What makes “The Founder” distinctly American, beyond the setting (California and the Midwest in the 1950s), is that Kroc had that particular type of American drive that measures the worth of one’s entire life in terms of external success. This is not an attitude that crosses all cultures, but Americans certainly understand it, and so we see in Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) a blown up version of something we recognize within. [...] we care about him, and sympathize, because at the start of the movie he’s 52 and not a big shot yet. The whole point of fast food is that you can drive a thousand miles, stop at a McDonald’s, and it will be identical to the McDonald’s you know back home. [...] how do you keep them from expressing their individuality and creativity by screwing things up? What is the actual leverage to force a McDonald’s owner to toe the line? Throughout Ray is in contention with the McDonald’s brothers, and one of the best features of the movie is that neither side is always right. The McDonalds are rigorous in their commitment to a quality product, but they’re content to think small. Ray, by contrast, understands how to grow a business, but he says things like, “If my competitor were drowning, I’d put a hose right in his mouth.” [...] gradually his external reality comes into harmony with his internal sense of grandiosity, and it does not make him a better person. Notice this particularly in the dinner scene in which he looks across the restaurant and spots a woman that attracts him. Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicle’s movie critic.