Trigger warning: suicide
"The Menu" is a captivating comedy horror film that delves into the high-stakes world of gastronomy. Set in the renowned Michelin-starred restaurant, "Le Ciel," the film follows a talented head chef with an appetite for destruction and his ambitious sous chef as they create a mysterious menu rumoured to possess transformative powers.
As wealthy patrons seek an extraordinary dining experience, secrets, ambition, and moral dilemmas collide, resulting in a thrilling narrative that explores the dark underbelly of the culinary world. With intense performances and clever twists, "The Menu" serves up a lot of food for thought.
Trailer
"The Menu" is an enthralling and suspenseful culinary thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Directed by the one and only, Mark Mylod, the movie takes audiences on a thrilling journey into the world of high-stakes gastronomy, where everything is quite literally on fire.
Best Courses and Meals
I really liked every meal served and what they represented, but if I had to choose just 5, here's what I would choose.
Lemon Caviar Serve On Raw Oyster With Mignonette
The first dish is not served on the island yet but is given to the guests on the way to the island after they board the boat. As the only dish without an explanation, viewers cannot be sure what the intended meaning behind this course is meant to be. I personally liked it because you get to see straight away what kind of person Tyler really is.
The movie's somewhat satirical take on elitism can be downright hilarious. The way Tyler smacks Margot's hand out of the way to take a picture instead of just letting her enjoy her food just captures it all.
Second Course: Breadless Bread Plate
The second course is made up of no bread with only savoury accomplishments, defined as genius by some guests but offends others. As Lillian Bloom suggests in her comment, the concept of the dish is rooted in class history, which is often highlighted through the many characters in many characters in The Menu. This dish suggests that none of the island's guests deserve bread (which they really don't, honestly). After all, they are not ordinary men, and as explained by Chef Slowik, bread and grain have always been the food of the common people throughout history.
Third Course: Chicken Tacos With Scissors In It
Chef Slowik calls this course memory as it is associated with a personal memory in his history. In his speech, Chef recalls when he used to eat tacos with his family on Tuesdays. He tells his guests of one particular Tuesday when his father came home drunk and hurt his mother until Julian stopped him by stabbing him with scissors in his thigh.
This explains why the dish is served with a small pair of scissors in the chicken. Julian also mentions that this is a dish he has made since the beginning of his career as a chef. A very weird way to put it for sure.
As the end of The Menu approaches, however, is when things start going pear-shaped. All the tacos represent personal, and sometimes compromising, pictures or documents of each guest. As such, the tacos expose the guests' secrets, such as Richard cheating on his wife, the tax records of the tech bros and Tyler taking multiple photos during the dinner.
Not only that, but the personalized tacos also subtly reveal why Slowik has chosen these specific guests. The food critic Lillian, for example, has caused many restaurants to close, with their picture shown on her tacos. They all represent why Slowik has lost his love for his craft.
Tyler's Dish
Although this was not originally included in the menu, in a twist, it is revealed that Tyler knew he and whoever he was going with was going to die and had knowingly brought Margot with him. I found this to be the detail that genuinely makes him the worst person present as a guest (since no guest can dine alone). Margot tries to hurt him but Chef Slowik's staff stop her.
Chef Slowik then humiliates Tyler, making him cook while everybody is observing him and calling his food of undercooked lamb and inedible sauce terrible. Tyler claims to know everything Slovik does along with all the culinary methods, but he cannot employ even a single one of them. Yet, before this, he had the audacity to break down each dish and had thus ruined the art of cooking. After Julian whispers something in his ear, Tyler leaves to hang himself. Although viewers do not know what was said to Tyler, it can be imagined that Chef's disappointment in him and his humiliation led to his suicide.
Birthday Cake
Although the audience is not shown this, there is another savoury course in The Menu, one that Margot does not witness. As Margot returns to the restaurant, one of the businessmen is presented with a cake for his birthday. Whether this was previously planned by Chef or a way to buy some time before Margot returns (Chef Slowik had asked for her help with the last course), it is an ironic and clever addition to add satire to one of the film's darkest moments.
Photo by Hamid Roshaan on Unsplash
Supplemental Course: A Cheeseburger
While helping Chef Slowik with preparing for the last course, Margot goes to his residence and finds a bunch of framed news articles. Many show his work as an elite crème de la crème chef, but in each of them, he looks unhappy. In the very last photo, is a picture of Chef Slowik, very young, in his early days, making a cheeseburger, all smiles.
So the cheeseburger is not really a part of the menu but was made upon Margot's request. Margot requesting it is honestly very clever and I think it says a lot. None of the guests here would have had to taste a really greasy cheeseburger.
It is a food of the common people and typically not enjoyed by the upper class, what more, the guests present. This dish reminds Chef of his love for cooking and for actually feeding somebody else, somebody who is hungry and wants to enjoy simple, real food. Margot takes a bite and asks for it to go, something that I think only the working class would understand. Rich diners would technically either have all the time in the world to eat or leave their food behind as waste. No one from the working class would ever waste their money on buying some food and only eat half of it. He lets Margot leave, taking her cheeseburger to go. As such, the last reminder of Julian will be that of food he truly enjoyed cooking, which is why he began his career. Ultimately, this course is why Margot escapes The Menu and is the only one who survives.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
After everybody pays, the staff prepares the final course, the one that, as The Menu ends, will cause the death of everybody on the island. S'Mores may be a simple course, even called boring by Chef, but it is often associated with childhood innocence and good memories. Ironically, this dish ends everybody's life with the fire necessary to make the S'Mores, killing everybody and destroying the restaurant. After all, the menu, as explained multiple times throughout The Menu, only works if the guests die.
Favourite scenes
People forget this movie is both a horror and a comedy movie. I suppose you do need a certain type of humour to see the humour in it. My three favourite scenes are as follows:
When Chef Slowik calls the guests horrible hostages
Chef Slowik, at one point in the film, points out to the guests that none of them has really tried escaping yet, and in that sense, are terrible hostages, once again disappointing him. I read somewhere online that this too has meaning. Most of the guests have never really had to fight for themselves.
So it's not even that they don't want to, but more like they cannot even if they want to. Margot was the only one who had that kind of experience and this perhaps was one of the factors that led to her being able to escape.
When Anne motions to Margot to leave them behind
When leaving the restaurant, Margot actually turns around to see if she can do anything for the others and pauses for a while. Anne, however, just motions for her to go. I felt that it was a very powerful and moving scene.
There could be many reasons for Anne to tell Margot to go. One of them is that she feels that Margot is the only one who truly doesn't belong here and that, unlike the rest, she is truly innocent and not corrupt at all.
When Margot wipes her mouth with the menu at the end
This was near the end credits. Wiping her mouth with The Menu just shows the disregard Margot has for all this nonsense of fine dining. It does make sense, after all.
Most of fine dining isn't actually filling after all. Most people do admit it is for the experience, and nothing else really.
The splendid acting
The performances in "The Menu" are exceptional, with each actor bringing depth and complexity to their characters. The lead chef, portrayed by a mesmerizing and intense Ralph Fiennes, embodies the creative genius and unwavering dedication required to excel in the culinary world. The supporting cast delivers strong performances, adding layers of intrigue and suspense to the storyline. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, fueling the tension and suspense that builds throughout the film.
I loved watching interviews of the actors as they provided so much insight into the characters. Mostly stuff I haven't really caught the first time I watched it.
Why is it so thought-provoking?
This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea. That's okay. It is most definitely mine and I am sure many others share the same taste.
The movie covers a huge area of topics. Moral dilemmas, ambition and perfection, the lives of the ultra-rich and the dark underbelly of the culinary world. The film delves into moral dilemmas faced by the characters, particularly the chef and the patrons of the restaurant.
It raises questions about the ethics of pursuing ambition at any cost and the consequences of their actions. It also explores the relentless pursuit of ambition and perfection within the culinary world. This particular example can be clearly seen in Chef Slowik's staff, who live in Hawthorne for the sake of perfecting their art and pleasing Slowik. It is reminiscent of a cult. It examines the sacrifices individuals are willing to make to achieve success, as well as the toll it takes on their personal lives and relationships. This theme provokes viewers to consider the nature of ambition, its impact on one's happiness, and whether it is worth compromising other aspects of life to attain it.
In conclusion, "The Menu" is a captivating and visually stunning culinary thriller that serves up a tantalizing blend of suspense, artistry, and moral complexity. With its exceptional performances, breathtaking cinematography, and a narrative that keeps viewers engaged until the very end, the film offers an exciting and thought-provoking cinematic experience for both food enthusiasts and lovers of thrilling storytelling.
If you have watched the movie, you would know that writing an article on it is a little ironic, no?
