The Menu Movie Review

The Menu (2022)

Rent The Menu on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Seth Reiss & Will Tracy (written by)
Directed by: Mark Mylod
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Reed Birney, Judith Light
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A young couple travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

Verdict
It's a wild movie that escalates with every course. I like any movie that criticize art and in part itself. This explores art and artist, whether art should be exclusive or open. How far must an artist go? With this the artist asks his patrons to suffer with him for art. Fiennes does a great job with script that builds characters just enough while never losing focus on the menu.While this uses the culinary profession as a basis, the commentary and questions could apply to any medium.
Watch It.

Review
This is a crazy expensive restaurant only for the elite on an island. While it seems odd, people often pay for the best experiences. For the elite that have too much money, a unique experience is a great way to waste money. Hype is what has brought them to this restaurant.

From the beginning, part of what this movie is calling out is the people that want to experience this restaurant just because of it's exclusivity. Only twelve people attend each night. They aren't there to enjoy the food, they come for the status and bragging rights. While the art this movie focuses on is crafting food, this satirizes art in general. You can apply the themes of this movie to any artistic medium.

Nicholas Hoult, Anya Taylor-Joy play Tyler, Margot

Avid foodie Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) brings Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) who is less intrigued by this restaurant than everyone else. It makes you wonder how she ended up here. We get just a bit of dialog between characters over the courses to delineate them.

The inventive Chef Slowik (Ralph Fienncs) presents these courses that are clever, personal, and all exquisitely crafted. With so many self absorbed guests, Tyler is desperate for the Chef's approval, but other guests aren't so accepting. When the Chef presents condiments without bread, we get a group of patrons pulling the, "do you know who I am?" This restaurant seems to know the patrons rather well. It seems difficult to believe, but that's the commentary. This restaurant wants to create an extremely personal experience for each person. The Chef's menu too, gets strangely personal.

This certainly takes some twists. Despite extreme events the staff seems oblivious. Some guests think it's part of the show, others are doubtful, but the dinner continues. Is this theater or something more? Everyone is here for what the artist can create, but not the artist. Tonight the artist is taking his art to a stunning culmination.

It's the last half where this presents its ideas.You have an artist suffering for his art, but tonight everyone seems to be suffering. For some that experience is worth it. One could argue the Chef is taking it too far, but for people that want the ultimate experience it is certainly that. The action matches the courses a bit.

I suppose the other side of this is how far will people go for an experience. Some are accepting as fans, others are disinterested, and some impatient.

Artistry is lost with obsession. The Chef wanted to be the best, accomplished that feat, but he lost the joy of the art in that pursuit. He's pushed by critics and fans to continuously outdo. To make a bigger experience, the Chef has lost the essence of that thing. That certainly seems to be the commentary as we get towards the end. What is it to make something great? Must you craft an experience for only the privileged few? The counter to that question, what is art if it can't be experience by many? For whom is art? What's the measure of success?  Is art about rising so high in your field that only a few can afford a thing or is making even the most basic of things amazing?

Ralph Fiennes plays Chef Slowik

Chef Slowik questions one guest, asking him to name one thing he's eaten over his many visits. The guest can't name a single item. He came not for the food, but for the status. The Chef is challenged over his philosophy. He's created this exclusive experience, and in part because of that he's lost the joy of his craft. Does this meticulous course matter if he can't excel at the basics? The first order should be to fulfill the basic need of hunger, or to change the medium and it's the need to entertain.

Ultimately entertainment is squandered. Success isn't measured by fulfilling the basic need, but by creating a new experience, crafting something exclusive, and making it expensive. It isn't just the artist's fault. You have customers that ruin the magic by knowing how it's made and by not being able to craft the experience themselves. Other patrons ignore the experience, wanting to force the chef to cater to them.While Chef Slowick does get to fulfill a basic need when pressed, the movie makes the point that it's not sustainable. The movie asks us to take a step back when we consider expression. Not everything has to fit a specific example, but many pieces of 'art' are pushed out in favor of something that's new and seems inventive. When patrons and artists ignore the basics, everyone suffers.