McDonald (Dick and Mac), have lost their own creation due to lack of innovativeness and apparent contentment but were still able to keep their integrity as siblings and business owners by holding on their beliefs and gracefully accepting defeat against a ruthless but clever salesman-turned-businessman Ray Krocs. Additionally, being bold and visionary as Krocs, Joan Smith became his new wife. Kroc’s secretary June Matino essentially turned to become a part owner of the McDonald’s Corporation; and Fred Turner, just a former cook-turned-associate, thrived to be a Senior Chairman who stretched McDonald’s operations internationally (Hancock).
ANALYSIS OF THE FILMS BASED ON CONTEXT, EVENTS, AND LOCATION
The Founder is “a feel-bad movie. Its central character is a guy with questionable ethics who nevertheless wins big by doing bad things to good people…little more than a deflating reminder, as if we needed one, that the winner takes all, and integrity isn’t always the key to success” (Merry). This review from The Washington Post primarily analyzes the narrative and characters of the film and gives agreeable conclusions like the intricacy of a world where business is war and where dog eats dog.
“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” (IMDb). The Founder is a 2016 biopic film directed by John Lee Hancock, written by Robert Siegel, and starred Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, and Laura Dern; which is based on a true story of how a man gained supremacy in the food industry. The film highlights business principles, personal integrity, and success through wealth as its themes while being a sight of wonder as a motion picture.
CONTENT OF THE FILM TACKLED
Starting as a salesman, Ray Kroc travels from state to state to offer and market supposedly useful products by Prince Castle but always gets rejected or ignored. Receiving a call of six orders of his 5-spindle milkshake maker, he thought it was a mistake until he finally called the customer to clear the said order which auspiciously became eight instead. Puzzled and intrigued, Kroc decided to pay a visit and found the place to be surprisingly thriving. He finally met Mac, the one who ordered the multi-shake mixers, and his brother Dick; together, they own a small burger-joint called McDonald’s which primarily serves hamburgers and fries. Surprised by the quickness of the service, Kroc got to learn the “Speedee system” invented by the brothers to effectively and efficiently serve food to their customers in just 30 seconds.
Ray Kroc thought that what the brothers have in their restaurant was revolutionary and he knew it would be a game changer as he immensely envisioned. The brothers openly shared the whole history of their business, both the ups and downs, to Kroc who is hugely interested that made him desire to franchise McDonald’s. Although already tried and failed, the brothers were convinced by Kroc to open McDonald’s for franchising again and so they did. Kroc franchised it under a stricter contract by Dick and Mac.
Navigating through his recent acquisition, Kroc manages to make more franchises by meeting potential franchisees until he is able to expand nationally. Still bound by the provisions of the franchise and principles of McDonald’s as set by the brothers, he finds himself challenged but still persisted to innovate and think bigger. In the end, Ray Kroc outsmarted the brothers and managed to acquire the brand, make a fortune out of it, and become successful, or so he thought.
 |
| https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/mediaviewer/rm3987800320 |
EVENT/S FEATURED
Ray Kroc’s acquisition of his first franchise from the brothers would serve as the stepping stone for his bigger acquisition of McDonald’s in the years to come. Initially, he also experienced the franchise problem – quality control, inconsistent menus, and mismanagement, as faced by the brothers when they tried franchising their brand before. Shifting potentials franchisee from upper-class businessmen to suburban couples, Kroc penetrated the suburbs with the belief of “McDonald’s is Family”. Along this development was his wife who has always supported him in his attempts but is evidently contented with what they already have. This non-visionary nature of his wife made them distant and aloof with one another, leading to their divorce later.
With regards to finance, banks became cautious at lending Kroc after his many unsuccessful endeavors as a salesman. Due to lack of resources, he resorted to mortgaging their house without the knowledge of his wife. Ray Kroc still risked as he firmly believes and prays that this one thing, the McDonald’s, be finally “right” for him. Having materialized his franchises and expanding as quickly as the brothers feared, Kroc experiences revenue deficiency as the cut was low. He dared to renegotiate to fix the problem with Dick and Mac but the brothers were as firm as the contract they made.
From chasing potential franchisees to being chased by interested franchisees, Ray Kroc met a couple in the name of Rollie and Joan Smith, who particularly helped him solve the deficit and save cost by replacing ice cream used in milkshake by a powdered one called ‘insta-mix’. Such changes were not allowed under the contract but Kroc still persisted and had the operations in his way undermining the brothers’ approval. This does not end well to an extent legal actions had to be done to settle and make both parties at peace.
MAIN CHARACTERS
The story revolves on how Ray Krocs, a salesman, managed to turn a restaurant franchise into a food giant in the industry. The original founders of McDonald’s, Richard and Maurice McDonald (Dick and Mac), have lost their own creation due to lack of innovativeness and apparent contentment but were still able to keep their integrity as siblings and business owners by holding on their beliefs and gracefully accepting defeat against a ruthless but clever salesman-turned-businessman Ray Krocs. Additionally, being bold and visionary as Krocs, Joan Smith became his new wife. Kroc’s secretary June Matino essentially turned to become a part owner of the McDonald’s Corporation; and Fred Turner, just a former cook-turned-associate, thrived to be a Senior Chairman who stretched McDonald’s operations internationally (Hancock).
ANALYSIS OF THE FILMS BASED ON CONTEXT, EVENTS, AND LOCATION
The Founder is “a feel-bad movie. Its central character is a guy with questionable ethics who nevertheless wins big by doing bad things to good people…little more than a deflating reminder, as if we needed one, that the winner takes all, and integrity isn’t always the key to success” (Merry). This review from The Washington Post primarily analyzes the narrative and characters of the film and gives agreeable conclusions like the intricacy of a world where business is war and where dog eats dog.
“If you can’t beat them, buy them!”
This utterance signifies the whole context of the thematic business narrative of The Founder. The events transpired over the course of Kroc’s full acquisition of McDonald’s divide the viewers whether to admire or antagonize him. Clearly, he sacrificed his relationship with his wife the moment he secretly mortgaged their house. He willfully outwitted Dick and Mac by crossing the boundary of an agreement; with the help of like-minded people, Krocs succeeded in obtaining McDonald’s and settling legality with the brothers which seemingly demands audience’s sympathy, only that the film focuses more on concluding Kroc’s apparent success.
McDonald’s is originally founded by the Brothers in California contrary to what Krocs claimed to be in Illinois. Surely there he opened his first franchise but his self-proclamation as the founder of McDonald’s and having the first restaurant opened in Illinois were plainly wrong (Close). With regards to reel time, the film only covers the period of acquisition of Krocs from local franchise to national supremacy of McDonald’s in America; it does not include its international expansion and global success as to reflect the present time. Lastly, the film did not side solely on one version of the history of McDonald’s which merits its almost unbiased narrative.
REACTION
First of all, The Founder, being the title, is very intentional as to question and critique such a label. Having watched the movie and further researched the story, Ray Krocs is not the founder of McDonald’s; with that, we shall all agree. Surely we can credit him for his wit and persistence, but we shall not forget the true founders and genuine principles of McDonald’s. Despite not being much applicable today, the film, its narrative, and composition, still moves and holds the viewers to reflect, assess, and even account personal choices with regards to career, relationship, and values and virtues one practices as an individual. Was Ray Krocs really successful? Indeed he succeeded at his vision, but can we conveniently claim that that is a success already? The Founder may have given a stance on the essence of integrity on success, but it surely exhibited the impact of persistence and determination in life!
REFERENCES
Close, Kerry. The Founder and the Complicated True Story Behind the Founding of McDonald's. 16 December 2016. 8 April 2019. <http://money.com/money/4602541/the-founder-mcdonalds-movie-accuracy/>.
IMDb. The Founder (2016). n.d. <https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/>.
Merry, Stephanie. ‘The Founder’ spins the sordid success story of McDonald’s mogul Ray Kroc. 19 January 2017. 8 April 2019. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-founder-spins-the-sordid-success-story-of-mcdonalds-mogul-ray-kroc/2017/01/19/0fe2d622-d9a8-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.907df34db933>.
The Founder. Dir. John Lee Hancock. 2016. Digital.
Final Paper
McDonald’s is originally founded by the Brothers in California contrary to what Krocs claimed to be in Illinois. Surely there he opened his first franchise but his self-proclamation as the founder of McDonald’s and having the first restaurant opened in Illinois were plainly wrong (Close). With regards to reel time, the film only covers the period of acquisition of Krocs from local franchise to national supremacy of McDonald’s in America; it does not include its international expansion and global success as to reflect the present time. Lastly, the film did not side solely on one version of the history of McDonald’s which merits its almost unbiased narrative.
REACTION
First of all, The Founder, being the title, is very intentional as to question and critique such a label. Having watched the movie and further researched the story, Ray Krocs is not the founder of McDonald’s; with that, we shall all agree. Surely we can credit him for his wit and persistence, but we shall not forget the true founders and genuine principles of McDonald’s. Despite not being much applicable today, the film, its narrative, and composition, still moves and holds the viewers to reflect, assess, and even account personal choices with regards to career, relationship, and values and virtues one practices as an individual. Was Ray Krocs really successful? Indeed he succeeded at his vision, but can we conveniently claim that that is a success already? The Founder may have given a stance on the essence of integrity on success, but it surely exhibited the impact of persistence and determination in life!
REFERENCES
Close, Kerry. The Founder and the Complicated True Story Behind the Founding of McDonald's. 16 December 2016. 8 April 2019. <http://money.com/money/4602541/the-founder-mcdonalds-movie-accuracy/>.
IMDb. The Founder (2016). n.d. <https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4276820/>.
Merry, Stephanie. ‘The Founder’ spins the sordid success story of McDonald’s mogul Ray Kroc. 19 January 2017. 8 April 2019. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-founder-spins-the-sordid-success-story-of-mcdonalds-mogul-ray-kroc/2017/01/19/0fe2d622-d9a8-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.907df34db933>.
The Founder. Dir. John Lee Hancock. 2016. Digital.
Final Paper
COMM 100 (Introduction to Communication and Media)
11 APRIL 2019
Comments
Post a Comment