Michael Keaton is compelling as Ray Kroc, the man who took the idea of McDonald's and made it into what it is today. He plays him just odd enough, just awkwardly salesmany enough, while keeping us generally on his side. This works well as his tactics become more and more despicable, and his success by the use of unethical tactics grows. Keaton makes it hard for us to dislike him too much, as he breaks promises, swindles people out of fortunes, and leaves his wife without her share. But this is the point really.
Kroc is the poster child for American capitalism. We are supposed to be conflicted over our dislike for his actions and our attraction to him and his success. This is the cognitive dissonance which makes the movie more than just a biopic, more than just a "based on a true story." Hancock, whose work up to this point hasn't show a great deal of cultural analysis (The Blind Side), here triumphs by subverting our self-righteousness by making us complicit in Kroc's deeds and taking us along for the ride. And Keaton's performance helps sell it all to us.
And as the credit role and Hancock employs the tried and true gimmick of showing us pictures of the actual people who were portrayed in the movie with a summation of what happened to them after the movie's plot ends, we are forced to face the results. The "bad" guy wins in this system. The guy who doesn't play by the rules and takes advantage of all his advantages scores while those who lived more honestly, more decently, were taken advantage of. And as the lights come up and we contemplate going for a burger and fries, we know deep down that yes, this is the world we live in. Based on a true story indeed.
The Founder
Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, Linda Cardellini, B. J. Novack
Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Robert D. Siegel
No comments:
Post a Comment