The Founder (2016) TRAILER REVIEW: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, B.J. Novak, Laura Dern

The trailer begins with Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) talking to us, like a documentary.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Korck said. “How the heck does a 52-year-old, over the hill, milkshake machine salesman, build a fast food empire with 1,600 restaurants and an annual revenue of $700 million dollars? One word — PERSISTENCE.”

Yes, this is the story of the OG founder of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc.

It cuts to the Prince Castle office. The secretary answered the phone, “Prince Castle sales.”

It cuts to Kroc talking at a pay phone, “Hi, June.”

“Ray,” the secretary said, “How’s it going down there?”

But on location, yet another door SLAMMED on Kroc’s face. He placed the milkshake machine on his trunk and closed it angrily.

But back to the phone conversation, Ray said, “Good. Swell. Lots of interest.”

It cuts to Kroc driving on the road with his blue and white Belvedere. A green sign on the road says…..

Belleville

27 miles

It cuts back to the phone conversation. The secretary said, “We got an order. 6 mixers.”

“To anyone in particular?” Kroc asked.

“McDonald’s,” the secretary said.

Ray Kroc arrives at the OG McDonald’s. It’s not the familiar McDonald’s that you know and love/hate today. There are no giant yellow M’s or a creepy clown waving by the door. It actually looks like a TYPICAL hamburger joint by the road. The logo is ketchup red, and the text is white. It’s a pretty standard, minimalist, dare I say boring font. But I like it. The ‘mascot’ is a winking chef. There are also two 15-cent logos on the left and right sides of the chef. McDONALD’S HAMBURGERS written on top of the shop. However, there is a long line to the counter. Ray Kroc met with a bald man named Mac Macdonald (John Carroll Lynch).

“Care for a little tour?” Macdonald offered to Kroc.

But inside, Ray Kroc saw how SYSTEMATIC everything is. There are many cooks in the kitchen. Kroc saw a large, round, metallic tray with 12 buns, burgers, and eggs. They put ketchup and mustard in each of the sandwiches. It’s a well-oiled machine. It’s like a small factory inside this humble burger joint. Kroc met up with the founders, brothers Mac and Dick (Nick Offerman), at a diner.

“We wanted something different,” Mac said. “That’s when my bother here comes up with one of his brilliant ideas.”

“Orders ready in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes,” Dick said.

That is the foundation of the modern fast food system. Many diners and restaurants still prepare your food from the ground up. If you order bacon, eggs, and coffee, they cook it right then and there and then serve it to you. The Macdonalds brothers created a system where they can mass-produce burgers efficiently. And in 1954, though they are skeptical, the Macdonalds brothers are investing in 6 milkshake machines to add one more food item to their already efficient system. If you are a fellow entrepreneur, remember, the SYSTEM is the REAL BUSINESS. The SYSTEM is what you can REPLICATE and FRANCHISE OUT.

It cuts to Ray Kroc’s home. He told his wife, Ethel (Laura Dern), about the Macdonald’s business.

“Unique, original, there’s nothing like this,” Kroc said.

“Revolutionary?” Ethel said.

“That’s exactly what it is, it’s revolutionary,” Kroc said.

It cuts to Kroc meeting the brothers in Phoenix, the location of the first McDonald’s franchise. But in the office, Kroc saw something on the wall. It’s a seemingly glowing photo of the restaurant.

“What is that?” Knock asked.

“The Golden Arches,” Dick said. “It’s a way to make the place stand out.”

It cuts to Kroc meeting the brothers in San Bernardino, their ‘head office’ at that time.

“There should be McDonald’s everywhere,” Ray Kroc said. “FRANCHISE the damn thing!”

“Mr. Kroc — ” Dick tried to talk.

“ — Franchise. Franchise. Franchise.” Ray Kroc declared.

It cuts to Kroc meeting them inside their office.

“McDonald’s can become the ‘New American Church,’” Kroc declared.

The brothers looked at him blankly.

“But it aint just open on Sundays, boys,” Kroc said.

This is crazy. Ray Kroc is more GAGA about McDonald’s than the founders.

It cuts to an evening where Ray Kroc drove to the Phoenix location. At night, the Golden Arches McDonald’s looked ETHEREAL. It’s GOLD and GLOWING in the middle of the dark Phoenix desert.

But it cuts back to Ray Kroc at home.

“How could we be almost out of capital?” Kroc asked his wife.

“Did you mortgage our home?” Ethel asked. “We could lose everything.”

You know what, I am all for risk-taking. But Ray Kroc is 52. He’s not exactly a spring chicken, or a freshly cooked hamburger. Did he mortgage their house for this dream?

It cuts to Kroc talking to Dick over the phone. “I wanna renegotiate my lousy deal,” Kroc said.

“I can’t,” Dick said.

“Can’t or wont?” Kroc said.

“Ray!” Dick said.

“What?!” Kroc asked.

“No!” Dick said.

“Ughhhh…..Damn it!” Kroc kicked the floor and dropped the landline.

What deal is this? In the beginning, Ray Kroc was essentially the exclusive franchise agent for McDonald’s. He would sell out the rights so that entrepreneurs can use the McDonald’s name, likeness, and system, for a fee. With this system, I THINK, business is good, but the ROI for Ray Kroc is not enough. Money is still HARD, that’s why they had to mortgage their house.

That’s why Ray Kroc consulted Harry Sonneborn (BJ Novak), VP of Finance of an ice cream business that he met at a bank while trying to get another loan for his franchising agent business.

“What you ought to be doing is OWNING THE LAND upon which that burger is cooked,” Sonneborn said. “You’re not in the burger business, you’re in the REAL ESTATE business.”

It cuts to his business. They placed the new logo behind the secretary, who was still June, the secretary from Kroc’s old job. The new business name is…

Franchise Realty Corporation

That is the most obvious business name of all time.

It cuts to Dick and Kroc talking over the phone again. Wow! Back in the day, before mobile phones were invented, before email and SMS, people must have been talking over their landlines a lot.

“Franchise Realty Corporation,” Dick said.

“It’s its own separate company,” Kroc said. “Which puts it outside your purview.”

What did Ray Kroc do here exactly? He still earns money as a franchise agent. Plus, he earns rent from McDonald’s because he bought all the land where all the McDonald’s stood. GENIUS.

It cuts to Dick talking to his employees.

“There’s a wolf in the hen house!” Dick said. “We let him in.”

It cuts to Ray Kroc talking in front of a franchisee convention. There are 50 to 70 people here.

“When is it gonna be enough for you?” his wife asked in their home.

“Probably never,” Kroc answered.

That’s the thing with business. It’s not greed per se, maybe it is. But there’s always room to grow. During my first paragraph, Ray Kroc said that he had 1600 restaurants and a $700 million revenue. In 2026, there are 13,000 in the USA alone with a $7.5 billion revenue. And were not even tallying all other countries.

It cuts to another phone conversation.

“You are to STOP this instant,” Dick said.

“I am through getting orders from you,” Kroc said.

Dick raised his voice, “You have a CONTRACT.”

“Contracts are like hearts, they’re made to be BROKEN,” Kroc said.

It cuts to workers removing the old McDonald’s red logo with a chef. It will probably be replaced by the Golden Arches or the clown.

It cuts to Ray Kroc giving a pep talk to McDonald’s staff in a branch.

You hear Ray Kroc’s voiceover, “Business is war. It’s dog eat dog. Rat eat rat.”

It cuts to Ray and Ethel inside a fancy hotel or country club.

“I wanna take the FUTURE. I wanna WIN.” Ray Kroc declared.

It cuts to Ray Kroc talking to a bald lawyer.

“The brothers are your business partners,” the lawyer said.

“Make it go away. I don’t care what it takes.” Kroc said.

It cuts to Ray Kroc handshaking with media, people in suits, and regular people. Cameras flashed everywhere. He’s like a Mayor. Why? Because it’s the opening of another McDonald’s franchise. People applauded him. I like that they combined the Golden Yellow and the Ketchup Red of the OG logo, creating the now iconic McDonald’s colors that you know and love. He even raised both hands to ‘bask in the glory’ of the moments.

In bold Golden Arches text over a red background, they also wrote in front of the shop…

MINNESOTA is McDonald’s Country

I like that. In business terms, that is MARKING YOUR TERRITORY. Burger King and Starbucks might come in eventually. But people will always remember that ‘Minnesota is McDonald’s Country.’

The trailer ends when Ray Kroc and Dick Macdonald bumped into a courtroom/law firm bathroom.

“That glorious name — McDonald’s,” Ray Kroc said. “I had to have it.”

“You don’t have it,” Dick said.

Ray Kroc paused for 2 seconds, and then, “…You sure about that?”

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