The Menu

It feels like forever since I’ve seen a dark comedy that revels in its own depravity. Movies like Heathers and The War Of The Roses just don’t come along much anymore. So along comes The Menu to say “look, we’re gonna have a sick, psychotic situation, and we’re not pulling ANY punches with our humor, and if you don’t like it, there’s the door”, and I’m all about that. The Menu deals with the theme of the enjoyment of art and how those who consume it can ruin the creation of it for the artist. The head chef, Julian Slowik (played by Ralph Fiennes with a sad, almost sympathetic soullessness) has assembled a very special guest list for his exclusive restaurant, with revenge in mind on every type of person that has caused him to lose his love of cooking. There’s a couple who have come so many times, they’re become jaded to what makes the experience unique and think of it as just another restaurant. There’s a washed-up movie star trying to stay relevant by name-dropping and leeching off the chef’s status. The food critic that couldn’t care less if her reviews kill businesses. The tech bros who represent the ownership that constantly want to meddle with the chef’s vision. And the foodie who is obsessed with technique and consuming, showing off his knowledge like the person who spoils the magic trick by pointing out the secret. And one lone escort, replacing someone’s ex-girlfriend, who wasn’t supposed to be there. Over the course of the meal, Slowik’s presentation is engineered to strike back at these people for destroying his passion. It could all stand as a metaphor for any form of art. Slowik could be a director; the tech bros could be the studio, the foodie becomes the “movie buff” that obsesses over technique and never pays attention to the package, the frequent diners are the mindless blockbuster lovers, and so on. It’s a savage indictment of fandom of virtually anything and how it can all become so toxic so easily, it can crush the spirit of the artist and make them resent their own work. And since art is so intrinsically part of an artist’s life, if it is rendered meaningless, and the audience is so calloused, so ignorant, so unappreciative, what’s left? Why bother with anything anymore? But then there’s the other layer: that this movie is just a depraved, twisted, black-as-midnight-on-a-moonless-night horror-comedy. The way the foodie isn’t fazed one bit by the horrors that unfold and just wants to “experience” everything. The way the critic can’t turn herself off and critiquing everything even when she knows she’s doomed. The way the movie itself never stops putting its foot on the gas, but never settled for the easy route either. This movie could’ve been a bloodbath, could’ve been more slapstick, could’ve been openly witty and sarcastic, but it always chooses the more interesting path. Director Mark Mylod’s steerage of this movie is impeccable; every surprise is earned and logical, every development is natural, the acting choices are perfect, the score, the lighting, the framing, every punchline to every set-up, all of it. It’s all excellent. I can’t tell you how many times I was left mouth agape at something that happened, and I loved it every time the movie found a way to do it. And Anya Taylor-Joy, the protagonist of the movie? I remember seeing her for the first time in Split and thinking “this girl could — SHOULD — go places”. I’m so happy she has. She commands the screen. She is a dynamo, a generational talent. The camera loves her and she knows it, and it is a delight to watch her work, especially in her scenes with Ralph Fiennes, whose performance is so unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He’s the villain, but he’s not a bad guy? If that makes sense. So, yeah, I loved this movie. Loved it a lot. A lot a lot. Go watch it. Now. Seriously, this was so much fun, it’s the kind of movie I remember Roger Ebert talking about in his eulogy to Gene Siskel; the kind of movie that so electrified Gene, that reminded him why he loved movies so much, it could give him a spiritual uplifting for days. That’s The Menu. I’ll be smiling on this one for days. Especially when I eat a cheeseburger.