The Founder
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Patrick Wilson, Laura Dern
Four stars
The last time McDonald's was the subject of a film, the result was Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me – a film that did huge damage to the PR image of the world's most successful fast-food empire.
It is hard to imagine that business biopic The Founder, which tells a story that is now 70 years old, will do much to spruce up that image.
John Lee Hancock’s film tells how the burger chain grew to become a global phenomenon, all thanks to the vision of one man, Ray Kroc.
Played by Michael Keaton – in a role that arguably outshines his Oscar-nominated work as a washed-up actor in 2014's Birdman – Kroc is the very embodiment of the American dream: ambitious, relentless and ruthless.
There can be no doubt that he spread the gospel according to McDonald’s – but is he “the founder”? That is a label that would undoubtedly gnaw away at the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, who turned their simple hot-dog stand into a successful streamlined burger joint in San Bernardino, California.
As Hancock’s film makes abundantly clear, it was Dick and Mac (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) who came up with the concept of an assembly-line kitchen to speed up the process of putting the food together. They simplified the menu to offer just burgers, fries, milkshakes and apple pies. They even came up with the iconic golden arches – that welcoming yellow sign that symbolises McDonald’s restaurants the world over.
What they did not do was evolve their great idea into a world-beating fast-food franchise.
Scripted by Robert D Siegel, who wrote Darren Aronofsky's marvellous study of failure The Wrestler, The Founder will appeal to anyone who enjoyed The Social Network. While that David Fincher-directed movie dealt with the formation of social-media site Facebook, a phenomenon that changed the way we communicate, it was really about the Machiavellian power-plays between Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Likewise, Siegel’s script about the formation of a business that changed the eating habits of much of the world, deals with similar behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
If it is a movie of winners and losers, it is also the sort of divisive story that will sort its audience into two camps. Some will feel for Dick and Mac, the small-time siblings with limited ambitions, lacking the know-how to take McDonald’s to the next level.
Others will champion the entrepreneurial Kroc, a travelling salesman who meets the brothers while selling milkshake machines. Inspired by their diner, he petitions the wary brothers to let him help expand the business. They agree, but only if they have final approval on all decisions.
What follows is a fascinating account of how Kroc gradually built the chain – and his own power – through alliances, innovations – and plain old scheming. Along the way, he neglects his wife (Laura Dern) and sets his sights on a second spouse (Linda Cardellini) in much the same way as he does the McDonald brothers’ diner. Life for Kroc, it seems, is all about the thrill of the chase and acquisitions – something he pursues relentlessly. He is the sort of man you imagine US president elect Donald Trump heralding as a hero.
With fine performances in support – Lynch and Parks and Recreation’s Offerman are fantastic as the brothers seemingly powerless to stop Kroc from steamrollering their business – this marks a change of direction for director Hancock.
His recent work, such as Saving Mr Banks and Oscar-winner The Blind Side, has been coated in pure sugar – The Founder is much more involving and substantial.
You will never look at a Big Mac quite the same way again.
• The Founder is in cinemas on Thursday, January 5
artslife@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The%20specs
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now