Friday, March 29, 2024

McDonald’s Execs So Far Won’t See “The Founder” Movie About Ray Kroc Starring Michael Keaton

Share

plaque“The Founder” is coming and I’m lovin’ it. I haven’t seen John Lee Hancock’s movie about McDonald’s starring Michael Keaton, but it’s supposed to have enough special sauce to get Michael Keaton an Oscar nomination. In an open year in the Best Actor category, the much loved actor has a good shot.

But the folks at McDonald’s aren’t pleased. Even though The Weinstein Company has offered them chances to see the movie, the keepers of the Golden Arches haven’t responded. Indeed, I hear they’ve declined. They figure they deserve a break today.

The movie chronicles how Ray Kroc, played by Keaton, bought into the company created by the McDonald’s brothers in the 1950s and slowly took it over. Baseball fans know that Kroc got so rich he bought the San Diego Padres. At one point, in every McDonald’s there was supposed to be a plaque in his memory. Dozens of them are for sale now on the internet. Kroc was such a megalomaniac that the company even put out a commercial honoring him in 1977 for his 75th birthday:

Kroc died in 1981 leaving an estate of $8 billion.

“The Founder” will be released at the very end of December for an Oscar qualifying run, then go wide in January. It’s assumed McDonald’s will not be hosting the premiere.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
spot_img

Read more

In Other News