"The Founder"

This was a fine peace of work, and Michael Keaton, wide-eyed and determined, reveals the ligaments of dreams and power - it's all a mixed bag - wreckage left in his wake, an empire built, families disrupted, and in the end, money - money given to the Salvation Army and NPR (go figure). 

The entire cast is superb - the costumes and settings capture the feel of the times.

And I learned that Grand Rapids, MI was one of the very first in the new chain, and it was in GR, when I moved there in the fall of 1959, I remember my first trip there - going up to the window, the 15-cent burgers and 10-cent fries - I remember standing there and eating. Wow. I was 15 and in 10th grade.

Enjoying the story, feeling some of Kroc's enormous frustration in trying to find himself, and the constant anxiety of going on a limb, I found myself encouraged - persistence is the key, always. And clear-headed thinking and goals, too. 

But, in a sense, woe to those who achieve their dreams. The feel of the movie is morally ambiguous, which is pretty much the whole of life.

A movie for the times ... live and learn.

Revolutionary Road

A tour de force of sadness ... this is a tough film, yet one of the finest films I've seen. Hats off to Sam Mendes for bringing this powerful story to the silver screen. And thanks to Paramount Vantage (and others) for this incredible achievement.

Set in the Connecticut suburbs of the mid-fifties, we watch a young, up-and-coming, family make their way into life, and into chaos.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler and their two children are living the American Dream, or is it a nightmare?

At the heart of the story, a conflict - between dreams and reality.

When I counsel, I often use the A-B Game - where A is our reality and B is our dream. What we all know is this: reality is complex and filled with bits and pieces we could never have foreseen. Whereas a day-dream is clear and happy - that's the nature of a day-dream. It's always better than what we have, and what we have pales in comparison to the meanderings of our imagination. When we play the A-B Game, reality always looses!


Paris in springtime, or scrambled eggs in Connecticut. Hands down, Paris wins.


At what point is a dream worth it?


And, at what point should we seek our dreams in our reality? Just how bad is our reality anyway?


If the story has a point, it's this: a dream held unreasonably can kill! But ... and that's the point as well ... should we just chuck our reality, if we can (and they could), and go full-tilt for Paris? Maybe. Maybe not!


Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) - the perfect family. He's employed in the same company for which his dad worked. He's a young executive, but he doens't want to be there. He really doesn't know what he wants to do. Mrs. Wheeler's the quintessential Fifties housewife - a great dinner scene - all the recipes of the Fifties, including a pineapple with goodies affixed by toothpick - someone did their homework. The cars, the decor - it's all the Fifties, in all of its glory, and stifling horror!

The office environment in which he works - the men rule; the women serve. The neighborhood - where pretense and image are everything. We're happy, aren't we?


The Wheelers both yearn for something neither of them understand.


So they hatch a plan - we have enough money along with selling the house, and we can move to Paris, to fined ourselves and what it is that we need to be and do. But Mr. Wheeler doesn't really know what he wants. But that's okay. Mrs. Wheeler will go to work for the State Deparment - the pay is good, and Mr. Wheeler can think and write, and find out what he wants.


What a dream - it's shared with co-workers and neighbors, but Mr. Wheeler drags his feet.


And then, a promotion offered, and an unexpected development - suddenly the dream is in jeopardy.


The audience watches Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler do a slow-motion plunge into chaos.


So what's the dream?
What's the reality?
Where's the interface?
Who are we?
And what's it all about?


If you go, be prepared for a soul-searching experience. Go with some friends, exit quietly, head for a restaurant, grab a couple of stiff drinks and let the conversation begin.