I’ve spoken about this movie in the past as being one of my favourites, yet I’ve failed to dedicate the time to properly explain why.
The Menu is, by no exaggeration, a perfect film. A psychological ‘eat the rich’ film that, despite taking place in a restaurant, does not include literally eating rich people. Instead, Chef Slowik has invited a select group of guests to a night of fine dining and mental hell as he slowly unveils his master plan, with each new course serving as another metaphor for a painful moment in his life that has driven him to this point. This movie is lauded often for it’s discussions of artists and the death of art under the pressures of capitalism, praise it rightfully deserves, and something I barely feel I need to add to. Art is created from love, not success, and the film discusses how the more attention and money the artist gets, the further he falls away from his craft. He may even begin to resent his success, and the people who drove him to greatness. There is a wonderful parallel drawn between those who give and those who take in the film, and Slowik sees himself as the ultimate giver who is now taking everything back.
This film is brilliant. It’s funny and profound, the characters are memorable and the dialogue is razor sharp. This is a movie where you feel the tension, the heat of the literal kitchen adds to the panic and claustrophobia of this dinner service where they very much cannot leave the restaurant. The horrors are very real, and while the gore is minimum audiences are drawn to the edge of their seat as each kill is slow burn. The angel investor scene is one that is truly haunting, a kill that is so slow, meticulous and poetic but will send a chill down your spine. The movie does not shy away from cruelty but fully embraces it, punching each grizzly moment with a tonally opposite moment of levity (the sommelier coming around to discuss the wine he is pouring after someone is viciously maimed is truly one of the best moments in the film). The victims in this movie are also exceedingly unlikable but funny, a fine line to walk when creating anyone but particularly anyone placed in a horror movie. I have never found myself seeing what people loved about the Saw franchise, yet The Menu really resonated with me as I think instead of centering the concept of vigilante justice, it simply focuses on the artist and his journey.
Phones and selfies also plays a role in the film as both are so heavily tied to art these days; the commentary of foodies and taking pictures of food and bragging about what you are eating sopposed to eating it are heavily mentioned in the film. And while this is so true in the foodie community, it extends to the art community as a whole — how many selfies do we see people take in front of van Gogh paintings? Is it about the art or saying you were somewhere someone else wasn’t?
This movie stays with you. This movie is something that, if you’re like me, will make you not only think but appreciate. Art is something not to be consumed as a consumer, but consumed as in devoured. Art should be made from a place of love, from the driving force inside all artists to create. I may not make something beautiful every day, but I made something, and that is more than enough. The Menu is a film I believe was for artists and likely why it was snubbed — there is no other reason it is without award. Anya Taylor Joy and Ralph Fiennes embody their roles and play perfectly off of each other, foes that have only just met but have a genuine respect for each other and craft. Nicholas Hoult is at his best here as the pretentious foodie, obsessed with the technique and impressing everyone around him. He is both punchable and lovable, and the movie wouldn’t be the same without his exact energy for the character. The supporting cast of the kitchen staff and the patrons are incredible, each bringing such life to their characters that help them feel all too real, if not also completely detached from reality.
The Menu is a perfect film. I have said that statement a few times, but here it is true. A perfectly executed script, directed and acted to absolute divinity, this is a perfectly curated experience for an audience ready to gobble this shit right up.
And I fall for it every time, and happily so.