Film Preview: The Founder (2016)

Page Revisions:

(April 24, 2016) Original
(July 17, 2016) New Release Date (changed from 8/5/16) / Updated Oscar Prospects
(December 11, 2016) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2 & #3)
(January 8, 2017) New Trailer (#3)

Release Date:

December 16, 2016

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The story of McDonald’s founder, Ray Kroc.”

Poster Rating: C+ / C / C

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) It’s a nice tease, but it’s a rudimentary one.

(#2) It certainly gets its point across, but it’s ultimately too static to be genuinely interesting. (#3) Altering the actual structure of the restaurant in order to create the title card is a visual distraction, but otherwise the poster works fairly well.

Trailer Rating: B- / C+ / B

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: At first, the trailer is played like Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) is a visionary and compelling leader, but it ends painting him as a megalomaniac. I’m not sure how you sell a film with that unlikable a protagonist.

(#2) If you want a garden-variety biopic, this trailer will certainly suit your needs. While the film still looks like the one put for in the first trailer, this second trailer downplays the dramatics in favor of making it seem more broad, which isn’t an improvement.

(#3) With all the drama on display, this biopic looks like it could hit all the right notes. This kind of film demands not just drama, but a few lighter touches of comedy and this trailer provides it all.

Oscar Prospects:

ORIGINAL (4/24/16): It could be an Oscar player if it weren’t an August release. The film seems to have lost a lot of its buzz since Michael Keaton was cast.

NOW (7/17/16): Clearly the Weinstein Company believes it will be a major Oscar player. Shifting the release from August into December, that’s a bold move and shows they are ready to give it the full push. I expect Keaton won’t be the only nominee, but there will be a dramatic push to give him a career accolade.