The Founder
Sign in to save2016 US film by John Lee Hancock
Film · TMDB
7.1The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, 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. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire.
Released: 2016-11-24115 minDir: John Lee HancockDrama, History
Cast
- Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc
- Nick Offerman as Dick McDonald
- John Carroll Lynch as Mac McDonald
- Linda Cardellini as Joan Smith
- B.J. Novak as Harry J. Sonneborn
- Laura Dern as Ethel Kroc
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Key facts
- Directed by
- John Lee Hancock
- Written by
- Robert Siegel
- Produced by
- Don Handfield Jeremy Renner Aaron Ryder
- Starring
- Michael Keaton Nick Offerman John Carroll Lynch Linda Cardellini B. J. Novak Laura Dern
- Cinematography
- John Schwartzman
- Edited by
- Robert Frazen
- Music by
- Carter Burwell
- Production companies
- FilmNation Entertainment The Combine Faliro House Productions S.A. Arcos Dorados Holdings, Inc.
- Distributed by
- The Weinstein Company
- Release dates
- December 7, 2016 ( 2016-12-07 ) ( Arclight Hollywood ) January 20, 2017 ( 2017-01-20 ) (United States)
- Running time
- 115 minutes
- Countries
- United States Greece
Key dates
- Published
- 2 February 2017
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- film
- Genre
- drama film
- Country of origin
- United States
- Original language
- English language
- Main subject
- McDonald's
- Director
- John Lee Hancock
- Screenwriter
- Robert Siegel
- Cast member
- Afemo Omilami
- Composer
- Carter Burwell
- Cinematographer
- John Schwartzman
Article
The Founder is a 2016 biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, which eventually involved forcing out the company's founders to take control of the company and begin operation under a profit-focused business model. Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch co-star as McDonald's founders Richard and Maurice McDonald, alongside Linda Cardellini as Ray Kroc's third wife Joan Smith, and B. J. Novak as McDonald's president and chief executive Harry J. Sonneborn.
The film premiered at Arclight Hollywood on December 7, 2016, and was released theatrically in the United States on January 20, 2017, by the Weinstein Company. It grossed $24 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Keaton and Offerman.