Linda Cardellini – NZ Film Freak

Director: Peter Farrelly
Writers: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie and Peter Farrelly
Released: November 2018
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini
—

I was looking forward to watching a movie full of triumphs and heart-wrenching moments. I guess I was expecting Little Miss Sunshine meets Hidden Figures meets The Help.

Sadly, Green Book was a somewhat shallow story that did not reach the emotional depths that I expected it would.

It’s about Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) who works as a bouncer before being asked to drive a successful (and rather pompous) African American musician (Doctor Don Shirley) around the deep south.

Shirley specifically asked Vallelonga to drive him from concert to concert, in part because of how dangerous it would be for him in the deep south, where racist views of the 1960s were at its most hostile.

To be perfectly blunt, I didn’t like either character.

Our introduction to Vallelonga was of him throwing drinking glasses away that two African American men drank from. Despite this prejudice, he was in no way racist or intolerant throughout the rest of the film. It was rather jarring, and also reduced the character conflict within the movie to next to none.

Shirley appears to be an extremely sheltered man who rides in the back seat of the car with a blanket over his legs, putting his nose up at deep-fried chicken, and looking down on any one who acts anything less than ‘upper class’.

I couldn’t identify with either character at all.

The movie speeds through concert after concert, city after city, lingering on a few well-thought-out racist clashes between Shirley and police or thugs in pubs. Making the film feel rather undeveloped.

The story is punctuated by the classical music that Shirley is performing, but I found this to be rather dull. I would have preferred jazz or honky tonk blues (a genre that raises its head in one of the final scenes!).

Just realised why I was disappointed with the music – the trailer features zero classical music! Only jazz and a pop song by Sam Smith… The whitest man on the planet.

It’s just not what I expected, I guess.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Robert D. Siegel
Released: January 2017
Starring: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, Patrick Wilson, B. J. Novak and Laura Dern
—

I’m sure there’s a documentary or two out there about the history of McDonald’s. But if you’d rather watch a snappy film about it, choose The Founder.

It’s an account of Ray Kroc’s (Michael Keaton) greed, and the sadness and destruction he left in his wake.

I knew Ray Kroc was a bit of a wheeling-dealing businessman, but I didn’t realise what an underhanded tyrant he was until I watched this film. He completely swindled the actual founders of McDonald’s – brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald (John Caroll Lynch and Nick Offerman) – out of the success and profit of the company.

Ray Kroc: If I saw a competitor drowning, I’d shove a hose in his throat

He not only hijacked the business, he took every shortcut available to him. For example, real milkshakes made from real ice cream, became powdered milk, emulsifiers and flavourings in order to cut costs and increase production. The personal touch that the McDonald’s brothers gave to the business, was tarnished.

Dick McDonald: If phony powdered milkshakes is your idea of progress, you have a profound misunderstanding of what McDonald’s is about.

the_founder3

I don’t know if it was my imagination, but the film began with bright lighting and sunny skies. But as Ray Kroc got his hands into the business, I swear the overall lighting got dimmer. Which I liked, because it reflected the amount of stress he inflicted on the brothers.

I’m not surprised McDonald’s has become the controversial empire that it has become today, when you see how the humble, family business was manipulated by Kroc.

Michael Keaton did a terrific job. He portrayed the manic and flippant, money-hungry man that is Ray Kroc very well indeed. Money came before family, ethics and genuine products.

Ray Kroc: You know what – contracts are like hearts, they are made to be broken.

It’s sad tale, really, because although McDonald’s is undoubtedly a successful brand, it’s not without blood on its hands. I can see how that came to be the case now, as the foundations of this business is a greedy one. But, as stated on the front of the DVD cover: ‘you can’t start a fast food empire without getting a little greedy’.

the_founder2

It’s an upsetting film because I unfortunately know that these people walk among us. The kind of business person who does anything possible to make money at any cost. But, maybe that really is the attitude you need to have to become successful… I hope that isn’t true.

Ray Kroc: …persistence. Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence. Talent won’t. Nothing’s more common than an unsuccessful man with talent.

As I said, it’s possibly a more entertaining way to learn about how the Gold Arches started out. But it does leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth.

Circling back to the film itself, it does lack a climax and is a bit of a flat film in some parts. But overall, worth a watch for the educational enlightenment.

But don’t expect to feel okay with the world afterwards. Especially during the credits when they show clips of the real Ray Kroc.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10