A film to savor

The Menu

Superlative. Expletive. Gasp.

The Menu is one of the most tightly wrought films I’ve ever seen. It was freshly unpredictable and rewarding at every turn. Like the meal it was built upon, every course, every act, brought fresh hells. 

Characterization was outstanding. From even the most inconsequential characters, like “the mom” or “the rich bastard’s wife,” audiences could see beyond stereotype and into the soul. Only the automatons in the kitchen were two dimensional, and even a couple of these had interesting scenes revealing their motives and contributions to plot twists. Every layer of character contributed to the social commentary, generally on The Rich, specifically on The Food Snob. 

Lest anyone think any character was cookie cutter, even the “hooker with the heart of gold” was anything but that. The look in her eye when her John dies is biting and well-earned. 

There is so much condescension in the movie I would have cheered for the wall coverings before I would have applauded the actions of almost any of them. I am not a fan of the foodie culture, so I reveled in all the fakery being exposed. One character had eaten at this elite restaurant a dozen times but could not name a single dish he had consumed. Another was very well informed, thrived, in fact, on all he knew of the exotica they were consuming, but even he was ultimately laid low when forced to try cooking himself. Food critics and billionaires were shamed at their own expense.

Otherwise, it was an economical movie, filmed almost entirely on one set with a limited cast of no more than a dozen major players. I think this would be an excellent stage play, so much so, I wonder if it first started on the stage and was adapted for film. 

The score was at times playful, at other times sinister, but it always played second fiddle to the visual tension of great camera work, lighting, and general directing. Every shot was methodical and revealing little morsels of the underlying mysteries of the film. If I were to listen to the sound track, I am sure that it, alone, would have been an exhilarating experience. I think if I were now to listen to it, I would be nearly as spell bound as I was with the whole movie experience. 

Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult were great. Hoult’s portrayal of the rich food snob just worshiping the Chef that Fiennes played was moving. He could turn on the tears and adulation in the most convincing way. Fiennes, of course, can play about any role, and in that of a sinister chef, he was terrifyingly powerful. One of my favorite surprise performances came from John Leguizamo, acting as a washed up actor, when he is anything but that. All those performances were great, and the movie would have worked just fine with only these, but Anya Taylor-Joy took the film from an 8 to a solid 10 for me--and I don’t give 10’s. The film originally was to star Emma Stone, but she backed out due to other commitments. Taylor-Joy was a better choice, anyway. I loved her in Last Night in Soho, and she was nearly as awesome again in The Menu. I cannot wait to tune in and binge all the episodes of The Queen’s Gambit. She has anime eyes that I can never turn away from. Oh, and she can act, too.

Otherwise, I don’t know if the film would hold up for me on a rewatch. The suspense has a pay off, and after that, a quick resolution. It climbs to an absurdist crescendo that was brave and rewarding, but I think if I saw that again, I might laugh more than I’m supposed to. Knowing what I now know about the film’s message and resolution, I wonder if it might just be one long set up on rewatching. 

I guess I’ll just have to find out.