Ronald
Dir: John Dower
2014
***
Joe Maggard isn't a household name and you'd be forgiven for walking past him in the street and not knowing who he is. Stick Clown make-up on him and he's one of the best known characters of the last century. Joe Maggard is Ronald McDonald of McDonalds. Weirdly enough, nearly a decade after his retirement, you can still see that it's him, it's that same old face we used to see all over the place in the 90's-00's. One wonders if it is all about the make-up, I don't think it can be but I've never seen the other 7 Ronalds and I'm not interested enough to look them up. It's a middle-aged Ronald who has had a few beers today and has fallen on tougher times in the last few years but it is still the same old Ronald (although his advice of swapping French Fries for Apples is new, not to mention ridiculous. Maybe he's lost it). That is where the interest of this peace ends. It's only about 6 minutes long, Maggard is an interesting character, a little egocentric but quite charming. Straight to the point, amusing and fun. It's a nice little film and a rewarding distraction.