It’s excellent, though I thought it was a hilarious take on the Chef’s own pretentiousness, when he explains that one of the actor’s movies, was his offense. Not who he was, or how he got money, but the Chef’s own critique of a movie he saw, with him in it.
Interesting and enjoyable film. Definitely has more layers than just the main plot. Funny in places and hard hitting in others. Much better than the usual terrible films we get.
Ik this was mostly about the rich and the lack of respect for the art of food. However, I also think that this is why AI art will never replace art made by humans. The imperfections give soul, heart and passion behind any art.
Good movie, I wish the characters that were invited had a bit more of a story they were quite forgettable. Nicholas holt was amazing as a wide eyed sycophant I thought. Ralph Fiennes is going to smash the villian character in any role he plays.
Every time my kid asks me "why don't you be a chef, mom? This is so good!" when I cook for him, I say- "sweetie, I've worked nearly a decade managing a restaurant. You couldn't pay me enough to work with food & service again, but for you, I'd do it everyday."
I've worked in restaurants for 15 years. I've been a fast food line cook and a chef in fine dining. My favourite meal, the one I take the most pleasure in making and eating has never appeared on any menu I've made. It's just ramen noodles and sautéed frozen veggies. Sometimes I add eggs to turn it into what I call a ramelette. It costs 85 cents to make, and I enjoy every second of it. Thank god I stopped cooking.
I’ve just started making my own meals instead of eating fast food. I’m 25, in the kitchen for myself and my fiancé and will definitely be using this recipe in the coming weeks. Thank you for your contributions to food
This was my university diet. Good stuff. I added egg, fresh green onion, sometimes pickled vegetables. My trick was to stir in a teaspoon of peanut butter. It sounds weird, but it was awesome.
I noticed that too! I also noticed a few of the kitchen staff teary eyed as well during certain close ups. It brought a bit of humanity back to them for me.
It was kinda similar to Ratatouille ending albeit it was twisted, but at the end of his journey even for a moment he regain his passion of cooking after so long deprived of it
or he's laughing because he's using the meat that's not fully aged and will kill her too even if she thinks he outsmarted him, it chilled me to the bone when you realize that the boat she escaped in broke down just enough for the 'escapee' to witness it, but then eating a poisoned burger, was all planned as well by the Chef. For the Menu to work, everyone had to die.
@@BrokenEvil The director has talked about this, because of the possibility of the poisoning, but he says that the Chef didn’t poison her, and lets her get away. She isn’t poisoned, and they never meant it to seem like she was. It works either way, when one first sees it, though. I thought about it being poisoned or not, whether her one bite, then asking for a take out bag, was how she survives, regardless of the poison. Yet, I finally felt that the Chef didn’t poison her. He had tested her, and she was the only one who he deems worthy of surviving.
@CorbCorbin yeah, I agree. I mean he didn't poison the burger or smth, but most of the time the food represents all of how they would tell a simple story even tho we can't even notice it.
"Tyler's Bullshit" was the most rewarding dish of the movie. The cheeseburger was the best food, but "Tyler's Bullshit" really takes home all the points the movie has been trying to say. And is sooo good to see that dish being prepared.
Yeah, all of the dishes served a critical purpose. He didn't want to feed then physically, but feed them his criticism. He served them mockery and they blindly gobbled it up
The description of Tyler's undercooked lamb, etc..... Hilarious 😂🤣🤣. I brought this movie and absolutely love it because I am a food service worker. Not a chef, but I do understand the judgement and perfection from the customers. The last thing you want to hear is a complaint about a dish. I'm not going to burn down a restaurant, but I do respect everyone involved in the making of this movie. Bravo 👏👏👏
Ok, like I realize people enjoyed this, but the thing for me is that even on this level it just doesn't work. Because the proper response to someone saying, "If you're such a fan, you do the work.", is "Of course I can't do the work, that's why I'm a fan." Guys that are fans of say Lionel Messi or Tom Brady or Simone Biles or whomever aren't saying, "Because I follow your work so closely, I think I can do it." No fan is under an obligation to be as skilled as the person performing the work. You don't have to be able to do the work in order to appreciate it. The movie distracts you from the fact that its point and themes are self-indulgent BS by having all the archetypal characters be such unlikeable people, but that shouldn't give the movie a pass on the fact that is itself everything that it is criticizing. It doesn't work on its own terms, just like the food that is served in it. None of it makes any sense and it asks you to ignore that because it's just so meta. Admiring the movie is like admiring the breadless bread dish.
Yup. Or, as Pauline Kael put it, “Movies are so rarely great art, that if we cannot learn to accept and appreciate great trash, we have very little reason to see them”
My dad has been in the food industry for a little over forty years. We watched this movie the other night and he was laughing his ass off the entire time Tyler was cooking.
On a side note; I love the way the maitre’d answers the banking-bros when they ask “What are these?”; in the pause after she says “tortillas” you can *almost* hear her saying “…you dumb fucks…” under her breath, like every service worker ever when asked a stupid question with an obvious answer.
@@jangdi. rewatch it because yes she did. Guy: “What- …. What the hell are these?..” her “these are tortillas” Guy “no what are these..” her “These are tortillas. Tortillas deliciosas. They also contain taxes [insert company name here] and fake charges” basically to make it look like they’re paying taxes and doing their job for the other places they own besides Hawthorn but they were committing fraud all of them including the owner which is why he drowns as the fallen angel
I find the character of Tyler weirdly compelling. He knew he'd die and yet was so desperate to get to Hawthrone Island. So much so that he was willing to take someone else to their unknowing demise. How broken do you have to be to do that?
I truly believe that Tyler knew everyone else would die but, in line with his character thinking the whole time that he was the only one enjoying the menu the "right" way, thought that he would win Chef's favor and be spared. I imagine that's also why he was taking pictures after being told expressly not to, because he thought he was above everyone else and exempt from the rules.
@@saiorgirl8 Tyler thought that Slowik loved his brown-nosing when they had those months of exchanges when it actual fact Slowik was just toying with him. The gut punch was when Slowik hinted at him and questioned him who he really was. You see everyone there was either selfish, egoistic and pompous P.O.S. But Tyler was the opposite but not in the good way. Tyler was instead just a waste of a life, talentless, spineless, pathetic sheep and fanboy. He epitomes the word bullsh*t.
His whole character to me came down to validation seeking. Either from the girl he brought or the chef, he just needed somebody to tell him how smart he was
And the ending was perfect… Margo gave him the gift of 1 last moment of happiness… it even reinforces & reinsures his course. Even affirms his humanity in letting her go. And a appreciation for her helping his overture reach perfection
or he's laughing because he's using the meat that's not fully aged and will kill her too, even if she thinks he outsmarted him, it chilled me to the bone when you realize that the boat she escaped in broke down just enough for the 'escapee' to witness it, and then eating a poisoned burger, it was all planned as well by the Chef. For the Menu to work, everyone had to die.
@@BrokenEvil yeah… but no meat does that. Its interesting because he do have everything planned like the two way radio & coast gaurd… but he has 0 motive to kill her. She is a innocent. She has not yet lost her desire to live. Plus as a sole survivor she tells the story of his masterpiece and in death will earn the appreciation that was not felt in life. Preparing others to “embrace the flames”…
@@らいどう-c5m im not glorifying it as something I would like to see in reality. But as far as a “story” it was powerful. I was so disgusted by these characters at first I almost shut it ofd. It was until the plan of Chief was being revealed did I become comfortable with the film. He and margo where the only moral characters in the film. Seriously think about the fact, none of the others tried harder? Or asked for their food to go? The allowed the marshmallows to be placed on them, and by the end even offered to pay! You asking if “I seriously endorse this” is blurring the lines of fiction and reality? Wood I endorse a character like Frank Castles Punisher in real life? No… probably not, because real life is far more complex. But am I condoning his actions in this film. Absolutely not. He was the hero of this story! Those people where so bad, even THEY KNEW IT!
Go back to the film, the meat didn’t reach yet 152 days,that’s why it was still prepped up, they are trying to relax the protein stran so it’s not as tough. Literally what Tyler mentioned, how they work between the edge of life and death. Balancing it between expiration date, and tenderness. Therefor she survived.
What’s funny to me, cheeseburger wise, is that I have a friend who loves eating at upper middle-class restaurants, or high end restaurants. I asked her once if we could just go get burgers sometime, since she always pays for the meal, but then she suggested we go to a fancy shamncy bar. The burger I had there wasn’t even that good. I would have had a better tasting burger at a Culver’s, and that’s why I love the scene of the Cheeseburger being served. I don’t care where it’s from. It’s a great tasting version of that dish when it’s made that way, and it just feels right when you eat it.
Heh, not tasty but expensive burger.😊jk but fwiw, any restaurant that thinks sprinkling gold dust on a burger is a good idea has no idea how to make a actually tasty burger 😂
I honestly love how the very last shot is Erin (Margo) continuing to eat the cheeseburger. Sure she may have just been very hungry at that point, but I’d like to believe she really just wanted to respect Chef even in death
That"s one way to look at it, but for example when she crumples up the copy of the menu That could be seen as her rejecting the Chef's BS and her just being hungry from not eating, In the end Erin/Margo gave the chef a service and got her life in return But it could be seen as just Another service she forced herself to do for a customer etc. I don't think she respected Slowik, maybe understood his frustration But her view and tone towards him was never one of respect.
Hi, last year culinary student here. Found the movie a week back and have gotten most of my colleagues to watch the movie. It's honestly one of the single best ever made for anyone in the food industry right there with Rataouille. The way it constantly mocks you for dissecting it and the social commentary is just.. immaculate.
what are your feelings on Chef with Jon Favreau? I feel like there is a similar idea in that he found happiness and fulfillment in his work and for himself by doing the foodtruck thing and cooking something simple but amazing.
@@jenniferblake3224 I found it really funny that Leguizamo acted in both, I prefer The Menu to Chef but I actually know a former head chef who took that movie to the heart to the point where he legitimately started his own food truck as well. One is more fulfilling while the other is more grim, both have a similar premise.
Margot didn’t enact some big change ins Slowik. She simply did what he asked. Not eat but savor her meal, so he lets her go with her food since she is appreciative of what he did. That’s what he meant by “Why didn’t you try and leave?” When the coast guard showed up. They all could have done it. He asked them at the very beginning.
Maybe it's because I'm former USCG. But the scene with the Coast Guard member fucking killed me. It also shows that people in these circles know nothing about those who serve them. The moment he walked in I knew he was a plant. Absolutely nothing about him was correct for a CG member. Wrong uniform, wrong equipment, unshaven, alone, wrong terminology. To me it made the scene ever better cause it was another case of "if you actually knew these people, you'd know you're fucked."
I see it quite the opposite, she simply enjoy the burger for what it is instead of pretending it was some grand mental exercise or some pretentious bs.
I understood Tyler and Margot’s backstory a bit differently. And it makes Tyler look worse yet than he already did. Margot is an escort or sex worker of some sort. Tyler didn’t ask other women to come - he rented Margot because of what she is, because to him, that sort of person is disposable. He knew every guest would be killed here but he didn’t care that he basically had this girl murdered to fulfill his own desire. And that of course reflects how he looks at the other staff aside from the head chef. Tyler doesn’t understand food (art); he is a foodie in it for the prestige, hence why he can’t cook - a wannabe, as you said. But a wannabe who spits on artist before they become popular and doesn’t give a shit about anyone other than prestige. Margot reinforces that. And it’s also why she lives and he dies when he loses the prestige.
Yep! That was essentially my takeaway as well. If that didn't come through in the writing I apologize, but yeah. Margot being a "service worker in another industry" is sort of what I was getting at by that. Nevertheless, spot on on your part!
@@FilmSpeak ah, I heard you talk about Margot's profession at other points but when discussing Tyler and Margot, I understood it as you saying they were in a relationship (which is vague but I come down on no). So I might just have misunderstood you :)
@@callist1990 I feel Tyler was the one Slowik hated the most - He was a fanboy, a fraud and a poser to the subject of cooking. He doesn't seem to understand the long hours, the blood sweat and tears, that it takes to be a cook. Its people like him that made Slowik the way he was. Tyler was such a fake.
@@engoodenwojak918 you're 100% right and normally i wouldnt correct someone but just want to clarify in general, cook=/=chef. I am a cook. I work in a café, have learned my skills on the job and taken a basic course at an institute of technology, but at the end of the day, its just a job. Chefs are an entirely different league. They are literally food artists. They study and observe professionals and put in the hours to perfect their art and create incredible dishes. Just a minor correction but i feel they deserve the respect of the distinction.
One thing you got wrong here is that Margo doesn't eat the food. She repeatedly rejects the food, calls it bullshit, Fiennes' character confronts her over it a few times. She says she's not hungry or not interested.
Did anyone catch that the name of Julians first restaurant was Tantalus named after the Greek myth of the man who was cursed to my just in reach of food but never being able to grab it
used to work in a restaurant. we had wine tastings to get acquainted with what we are selling. i don’t know the darnest thing about wine. some is red, some isn’t. every wine tasted the same (bad) but my boss kept going on and on about the cultivating progress of the grapes, or how it was ecologically produced and whatnot. i couldn’t really tell a difference, and i would really fail a blind-test despite tasting the wines just mere minutes ago. but then one bottle.. actually tasted good? i was kinda blown away honestly. here i thought all of these people around me pretended to like the stingy, fermented taste of wine. but there was actually good wine out there that, although pricey, was enjoyable to drink. so it was the only wine i recommended when i was asked, because it was the only one i liked. and i got so many responses that were like “this actually tastes GOOD”. made me ponder why these people even drink at all, if they get surprised when it doesn’t taste like shit.
The actors/actressess are incredible. Anya Taylor-Joy is a tresure and Ralph Fiennes is frenetic. My favorite scene is the Cheeseburger. 2022's year last quarter can be described as rich A-holes on remote island with an exploding ending.
@@anthonys.8569 Yeah, what a coincidence, just like the time when Kick-Ass and Super or the two White house movie released when it was attacked by terrorists. Altough Im don’t complain, cause we got 2 great movie at least (I haven’t watched the “Triangle of sadness”)
@@anthonys.8569 “In den wolken”. So yesterday watched the movie. After the first act I suprised that how many times I have laughed so hard that I almost fell out of my seat (after the 2. act, some people Walked out of the room). I like the movie says that it’s not the rich people are assholes, but the people are assholes, depending on the situation. I really like it, but I loved Glassed Onion a bit more, I am a bit biased with Rian Jhonson and I recently I like Crime stories.
About the wine thing: I just noticed that a lot of the customers are holding their wineglasses wrong but acting normally, probably another way to inforce the shallow nature of their behaviour. I was told at a wine tasting thing that if you hold wineglasses by the top part (i.e. with only a bit of glass between your fingers and the wine) you won't taste the wine to its full extent because the contact will over-sweeten the wine. That's why the glasses have that vertical part. I don't know if it was on purpose or anything, but I think it really re-inforces the futile pretentiousness os the customers.
When I read your comment, I couldn't help but notice the irony: the idea that a mere touch of your fingers on the glass will over-sweeten the wine and ruin the experience, comes from the same mindset as the one that is criticised in the movie, ie. the futile pretentiousness of hyper-focusing and overanalysing tiny details (details that you would never be able to notice unless you have enough money to do things like wine tastings) instead of just... enjoying the bloody wine any way you like to drink it! My reply is not meant to be an attack on you (granted, it was hard to avoid coming across like it is, sorry!). It just shows how easy it is for all of us (myself included!) to fall into the trap of adopting whatever status symbols we can (like knowing the right way to drink wine), so we can flaunt them in front of others. Most of us would and do act at least a bit like Tyler or the critic in the movie, if given a chance. We're just as pretentious as those customers (AND the chef!), we just have less financial scope for expressing it.
@@AW-uv3cb It's cool, when I wrote this comment I intended to convey how absurd the whole wine thing is. Like, I literally tried to do it both ways and it makes 0 difference, it's psychological. It's all about pretentiousness.
I work at a fine-dining restaurant and our head chef had us over to watch this movie. We all thought it was about fine-dining cannibals and were pleasantly surprised
This movie just said "f*** you" to the high society. Pretty much this and Glass Onion just nailed that concept for me . And i never get infuriated by a character until Tyler came up.
It actually said "f*** you" to EVERYONE involved, its important to not ignore that. Note that this is at its core a story of personal revenge, not self righteousness. The "givers and takers" messaging is retroactive, it's the characters justification for their actions. It's essentially hollow.
I also love that this film glorifies "the common touch" in a way "eat the rich" films (e.g. parasite, the glass onion) fail to. In the films I'm used to, the endings are usually either, (1) the poor fight dirty and/or kill the bad guys to get one over on them, or (2) the poor are doomed forever because society is unfair. This film illustrates that high society cannibalizes itself with games of status and power, something Margot is completely immune to (which is why she survives). She understands one of the real purposes of art and life (to produce joy and fulfillment) which is something high culture can't accept.
I agree! But I would like to point out that I think Knives Out also accomplishes this. Unlike all the rich family members playing their own games to an inheritance they rightfully lost, Martha stayed true to herself and played her own game and that’s why she won in the end.
It’s funny because I hated The Menu and loved Parasite for the same reason. The American style of forcing a hero vs bad guys narrative (in this case, the righteous one who deserves survival vs the rest who get their punishment) just seems so cheesy and outdated. Margo as a character in general hinders the film, her behavior contradicts her backstory and there’s no real reason for the audience to root for her other than “she’s outspoken and not like the others”. This film reads like an upper middle class man is criticizing his even richer counterparts while pretending to “understand” and “sympathize” with the working class by painting them as fools who take themselves too seriously when they could just, you know, take a chill pill and make cheeseburgers! Meanwhile, parasite deeply understands the horror of an endless cycle of poverty under capitalism in which you can’t just escape because you think you’re not a part of the system (like Margo). In the real world, an escort like Margo would happily do the job she is paid for instead of being rude and acting entitled to the staff. Obviously the people writing the movie did not know that because they would not know what it’s like. You can’t shit on “high society dining” while praising “fast food” and not come out valuing easy consumerism over the blood and tears of artists. McDonald’s being run by CEOs on minimum wage workers are also the product of “high society”. But in this film it’s presented as a “return to normalcy”.
Another interesting point: Tyler keeps taking pictures of the food even though he knows he is going to die. That means he does not take them because he appreciates it but just for show. His interest in the food is surface-level, it is built on him feeling superior because of this kind of hobby, which is later presented by him being asked to cook and failing miserably.
I was trying to figure out the motive for taking the photos despite knowing that he would die that night. Did he think he was an exception and wouldn’t die? Or was it habit or for show? Or the only way he knew how to appreciate the food?
My head cannon is that he may have an “instagram foodie blog “. There isn’t cellular service but there are apps that you can set up posts to upload to a later date, so hypothetically he may have had this set up in his phone as he is taking pictures of the food. He may have planned that if/when his phone is discovered it will ping and post his photos…showing he was present at Slowik’s last served dinner menus. Thus showing he was one of the selected to die, because he is “that” important.
I think he didn't think he'd die. Just like he thought the no-photos rule doesn't apply to him (despite his kow-towing attitude to Slowik), he thought the dying part will only apply to others, and he'll be the one diner allowed to witness it as part of his experience, because 'he's so special'.
haha I always wonder when films or shows about the food industry come out how accurate they are, but from everyone i've talked to who can relate and your comment here, it sounds like that NAILED the struggle the kitchen goes with in creating art for people who don't appreciate it.
@@pinkimietz3243 Oh good grief no. In most "normal" countries it's vastly worse. I defy you to find a nation which has a healthier and friendlier relationship between wait staff and customers than the USA. Yes, there are exceptions, but most foreigners coming over here get absolutely freaked out by how friendly employees are and Americans going overseas are generally really genuinely offended by how unfriendly and arrogant the staff of restaurants tend to be. This is something I've experienced both first hand as someone that lived abroad, and a nigh universal experience I've had related to me by people on both sides of the pond. And as for tipping, foreigners and oikiophobes give it a bad name, but really the whole idea behind tipping is to allow the customer to scale the cost of the meal to his own income. The wealthier you are, the more you are supposed to pay for the meal in order to ensure that the dining experience is accessible to everyone. And every single restaurant I've seen in the USA that tries to get away from tipping fails, because both the staff and the diners want to do it. If you take the tips away, the wait staff makes less money and the price of the food goes up in a way that makes it less accessible to the poorer customers for whom the dining experience is a special treat. Almost invariably this drives down the quality of servers you can hire and the business either decides to bring back tips or folds.
@@celebrim1 I can only speak for myself and some friends - but we (as Europeans) were uncomfortable with the "friendliness" of Americans as it is not genuine. Service or retail staff isn't nice to you, because they genuinely mean it. It's just part of American culture. I live in a city that is considered to be one of the least "friendly" in Europe, however for me it does not feel unfriendly. If I am friendly to people, they are friendly as well -- but they won't pander to the customers the same way service personell in the U.S. is trained to do. Sometimes you find people here that are standoff-ish, but culturally our reaction to that is thinking that these particular people just take themselves too seriously. Also, tipping is completely normal here, and I was rather shocked at how little people tipped in the U.S.. At the end of the day, it's just a cultural difference.
This film puts before consumers of all creative art forms the issues creatives/creators face. The people that control the market. The consumers that have an insatiable appetite for the works but care less about the mental health of the artisan. The ones who use the art as a status symbol. The critics who judge the work and decide the future livelihood of the artist. The people who launder money with the works created. And the human who is torn in so many directions they lose their way. As someone who creates, this movie made me feel seen.
As a working chef, the representation of that patron/chef relationship is perfect in this movie. By the end I knew exactly what the movie was about, and I understood how he felt, on a really personal level.
My dad saw this film and loved it. I saw the trailers and the ending was spoiled for me. We both concluded that "sometimes the best meal is a simple one rather than the fancy stuff". It's kind of when Gordon Ramsay challenged an amateur chef to bake a brownie. The amateur chef, despite only using 3 simple ingredients, won to a Michelin Star Chef that Gordon was in denial!
I think also the best meal is one that is...well, a meal, first and foremost. I don't go to an art exhibit to eat, just like i wouldn't go to a restaurant for art. If I'm paying for food, i want to leave satisfied and full.
Heh, this sentiment is inline with my old statement that if you want tasty food don’t go to fancy and expensive restaurants that have long waiting lists for people who want reservations, just go to where working class folks really enjoy having dinner 🤔😏😊😂 by the way, none of the dishes in this movie look very tasty, but then I’m a cheeseburger type guy too 😂
@@xenn4985 not really, he’s basically asking her if she easily sailed through her school debts or if she actually had to struggle with her school debts like the “common people” It’s hinting at her association with the rich and powerful who don’t know about the struggles of the common people because they had rich families to pay for everything
@@DiamondWoodStudios Exactly, it's a superficial justification. Again he himself recognizes he's a monster. It's not a good reason to kill her, it's an excuse to kill her. The line literally only exists to illustrate that he is not an ideologue, but is rather seeking personal resolution. It's funny because ideologues think it's a nod to them(you).
@@jbo4547 Yes, that doesn't mean it's a good line. It is again, contrite and out of place. Everything the line tells us about him and the story was said better somewhere else. It's the kind of line that would be cut if it didn't tickle your little idiot brains lmao.
I used to work at Starbucks, and a lot of the themes of this movie speak to me! In particular, the one about customers' superiority complex over the barista/chef/service worker. They think they know better than we do how to do our job, but they don't! Of course, they don't; why would they? They've never done it before!
My father is a chef and while he is not a regular restaurant chef (private chef) it definitely comes with its own sacrifices, he is at someone else’s schedules mercy at all times. He is there before they eat breakfast and leaves after dinner/dessert. He follows them when they go to a separate house (which means he doesn’t come home for days, sometimes weeks) it’s honestly the reason I never even considered being a chef, because I have never and will never have that amount of devotion or passion in order to sacrifice other aspects of my life.
“It’s better to consume what you enjoy, what makes you happy, than spend your time bending over backwards, forcing yourself to like things you may not, just to feel like you belong…” Dude, that PERFECTLY nails my alcoholic drink choices. I’ve believed for many years that one should choose what they enjoy, not what some mooks in society think is “normal,” and that quote hit the nail on the head as to why. Too bad so many people don’t seem to understand that.
The cheeseburger isn't what granted Margot her freedom. It was her initial unwavering determination to actually get the service that would match the price tag of the dinner date. Chef recognised himself in Margot, he recognised how she was a service provider, just like himself. That is why he favoured Margot from the very beginning. Unlike the rest of the guests, Margot never boasted, never placed herself on a pedastal, nor did she ever try to act as though she fit in with the snobby rich customers. Not only that, but would it be wrong to theorise that Margot may be the daughter we see Slowik embrace in photograph that Margot found? He seemed to know that her name wasn't really Margot, and that she'd lied, not only to him, but to Tyler about her identity. He also seemed to recognise her need to remain anonymous, as she felt like she was out of place, even before they got to the island, when she was in Tyler's presence. But this is just a side note to serve as food for thought from the initial point of view we are all forced to look at it from Now, back to the initial theory. Chef had been helping Margot since before she even found out about his burger flipping days. The first encounter where he tried to warn her off was in the loo, when he told Margot that she didn't belong there. What seemed like a shallow thing to say to a guest could be viewed as a sincere warning from one soul to another. The second encounter was when chef revealed that Tyler had known that all the guests, including Margot, were going to die after their meal. Unlike the rest of the guests, chef Slowik gave Margot a chance to see things around her for what they truly were. He sympathised with Margot, probably because he recognised her inate innocence in all that mess. The third encounter was when he sent Margot to go get the missing barrel from the smoke house. He knew that she would find the knife and inevitably try and escape. Slowik proved to be a psychological expert, so predicting Margot rationality wasn't a challenge for him. He knew that his second in command was an envious woman who held herself to a higher standard. Thus, he expected her to attack Margot as she returned from the smoke house. A mystery is whether Slowik left the knife in the smoke house himself, or whether it was her who left it there, as a way to help herself escape after hearing the horrifying idea her colleague pitched for their final menu, but that's besides the point anyways. Slowik was counting on Margot's will to survive to help her beat the Asian lady (I forgot her name, i apologise). He knew that if she managed to survive that, she'd be able to figure out the loop hole in his plan. After all, all critical thinkers understand the need to think about the pitfalls of any plans. The fourth encounter was more of a tango; Slowik needed Margot to understand why the others were being killed, for only hen would she be able to escape unharmed, as she didn't fit into his initial plan. Slowik is not heartless, that is what he was trying to show the other guests. Margot, being Slowik's dance partner, or paid attention to Slowik's words and anger. That is why she was able to come up with the cheeseburger idea. She never viewed Slowik as a monster, she just wanted to get home alive. Margot had initially accepted her fate. Slowik wasn't only smiling because he got to prepare a meal that took him back to a better time in his life. He was also smiling, because for once, a customer understood the true passion each chef carries. A chef wants to see the joy in their customer's eyes as they enjoy the meal they requested. But unlike the other guests. Margot expressed that she wanted a dish that only allowed her freedom of choice when it came to what she ate, but also a dish that she would genuinely enjoy and appreciate, because it was a dish she didn't have to overthink in order for her to love it. Slowik respected Margot for being a genuine human being who understood the true struggles of life. The cheeseburger was their mutual understanding. Slowik providing Margot with a getaway boat is a hidden sign that he never meant to kill any innocent life. His staff died with him, because as he expressed about the one chef who killed himself, others want to be him. They want his life, his title, his prestige. But unlike Margot, nobody could recognise the genuine absurdity that was the restaurant and all it seemed to stand for at the point. When Slowik told Margot that she finally had her freedom after Tyler's humiliation was a double, if not triple entendre. The cheeseburger was a farewell gift from him to his passion, which Margot seemed to embody. At the same time, the cheeseburger was also Margot cheat code to beat his game and leave. This film is cinematography genius. And this is my take on it
I recall a show called Fameless where they offered elite food to common people. They raved about how exquisite the food was, but behind the scene, it was cheap food made with things like Kool whip in a glass topped with cocoa powder.
I tell you though... Slowik was spitting straight facts about American being the best cheese for a cheeseburger. The way it just oozes over the patty, and fills every nook and cranny of the beef patty with cheesey wonderfulness... Divine!
I did a long post in "The Menu" sub on Reddit talking about it, but this film is actually just Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for adults. It's practically the same film in so many ways. I love The Menu and the performances - but it seriously is the same overall film, with slight differences in characters and plot.
I firmly believe this was the writer's thinly veiled middle finger to every professional critic, UA-cam influencer, college creative writing professor, and internet troll commenter that's ever read or watched their work. It must have been so cathartic to write this 😆. I enjoyed it immensely.
It seems like the chef Slowik has achieved the perfection he wanted. His reward was being able to serve this super exclusive restaurant. But now that he achieved his purpose, he no longer has a purpose and he is ready to die. Margot is a lot like him. She serves pleasure to assholes with a ton of money, just like Slowik. She knows his struggles and her job is also soul sucking. That is how she knows how to convince him to spare her.
somehow, I agree with you. I think their relationship at the end is symbolic : they serviced each other. There was an honest exchange. He fed her with a real cheese-burger. She provided him a memory of happiness/experience he lost when he was an enthusiastic chef. But you're right about the "perfection" slowik thing (creating perfection for customers) and the job of an escort is psychological understanding of their customers (they heal their inner hearts more than just having sexual relationship).
Wow, finally someone who knows how to review a movie instead of just walking you through the movie telling you what we already see in front of us. "And right here, we see Margot taking out a cigarette and lighting it next to the open window." 😒🙄🙄🙄 If your reviews are all like what you did here. I will most likely subscribe to your channel! 👏🏻👏🏻
After top gun mavericks, Megan, puss in boot last wish, glass onion, del Toro pinokio and this, I think I'm right if I said we started to burn out with marvels and DC superheroes movies....just a little bit bored. Movie like this give us a refreshments, a point to remember that there are other movies besides super big budget superheroes movies.
As someone who works in the industry and did all the schooling, this IS the culinary industry. Everything from the pretentious critics to the armchair chefs to the douchey clients, being wound up so tight every night with no release valve, the relentless and necessary pursuit of perfection, it's all there. There's a reason culinary has the highest burnout rate of any field. And honestly, it spoke to me as someone who dropped the pretentious bullshit. I've done this exercise in both school and with coworkers where you make the same dish twice. One as it's meant to be and the other as hoity toity as possible. The one that LOOKS fancy, people are willing to pay more for. Sometimes exponentially more. But the one that's simple and done right people will come back to have AGAIN. And that's the whole freaking point. A simple steak and potatoes is infinitely more appealing to people than some deconstructed bullshit piece. Really to sum up the whole industry and The Menu's message, I point to Zoidberg when he's served foie gras and caviar: "goose liver? Fish eggs? Where's the GOOSE? Where's the FISH?"
I wonder if he also represents the people who tend to just regurgitate what they've heard said by others? It sounds like he's never ACTUALLY had the chef's food before even though he praises it as amazing and the chef as one of the best. When I was a kid I used to say metroid prime was the greatest game of all time. then a friend asked me if i had ever played it and i said i hadn't. That's when I realized I had only heard someone on the internet say that a lot, and I was just repeating what they said instead of going off of what I thought at the time. Another example of this is people who insist that a movie is bad (or good) even though they've NEVER seen the movie for themselves! (Some would argue that they read a synopsis or saw clips of it on social media; I would argue that this is worse) the point being that its really a easy to just repeat things we've heard without ever having any first hand experience of our own. Tyler may claim to be a foodie, but if he never tried the chef's food before tasting it...then he can't really take the food in without heavy bias that the chef doesn't want.
@@mallk238 Definitely. I've seen thousands of people who only recite opinions from others despite never actually do it. A while ago I played the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy and most common things I see people said is that Tomb Raider 2 was the best game of all time and 3 was absolutely trash. When I played it, people exaggerated af, part 2 was not that great and part is certainly not trash. I think alot of people forget that you don't have to have the same opinions as everyone else.
Oh yeah. Definitely at least a critique of Auteur Theory and director hero worship. Slowik to me at least; feels like a pastiche of Kubrick and others.
I think in the end the reason slovik smiled and seemed happy even if only for a moment was because only this simple service industry (if you even want to call it that) girl who got the opportunities to join the kitchen, to learn more, and to see the full picture all against her will. She was the only person in that entire restaurant who understood exactly why he was doing what he was doing. Even if she didn’t agree with him, even if she wanted to leave. In that moment I like to think she wasn’t trying to escape (though she likely was) I think she genuinely wanted to eat something she’d enjoy made by one of the world’s greatest cooks, not as some psychology exam on a bun but something to just sit back and enjoy. But also knowing deep down slovik would also enjoy that carefree cooking he knew she’d love. In that moment the two of them both understood each other in a way that only the two of them could. They weren’t egotistical assholes seeking clout, and they weren’t hollow imitations looking for your success and fame. They were two people taking a moment to acknowledge the wants of each other. I believe the girl genuinely wanted to have a simple burger because I believe she had fully accepted her death. And I think she accepted her death because she almost seemed reluctant to leave the dining room. You could attribute this to survivors guilt, but it didn’t seem that way, it seemed like a moment of shock. “Is this really happening? Am I actually being allowed to leave?” After she accepted her fate she wanted to share slovik’s joy and passion before she died. And after accepting his fate and his happiness to go out in his own choosing to make that final statement through his art, he wanted to show his appreciation for the one person in that room and possibly in years that cared more about him than his food. So he let her go. I got into cooking through jobs I had out of high school, I learned to cook with passion as an art and I had a lot of employers encourage me to go to culinary school, to take the extra step but by the time I was financially well off to consider it, (just a couple years of constant grinding) I hated cooking. I hated customers who complained constantly looking for free meals. I hated coworkers that blamed me when I made exactly what they ordered back to the kitchen. And I hated the kitchen staff that complained about each other and myself always saying they are better than this person or that person or even me. It was always a competition against yourself, your coworkers, and your customers. I got a compliment and a tip from a customer when I was at my breaking point one day for cooking “a simply great fucking steak” and I actually walked out and quit. That moment of appreciation meant more to me than any paycheck and I stopped right there at that high note. Today im a college student finishing a bachelors degree in biology and chemistry and starting work towards a doctorate in physical therapy. My point being this movie brought back a ton of memories and emotions I forgot I had, and for a moment as I saw slovik with tears in his eyes with the slightest hint of a grin at his passion being sparked mere moments before he killed himself I couldn’t help but cry at the paragon of my own loss of joy, creativity, and passion. This movie was a beautiful and likely ironic piece of work by directors, actors, and the entire production staff. This is by far a new favorite movie of mine. This is what cinema should be.
What you went through is the reason why I never desired to work in the culinary profession. Somehow I just knew that as soon as I started working it, I would learn to hate it. I've drawn inspiration from the works of great chefs and great cooks for my own cooking, in fact it's how I learned to cook my steaks, and the reason I learned how to make smash burgers, which Slovik demonstrates admirably. I cook for myself and I cook for loved ones. That is my audience, and I do it because I want them to enjoy themselves, so they can experience a fleeting moment of bliss in their lives that comes only from me. I don't know how to prep like the pros and more than likely I would hold a kitchen back with my speed. But I like to take my time cooking. The time doesn't matter to me at all. What's important to me is that whoever is eating it loves it.
I cook and sell spaghetti/stir fried noodles out of a cardboard box at the Sunday market near my house, may not be as hoity-toity as a Michelin star resto gig but atleast it doesn't make me wanna blow my head off or burn everything in sight
And my friend, as someone who has a best friend who is a chef, and an ex dishpig myself, we both would take your noodles/pasta over Haute cuisine anyway if we had to choose. It cracks me up how many in the industry I know have personal taste outside of the kitchen that would make the elite turn white LOL
When I was younger, my parents took me to some fancy restaurants, and I don't remember any of the dishes. I only recall being super self-conscious to follow the "rules", as we were a normal family and visits to those restaurants was something very special for us. However, I remember this amazing green thai curry in a cardboard box my dad and I got at a farmers market once, that we both shared sitting on a bench outside. The food was amazing and being able to share it was even more so. Many more experiences like these, and none of them at fancy restaurants. And don't sell yourself short. There is a reason why people love "street food". It trumps a concoction of the most exotic ingredients, one can find, served on tiny plates, every time. Given the chance I'd honestly be excited to try all the different noodles/pasta you have to offer. Good food is exciting. Meals in fancy restaurants may offer new interesting tastes, but it is rarely good food that is actually satisfying.
I see the Cheeseburger as joy in simplicity. Throughout the film Slowik has been miserable preparing all the intricate and kind of pretentious dishes but when he makes the burger and fries he smiles for the first time in the movie because its so simple and comforting. Not complicated at all just simplistic.
Great analysis. Shoutout to HBO, a lot of people saw this movie recently because of HBO (myself included). I still think maybe the Chef got the last laugh with a tainted burger.
She did take a bite in the restaurant and was still fine on the boat. It could be a slow acting illness but I think he spared her as she still has goodness and the will to live. She deliberately asked for take away just to give him the chance to relive his memories working at the place where his original love for food developed.
I genuinely got emotional during the scene of him making a cheesburger. That's not a sentence I ever thought I would say unironically, but this movie really pulled it off. Easily one of my new faves.
I work in healthcare which is arguably not an art and different in several regards but it is still a service industry where people expect perfection. This movie and your breakdown of it was so resonant to my experiences and what I've seen. I work with a doctor who is relatively new. He's been out of school for a while but just got licensed as a specialist in the field we work in. He breaks his back working with patients to truly understand their plights and to give them the best treatment he possibly can. Most of the senior providers are not like this. I imagine/hope once upon a time they may have been but now most patients are just another person on the list for that day. Only a month or so into his time at our clinic he had a patient who died. The cause was almost certainly out of his hands. The family of that patients review bombed him on google and I saw it absolutely kill him for a few days. I truly hate the idea that one day I will come into work and he will have be broken down to that level by the overwhelming weight of that perfection that is expected on him. Beyond that I work with a fell Medical Assistant who has worked in healthcare for almost twenty years. They were an EMT/paramedic for almost a decade, an ER tech for a number of years when then only when she couldn't do jobs that physically demanding anymore did she switch to clinical/outpatient medicine. I've heard people tell her that a trained monkey could do her job. A person who has nearly two decades of knowledge and experience. We've had people come in and tell doctors who have trained and lived this for nearly everyday for countless hours that they are wrong because their 10 min google search says otherwise. We are only trying to do our best and go through mindnumbing and backbreaking work to give it. While I understand that when someone's life may be on the line mistakes cannot be tolerated in the same way It's rough. I've seen all the character archetypes from this movie in my work. Both from the service end such as the head chef and those under him as well as from out patients/customers. I hate using that word here but it's true none the less. People who go into healthcare for the renown not knowing that it's hard, doctors who have been broken down and no longer do it for the purpose of helping people, people who think they can just throw money at their problems, people who are nice until you tell them no, people who think they know better.
As a Tyler, I remember watching this film with my mom, and I wanted to show her my latest sketches. I absolutely died laughing when it cut to “Tyler’s bs”.😂
when she took a bite of the cheeseburger, she said "now that is a cheeseburger" instead of "hmmmm...this is A grade wagyu beef cooked in 10 minutes before it was flipped in 45 degree angle"
The man sexually harassed his employé and manipulated them all into killing themselves. I can't be on the side of someone who hypocritically treats his staff like filth but then complains about his clients being takers
Sloak is a flawed hero who knows he's strayed from the art and willing to pay the price for it, but not willing to let those who drove him there to escape blame. His allowance to let Margo escape is his final act of heroism to not allow another servance industry provider to suffer.
I'd hardly call him a hero. He's an egomaniac who's killing a bunch of people who didn't really do anything wrong (other than the finance bros) purely because he blames them for the destruction of his love of cooking.
The fact that Noma, one of the world’s best restaurants and likely a resemblance of what this film mocks, reopened by just selling a burger and later announcing that they will be closing is oddly parallel to this film
I initially thought this movie was dumb. I serve at a fine dining restaurant. I like your take on the menu. Maybe I'm too close to it. Like I thought, this is a movie? But I truly enjoyed your analysis.
Check out the deleted scene, he tried to "get out" , but Lillian (?) The critic found him and kinda dragged him back in. (And isolated him there, perhaps?)
Something I find fascinating about the difference between Perfection critical movies of the past like Whiplash or Black Swan and movies today like Nope and The Menu is that Whiplash and Black Swan criticize the relationship between mentors and their students. The placement of the pursuit of perfection is entwined entirely on the side of the performer. Meanwhile Nope and The Menu criticize the relationship between the audience and the performer. The pursuit of perfection, or in Nope's case more of spectacle, comes from the desire of the audience to be wowed. There can be no pursuit of perfect performance or grand spectacle if there is no one there to watch it, and so both sides feed into each other, creating a dangerous environment that neither can end. Those movies of the past placed the blame on one end of a relationship, the performance world, but now, I think people, or at least some film makers, are realizing that blame is to be placed on both the manufacturer and the consumer. And that also is the case outside of art. So many people blame corporations for exploiting labor in poor countries, yet don't realize that they continue to endorse it by purchasing the corporation's goods. Both sides are at fault.
On the wine-tasting…I took a month-long class where every day for 4 hours we would meet and discuss a concept, learn the tools, and train our smells…and more often than not we would taste. 68 wines later and the message throughout the whole course is…we have taught you the basics and how to approach wine, but ultimately the only person who lives inside your mouth is you… Buy and drink what you LIKE, not what you think is good because of the vineyard or price tag.
Culinary truly is a supreme art. Paintings and sculptures you experience with vision, pottery with touch, music with sound, but cooking is an art you experience for a short time by tasting the food, seeing its presentation, smelling the aroma, and it all exists for you to devour. Chefs have to be able to make endless art with food all for us to eat it and digest it literally.
I became a pastry chef and went through schooling and worked in many kitchens by myself creating gourmet desserts but lost my passion and I remember I used to love it so much just baking boxed cupcakes in my own kitchen at like 3 am and decorating with simple buttercream😭😭👏🏼 I love this movie with my entire being and it really represents what’s wrong with money, power, prestige and society. Life should be tasted and savored instead of turning to shit inside your gut
I watched another "review" of this movie after watching it and they totally missed the point of it, focusing on the plot and how all these people could've escaped this island not seeing that they paid and WANTED to be there in the beginning. Great video and great understanding man I enjoyed this !
I’ve done just about everything in a restaurant from dishwasher to manager to bar tender to line cook. This movie was cathartic to watch. It’s a thankless and miserable job to have and I’m so happy I got out. Leave big tips and always be kind to your servers!
One of my favorite parts of this movie is how much is packed within the scene where he explains the movie was what made him snap. When he realized almost all you said, that he's treated like a roomba to the people he strove to make art for, while the people who can treat him like that can be lazy and mediocre at every thing they do; and the clear connect to the working class versus the elite. Beautiful film. I just finished it today and had to fly here to see if anyone else was as blown away by it as I was.
I cried when Tyler started cooking. Ouch ouch ouch. On that note, the whole point of the Tyler character was to confront the viewer with himself, and when Tyler tries to put it all together like a pro, he fails miserably, the viewer is supposed to feel "called out" as you are like Tyler, thinking you understand the show and its message. Your Ego is called out in the form of Tyler, who must acknowledge his folly and kill himself before the rest of the experience can be understood. ego has to go for before any further insight can come from the night. Just as, like Margot, we "weren't supposed to be there" and are only there to learn something, we are Tyler too, and he has to die before we are free to learn and leave fed and grateful.
One dark aspect of her asking for the burger is that she's manipulating Chef, it's part of what she does for customers. Whether or not she wants a burger was never the question, it's what does the chef really want to serve and then attempting to leave.
you don't have to tell me to see the menu. I already have, and I thought it was truly on of the very best films of 2022. my school SCAD, I think even screened it at the savannah film festival and I believe Nicholas Hoult showed up. this is already a must have for me on blu-ray. but is it crazy for me to think that "the menu" could get a possible Criterion Collection with essay and a director's commentary included down the line??
I went and saw this movie with a dear friend of mine, my writing editor. I was stunned by how good it was. I initially thought it would be some sort of cannibal horror story, but it wasn't even close to that. This movie spoke to me on a deeply personal level as someone who could burn water, but who loves, loves, LOVES to eat, and has been a food service worker (though never a chef). I met so many guys and gals who were just like Slowik in my time. Who loved to cook and eat good food, but hated the work, hated the customers. I remember when I worked at one of the nicer diners in town, one of the line cooks and my manager had heard that I wasn't getting enough to eat b/c I couldn't afford much food after my medical bills, and the cook made me a cheeseburger on the spot, free of charge. He would make me a cheeseburger every day we worked together, and that was the most delicious burger I could have asked for. I've watched the Menu four times. Twice with friends, twice on my own. The ending is by far my favorite part of the movie. In an experience fueled by hatred and spite for those who tortured him as an artist, Julian's last meal that he cooks with his own two hands... is a cheeseburger with grilled onions, and crinkle-cut fries. Not a labor of sophistication and self-flagellation, but a labor of love. Just some good fucking food that fills you up. Be nice to the cook (and the waiter, too).
13:32 no. He chose to bring her because he had to bring someone and he didn’t care if she died. She was worthless to him. He didn’t care about her at all. She was disposable, a tool to use to get his elite experience. He could have brought someone else, but he probably chose an “elite” girlfriend and thought she had some value. She wasn’t quite disposable like Margo as a paid companion and non-elite was.
The amuse dish is an excellent foreshadow to the final scene. I learn about that from a youtuber who used to be a chef. Listen to chefs who know the ingredients and break it down is really awesome. Which definitely makes repeat viewing so much better. Now I want to see what a sommelier thinks about the wine being served.
When i first heard about this, I was very skeptical when I saw a thriller centered around food, even rolling my eyes at the title, wondering what they could possibly do to make a movie called "the menu" work without being boring or cheesy. Seeing the IMDB rating, it clearly did work, and I had to watch it for myself. It's such a breath of fresh air finding a movie that isn't just a forgettable overbudgeted reboot or low-risk money grab built from preexisting hype. The satirical humor behind foodie culture was strong in this movie, but doesn't take away from the suspense of gradually uncovering Hawthorne's insanity. If I find myself thinking about a movie for days after having initially watched it, I know it's good, and this is one of my favorites now.
This movie was amazing. I just watched it. However I haven’t seen anybody share my take on it. The chef doesn’t have them wound or is he “chasing perfection”… he did something he loved, and had it corrupted the elite. Hes not a narcissist. He’s heartbroken
I agree with you! Sure, perhaps Slowik has been run-down by giving everything he has and is to perfecting his art, but it’s more the corruption of that goal that sees him turning to murder-suicide. I can’t quite remember if it’s explicitly stated in the movie, but I feel like when he saw ‘Dr. Sunshine’ was the moment he came to the full realisation of ‘I hate what I’ve done/become in service to elites who don’t/can’t care about the blood sweat and tears I’ve put into my work.’
@@Victoura56 YES! Corruption of something done from joy, bastardized by $$$. I dont think he ever strived for “perfection”… just appreciation. And in so doing gave more and more if himself. Him being able to spot the “other” service worker and her being a prostitute was perfection. And I dont think he stated that during the “Sunshine” epilogue. But he did clearly state that “he had become part of the problem” Im about to watch it again. I really was SHOCKED at home much I liked this movie. I actually almost shut it off in first 20 minutes. I HATED it. And only started to enjoy as the madness escalated and social norms where obliterated. I worked as a DJ on Long Island with a HUGE wedding industry for 20+ years. And this movie really struck a nerve with me. The entire theme about giving to people you will never know. And desire to make people happy, being incentivized makes it insanity. I would have DJ for free! That is why I could never start my own company. Always thought it was RIDICULOUS the amount of $ that people charged to do something so fun. It took a unique type of cold blooded individuals to start & stat un the industry. The funny thing is I knew many & they were MOSTLY terrible DJs! Lol. And most of the best DJs are not long for the industry because they “burn out”. These days I go no where NEAR a wedding! Give me a intimate residency 2 nights a week, or some of VFW Family birthday parties anytime, over the high end wedding factories chewing up the youth and spitting it out when its done with it.
I've worked as a cook for 7 years, fast food and fine Asian dinning. My favorite dish is boiled buckwheat porridge in chicken stock, with cooked onion and egg sunny side up the best simple protein breakfast to start the day I'm happy i quit this career 10 years ago
When I see those fancy dishes, I feel bad. It's like a beautifully decorated and wrapped Christmas present; both are designed with such artistic wonder yet are meant to be destroyed. I feel bad opening those gifts, and if I had to eat one of those dishes I feel like I couldn't just because it is so delicately made. Now, I've never been to a fancy restaurant, and likely never will. However, I have gone out of my way to try and thank the fast food people whenever possible. Sure mistakes are there, but I know they're on a conveyer belt of insanity so I don't care about the errors. I just appreciate how they can get through the day with a smile on their face despite it all, and I will NEVER want to work in such an environment. Those people, chefs and fast food workers, are stronger than I ever will be.
I like how the Chef sees his own hypocrisy and doesn’t seem himself worthy enough to live either. He could have very easily left the high dining industry and gone on to become a cook for the average person to really enjoy. As he told the customers “if you simply fought harder you could’ve escaped”. But he chooses to stay for years and years, bitter and complaining, choosing to serve the very people he despises. Almost victimizing himself, but also seeing how he fed the circle he also chooses to kill himself
if i had a nickel for every time a movie sent rich, entitled assholes to secluded islands to revel in their uppity society, then blew them all up, i'd have 2 nickels. which isn't a lot but strange that it happened twice.
always wonder if the victims are truly so gulity that they deserve to die? Like how Jigsaw chooses his victims (ohh you cheat on taxes? YOU DIE)..all they did was what most typically humans do..if we are all being judge I'm sure every one of us have flaws that would be deemed guilty..I got shit ton that would prob send me to my death lol ..
The movie more or less explicitly states that no, none of them really deserve to die. The head chef literally calls himself a monster at one point, and they all kill themselves too. The reasoning for killing their patrons is a retroactive justification to bolster their personal disillusionment with their art.
i just watched this movie last week. i saw it pop up everywhere. once i started watching it, it turned out be a very well done movie. the interactions between slowick and erin is just beautiful. the back and forth between them on screen plays off really well. erin does know good food, it isnt how pricey it is or some other nonsense. its about food someone really wants to just sit down and eat, not getting the best and most expensive menu items and pretending its good. slowick on the other hand forgot what love for food was about, he threw it all away just to be better and better (he thinks) than anyone else. yet his food is boring and dull in the end because he doesnt care about it anymore. where at the end erin asks him for a simple cheeseburger, something slowick started off with. simple comfort food, he regains his love for food but knows its too late to stop what he set out to do. but he lets erin leave because she appreciates the food he gave her at the end. a good delicious cheeseburger. he respects erin for telling him the truth and she respects him for giving her something she really wants to have.
This is beyond the best review and breakdown ive seen so far. None of the reviews ive seen actually understood the meaning of this whole movie. You are the first person ive seen that didnt call Slowik a "villain" and it just shows that you saw how much depth this movie had and actually understood it (atleast what i think) great video ill sub cause of this 😀
for the margo part i think he's just glad that the one that isn't on the menu is gone. the other one that's not part of the menu was essentially for margo too. so i think he just really want to let her go or join them with full understanding why they're doing it
What did YOU think of The Menu? 🥘Comment below! Thanks again to Raycon 🎧 Go to buyraycon.com/filmspeak for 15% OFF Your Order!
It’s excellent, though I thought it was a hilarious take on the Chef’s own pretentiousness, when he explains that one of the actor’s movies, was his offense.
Not who he was, or how he got money, but the Chef’s own critique of a movie he saw, with him in it.
Interesting and enjoyable film. Definitely has more layers than just the main plot. Funny in places and hard hitting in others. Much better than the usual terrible films we get.
Awesome acting, great story, interesting plots, fantastic food, great photography and lighting.
Ik this was mostly about the rich and the lack of respect for the art of food. However, I also think that this is why AI art will never replace art made by humans. The imperfections give soul, heart and passion behind any art.
Good movie, I wish the characters that were invited had a bit more of a story they were quite forgettable. Nicholas holt was amazing as a wide eyed
sycophant I thought. Ralph Fiennes is going to smash the villian character in any role he plays.
Every time my kid asks me "why don't you be a chef, mom? This is so good!" when I cook for him, I say- "sweetie, I've worked nearly a decade managing a restaurant. You couldn't pay me enough to work with food & service again, but for you, I'd do it everyday."
Goated mom right here ladies and gentlemen
That's adorable
I agree i trained as a assistant chef and serving 500 people in one night is really hard work
Respect
Wait that's the sweetest thing ever help
I've worked in restaurants for 15 years. I've been a fast food line cook and a chef in fine dining. My favourite meal, the one I take the most pleasure in making and eating has never appeared on any menu I've made. It's just ramen noodles and sautéed frozen veggies. Sometimes I add eggs to turn it into what I call a ramelette. It costs 85 cents to make, and I enjoy every second of it.
Thank god I stopped cooking.
I’ve just started making my own meals instead of eating fast food. I’m 25, in the kitchen for myself and my fiancé and will definitely be using this recipe in the coming weeks. Thank you for your contributions to food
I've made a wonderful chicken noodle soup with Ramen noodles, canned chicken, chicken broth, and Knorr vegetable soup mix. Ramen is so versatile!
Taking down these ramen recipes ✍️
This was my university diet. Good stuff. I added egg, fresh green onion, sometimes pickled vegetables. My trick was to stir in a teaspoon of peanut butter. It sounds weird, but it was awesome.
this was my tea today lol except i didnt sautee the veggies i just microwaved everything
One of my favourite little details in the film is that Slowik has tears in his eyes for almost the entire film
I noticed that too! I also noticed a few of the kitchen staff teary eyed as well during certain close ups. It brought a bit of humanity back to them for me.
He’s such a great actor.
No he doesnt
@@BM-is5eiyes he does. His eyes are glazed over and watery.
The Cheeseburger represents a full circle for is culinary adventure. That's why he smiled and enjoyed it so much. It was the perfect ending for him.
It was kinda similar to Ratatouille ending albeit it was twisted, but at the end of his journey even for a moment he regain his passion of cooking after so long deprived of it
or he's laughing because he's using the meat that's not fully aged and will kill her too even if she thinks he outsmarted him, it chilled me to the bone when you realize that the boat she escaped in broke down just enough for the 'escapee' to witness it, but then eating a poisoned burger, was all planned as well by the Chef. For the Menu to work, everyone had to die.
@@BrokenEvil oh my god this is CRAZY when you think about it… great catch
@@BrokenEvil
The director has talked about this, because of the possibility of the poisoning, but he says that the Chef didn’t poison her, and lets her get away. She isn’t poisoned, and they never meant it to seem like she was.
It works either way, when one first sees it, though. I thought about it being poisoned or not, whether her one bite, then asking for a take out bag, was how she survives, regardless of the poison. Yet, I finally felt that the Chef didn’t poison her. He had tested her, and she was the only one who he deems worthy of surviving.
@CorbCorbin yeah, I agree. I mean he didn't poison the burger or smth, but most of the time the food represents all of how they would tell a simple story even tho we can't even notice it.
"Tyler's Bullshit" was the most rewarding dish of the movie. The cheeseburger was the best food, but "Tyler's Bullshit" really takes home all the points the movie has been trying to say. And is sooo good to see that dish being prepared.
Yeah, all of the dishes served a critical purpose. He didn't want to feed then physically, but feed them his criticism.
He served them mockery and they blindly gobbled it up
I love the chefs' faces watching him . .like "please, show us how to do our jobs"
The description of Tyler's undercooked lamb, etc..... Hilarious 😂🤣🤣. I brought this movie and absolutely love it because I am a food service worker. Not a chef, but I do understand the judgement and perfection from the customers. The last thing you want to hear is a complaint about a dish. I'm not going to burn down a restaurant, but I do respect everyone involved in the making of this movie. Bravo 👏👏👏
The moment I realized how ignorant Tyler was kind of, the next dish served was Tyler's Bullshit and it made it so rewarding for me too
Ok, like I realize people enjoyed this, but the thing for me is that even on this level it just doesn't work.
Because the proper response to someone saying, "If you're such a fan, you do the work.", is "Of course I can't do the work, that's why I'm a fan."
Guys that are fans of say Lionel Messi or Tom Brady or Simone Biles or whomever aren't saying, "Because I follow your work so closely, I think I can do it." No fan is under an obligation to be as skilled as the person performing the work. You don't have to be able to do the work in order to appreciate it.
The movie distracts you from the fact that its point and themes are self-indulgent BS by having all the archetypal characters be such unlikeable people, but that shouldn't give the movie a pass on the fact that is itself everything that it is criticizing. It doesn't work on its own terms, just like the food that is served in it. None of it makes any sense and it asks you to ignore that because it's just so meta. Admiring the movie is like admiring the breadless bread dish.
“In the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.” -Anton Ego
Yup. Or, as Pauline Kael put it, “Movies are so rarely great art, that if we cannot learn to accept and appreciate great trash, we have very little reason to see them”
My dad has been in the food industry for a little over forty years. We watched this movie the other night and he was laughing his ass off the entire time Tyler was cooking.
(Dicing the shallots while with the skin and throwing them in)
*chef: a new technique? Let us all gather to learn* 😂😂🎉🎉
That scene made me feel better about my own cooking skills
42+year "lifer" commenting..I watch this movie after a particular bad/hard day/week on my restaurant job.
On a side note; I love the way the maitre’d answers the banking-bros when they ask “What are these?”; in the pause after she says “tortillas” you can *almost* hear her saying “…you dumb fucks…” under her breath, like every service worker ever when asked a stupid question with an obvious answer.
She really does say that? Damn I missed it on first viewing
Tortillas deliciosas she said it so on point
No. She didnt say that.
@@jangdi. rewatch it because yes she did.
Guy: “What- …. What the hell are these?..”
her “these are tortillas”
Guy “no what are these..”
her “These are tortillas. Tortillas deliciosas. They also contain taxes [insert company name here] and fake charges” basically to make it look like they’re paying taxes and doing their job for the other places they own besides Hawthorn but they were committing fraud all of them including the owner which is why he drowns as the fallen angel
@@nymeriasand7572 but where is the "you dumbfucks" part?? She didnt say it right?
I find the character of Tyler weirdly compelling. He knew he'd die and yet was so desperate to get to Hawthrone Island. So much so that he was willing to take someone else to their unknowing demise. How broken do you have to be to do that?
I truly believe that Tyler knew everyone else would die but, in line with his character thinking the whole time that he was the only one enjoying the menu the "right" way, thought that he would win Chef's favor and be spared. I imagine that's also why he was taking pictures after being told expressly not to, because he thought he was above everyone else and exempt from the rules.
@@saiorgirl8 Tyler thought that Slowik loved his brown-nosing when they had those months of exchanges when it actual fact Slowik was just toying with him. The gut punch was when Slowik hinted at him and questioned him who he really was. You see everyone there was either selfish, egoistic and pompous P.O.S. But Tyler was the opposite but not in the good way. Tyler was instead just a waste of a life, talentless, spineless, pathetic sheep and fanboy. He epitomes the word bullsh*t.
Thats also why he didnt run. "You too" then hes like oh uh okay lol
His whole character to me came down to validation seeking. Either from the girl he brought or the chef, he just needed somebody to tell him how smart he was
Tyler's a psychopath
And the ending was perfect… Margo gave him the gift of 1 last moment of happiness… it even reinforces & reinsures his course. Even affirms his humanity in letting her go. And a appreciation for her helping his overture reach perfection
or he's laughing because he's using the meat that's not fully aged and will kill her too, even if she thinks he outsmarted him, it chilled me to the bone when you realize that the boat she escaped in broke down just enough for the 'escapee' to witness it, and then eating a poisoned burger, it was all planned as well by the Chef. For the Menu to work, everyone had to die.
@@BrokenEvil yeah… but no meat does that. Its interesting because he do have everything planned like the two way radio & coast gaurd… but he has 0 motive to kill her. She is a innocent. She has not yet lost her desire to live.
Plus as a sole survivor she tells the story of his masterpiece and in death will earn the appreciation that was not felt in life. Preparing others to “embrace the flames”…
@@bumpercarjoe6391 His masterpiece...? You mean killing a bunch of people and psychologically torturing them? Are you really glorifying this?
@@らいどう-c5m im not glorifying it as something I would like to see in reality. But as far as a “story” it was powerful. I was so disgusted by these characters at first I almost shut it ofd. It was until the plan of Chief was being revealed did I become comfortable with the film. He and margo where the only moral characters in the film. Seriously think about the fact, none of the others tried harder? Or asked for their food to go? The allowed the marshmallows to be placed on them, and by the end even offered to pay!
You asking if “I seriously endorse this” is blurring the lines of fiction and reality? Wood I endorse a character like Frank Castles Punisher in real life? No… probably not, because real life is far more complex. But am I condoning his actions in this film. Absolutely not. He was the hero of this story! Those people where so bad, even THEY KNEW IT!
Go back to the film, the meat didn’t reach yet 152 days,that’s why it was still prepped up, they are trying to relax the protein stran so it’s not as tough. Literally what Tyler mentioned, how they work between the edge of life and death. Balancing it between expiration date, and tenderness. Therefor she survived.
What’s funny to me, cheeseburger wise, is that I have a friend who loves eating at upper middle-class restaurants, or high end restaurants. I asked her once if we could just go get burgers sometime, since she always pays for the meal, but then she suggested we go to a fancy shamncy bar. The burger I had there wasn’t even that good. I would have had a better tasting burger at a Culver’s, and that’s why I love the scene of the Cheeseburger being served. I don’t care where it’s from. It’s a great tasting version of that dish when it’s made that way, and it just feels right when you eat it.
oooo culvers is so good
Heh, not tasty but expensive burger.😊jk but fwiw, any restaurant that thinks sprinkling gold dust on a burger is a good idea has no idea how to make a actually tasty burger 😂
I honestly love how the very last shot is Erin (Margo) continuing to eat the cheeseburger. Sure she may have just been very hungry at that point, but I’d like to believe she really just wanted to respect Chef even in death
That"s one way to look at it, but for example when she crumples up the copy of the menu
That could be seen as her rejecting the Chef's BS and her just being hungry from not eating,
In the end Erin/Margo gave the chef a service and got her life in return
But it could be seen as just Another service she forced herself to do for a customer etc.
I don't think she respected Slowik, maybe understood his frustration
But her view and tone towards him was never one of respect.
Hi, last year culinary student here. Found the movie a week back and have gotten most of my colleagues to watch the movie. It's honestly one of the single best ever made for anyone in the food industry right there with Rataouille. The way it constantly mocks you for dissecting it and the social commentary is just.. immaculate.
what are your feelings on Chef with Jon Favreau? I feel like there is a similar idea in that he found happiness and fulfillment in his work and for himself by doing the foodtruck thing and cooking something simple but amazing.
@@jenniferblake3224 I found it really funny that Leguizamo acted in both, I prefer The Menu to Chef but I actually know a former head chef who took that movie to the heart to the point where he legitimately started his own food truck as well. One is more fulfilling while the other is more grim, both have a similar premise.
Margot didn’t enact some big change ins Slowik. She simply did what he asked. Not eat but savor her meal, so he lets her go with her food since she is appreciative of what he did.
That’s what he meant by “Why didn’t you try and leave?” When the coast guard showed up. They all could have done it. He asked them at the very beginning.
Maybe it's because I'm former USCG. But the scene with the Coast Guard member fucking killed me. It also shows that people in these circles know nothing about those who serve them. The moment he walked in I knew he was a plant. Absolutely nothing about him was correct for a CG member. Wrong uniform, wrong equipment, unshaven, alone, wrong terminology. To me it made the scene ever better cause it was another case of "if you actually knew these people, you'd know you're fucked."
@@taylorsackett2556 He felt like a cartoon version of a member of the Coast Guard.
No, she didnt touch her food. That last minutes mind game was her idea, risky play but it works.
I see it quite the opposite, she simply enjoy the burger for what it is instead of pretending it was some grand mental exercise or some pretentious bs.
@@MLU8811 I'm pretty certain that the movie was clear that the food was pretentious
I understood Tyler and Margot’s backstory a bit differently. And it makes Tyler look worse yet than he already did.
Margot is an escort or sex worker of some sort. Tyler didn’t ask other women to come - he rented Margot because of what she is, because to him, that sort of person is disposable. He knew every guest would be killed here but he didn’t care that he basically had this girl murdered to fulfill his own desire. And that of course reflects how he looks at the other staff aside from the head chef.
Tyler doesn’t understand food (art); he is a foodie in it for the prestige, hence why he can’t cook - a wannabe, as you said. But a wannabe who spits on artist before they become popular and doesn’t give a shit about anyone other than prestige. Margot reinforces that. And it’s also why she lives and he dies when he loses the prestige.
Yep! That was essentially my takeaway as well. If that didn't come through in the writing I apologize, but yeah. Margot being a "service worker in another industry" is sort of what I was getting at by that. Nevertheless, spot on on your part!
@@FilmSpeak ah, I heard you talk about Margot's profession at other points but when discussing Tyler and Margot, I understood it as you saying they were in a relationship (which is vague but I come down on no). So I might just have misunderstood you :)
@@callist1990 I feel Tyler was the one Slowik hated the most - He was a fanboy, a fraud and a poser to the subject of cooking. He doesn't seem to understand the long hours, the blood sweat and tears, that it takes to be a cook. Its people like him that made Slowik the way he was. Tyler was such a fake.
@@engoodenwojak918 you're 100% right and normally i wouldnt correct someone but just want to clarify in general, cook=/=chef. I am a cook. I work in a café, have learned my skills on the job and taken a basic course at an institute of technology, but at the end of the day, its just a job. Chefs are an entirely different league. They are literally food artists. They study and observe professionals and put in the hours to perfect their art and create incredible dishes. Just a minor correction but i feel they deserve the respect of the distinction.
@@DaMazzaf97 thanks for the correction. no worries mate
One thing you got wrong here is that Margo doesn't eat the food. She repeatedly rejects the food, calls it bullshit, Fiennes' character confronts her over it a few times. She says she's not hungry or not interested.
Did anyone catch that the name of Julians first restaurant was Tantalus named after the Greek myth of the man who was cursed to my just in reach of food but never being able to grab it
used to work in a restaurant. we had wine tastings to get acquainted with what we are selling. i don’t know the darnest thing about wine. some is red, some isn’t.
every wine tasted the same (bad) but my boss kept going on and on about the cultivating progress of the grapes, or how it was ecologically produced and whatnot. i couldn’t really tell a difference, and i would really fail a blind-test despite tasting the wines just mere minutes ago.
but then one bottle.. actually tasted good? i was kinda blown away honestly. here i thought all of these people around me pretended to like the stingy, fermented taste of wine. but there was actually good wine out there that, although pricey, was enjoyable to drink.
so it was the only wine i recommended when i was asked, because it was the only one i liked. and i got so many responses that were like “this actually tastes GOOD”.
made me ponder why these people even drink at all, if they get surprised when it doesn’t taste like shit.
They're all just trying to fit in
Every wine my Mom would drink tasted the same, and was very acidic, but a bottle of WildVine strawberry white Zinfandel tasted great.
Which wine is that
Drop the name
The actors/actressess are incredible. Anya Taylor-Joy is a tresure and Ralph Fiennes is frenetic. My favorite scene is the Cheeseburger. 2022's year last quarter can be described as rich A-holes on remote island with an exploding ending.
True 3 films did this last year...
@@anthonys.8569 Yeah, what a coincidence, just like the time when Kick-Ass and Super or the two White house movie released when it was attacked by terrorists.
Altough Im don’t complain, cause we got 2 great movie at least (I haven’t watched the “Triangle of sadness”)
@@attilahun2 I thought Triangle was the best of those 3. I recommend seeing it.
My favorite scene is Tyler's bullsh*t 🤩
@@anthonys.8569 “In den wolken”. So yesterday watched the movie. After the first act I suprised that how many times I have laughed so hard that I almost fell out of my seat (after the 2. act, some people Walked out of the room). I like the movie says that it’s not the rich people are assholes, but the people are assholes, depending on the situation.
I really like it, but I loved Glassed Onion a bit more, I am a bit biased with Rian Jhonson and I recently I like Crime stories.
About the wine thing: I just noticed that a lot of the customers are holding their wineglasses wrong but acting normally, probably another way to inforce the shallow nature of their behaviour. I was told at a wine tasting thing that if you hold wineglasses by the top part (i.e. with only a bit of glass between your fingers and the wine) you won't taste the wine to its full extent because the contact will over-sweeten the wine. That's why the glasses have that vertical part.
I don't know if it was on purpose or anything, but I think it really re-inforces the futile pretentiousness os the customers.
When I read your comment, I couldn't help but notice the irony: the idea that a mere touch of your fingers on the glass will over-sweeten the wine and ruin the experience, comes from the same mindset as the one that is criticised in the movie, ie. the futile pretentiousness of hyper-focusing and overanalysing tiny details (details that you would never be able to notice unless you have enough money to do things like wine tastings) instead of just... enjoying the bloody wine any way you like to drink it! My reply is not meant to be an attack on you (granted, it was hard to avoid coming across like it is, sorry!). It just shows how easy it is for all of us (myself included!) to fall into the trap of adopting whatever status symbols we can (like knowing the right way to drink wine), so we can flaunt them in front of others. Most of us would and do act at least a bit like Tyler or the critic in the movie, if given a chance. We're just as pretentious as those customers (AND the chef!), we just have less financial scope for expressing it.
@@AW-uv3cb It's cool, when I wrote this comment I intended to convey how absurd the whole wine thing is. Like, I literally tried to do it both ways and it makes 0 difference, it's psychological. It's all about pretentiousness.
@@mafaldaviana9060 my apologies, I didn't get the full meaning of what you were saying in your comment 🙂
I work at a fine-dining restaurant and our head chef had us over to watch this movie. We all thought it was about fine-dining cannibals and were pleasantly surprised
Honestly, that's what I first thought going into the movie as well
This movie just said "f*** you" to the high society. Pretty much this and Glass Onion just nailed that concept for me . And i never get infuriated by a character until Tyler came up.
Tyler is the worsssttt haha and agreed it’s a great companion piece to Glass Onion
Well, no one likes “high-society”
It actually said "f*** you" to EVERYONE involved, its important to not ignore that.
Note that this is at its core a story of personal revenge, not self righteousness. The "givers and takers" messaging is retroactive, it's the characters justification for their actions. It's essentially hollow.
Glass onion sucks lets make that clear
@@nocoture Well personally it's a fun ride but i understand why some people didn't like it.
I also love that this film glorifies "the common touch" in a way "eat the rich" films (e.g. parasite, the glass onion) fail to.
In the films I'm used to, the endings are usually either, (1) the poor fight dirty and/or kill the bad guys to get one over on them, or (2) the poor are doomed forever because society is unfair.
This film illustrates that high society cannibalizes itself with games of status and power, something Margot is completely immune to (which is why she survives). She understands one of the real purposes of art and life (to produce joy and fulfillment) which is something high culture can't accept.
I think Parasite ending was metaphorical about Korean society structure, since it didnt quite make sense. Kinda absurd.
I agree! But I would like to point out that I think Knives Out also accomplishes this. Unlike all the rich family members playing their own games to an inheritance they rightfully lost, Martha stayed true to herself and played her own game and that’s why she won in the end.
@@jangdi. What exactly did you find absurd about it? Just curious.
It’s funny because I hated The Menu and loved Parasite for the same reason. The American style of forcing a hero vs bad guys narrative (in this case, the righteous one who deserves survival vs the rest who get their punishment) just seems so cheesy and outdated. Margo as a character in general hinders the film, her behavior contradicts her backstory and there’s no real reason for the audience to root for her other than “she’s outspoken and not like the others”. This film reads like an upper middle class man is criticizing his even richer counterparts while pretending to “understand” and “sympathize” with the working class by painting them as fools who take themselves too seriously when they could just, you know, take a chill pill and make cheeseburgers! Meanwhile, parasite deeply understands the horror of an endless cycle of poverty under capitalism in which you can’t just escape because you think you’re not a part of the system (like Margo). In the real world, an escort like Margo would happily do the job she is paid for instead of being rude and acting entitled to the staff. Obviously the people writing the movie did not know that because they would not know what it’s like. You can’t shit on “high society dining” while praising “fast food” and not come out valuing easy consumerism over the blood and tears of artists. McDonald’s being run by CEOs on minimum wage workers are also the product of “high society”. But in this film it’s presented as a “return to normalcy”.
Another interesting point: Tyler keeps taking pictures of the food even though he knows he is going to die. That means he does not take them because he appreciates it but just for show. His interest in the food is surface-level, it is built on him feeling superior because of this kind of hobby, which is later presented by him being asked to cook and failing miserably.
I was trying to figure out the motive for taking the photos despite knowing that he would die that night. Did he think he was an exception and wouldn’t die? Or was it habit or for show? Or the only way he knew how to appreciate the food?
My head cannon is that he may have an “instagram foodie blog “. There isn’t cellular service but there are apps that you can set up posts to upload to a later date, so hypothetically he may have had this set up in his phone as he is taking pictures of the food. He may have planned that if/when his phone is discovered it will ping and post his photos…showing he was present at Slowik’s last served dinner menus. Thus showing he was one of the selected to die, because he is “that” important.
@@Theatress09 We'll go with that! :)
There was a rule they were all told that pictures of the food aren't allowed. Perhaps he thought himself above the rules
I think he didn't think he'd die. Just like he thought the no-photos rule doesn't apply to him (despite his kow-towing attitude to Slowik), he thought the dying part will only apply to others, and he'll be the one diner allowed to witness it as part of his experience, because 'he's so special'.
I'm a sous chef at a Michelin Star restaurant. They got the snobbery correct
haha I always wonder when films or shows about the food industry come out how accurate they are, but from everyone i've talked to who can relate and your comment here, it sounds like that NAILED the struggle the kitchen goes with in creating art for people who don't appreciate it.
Do you know Sous chef Jeremy London??? Aka the mess???
So you're American. Its not like that in normal countries.
@@pinkimietz3243 Oh good grief no. In most "normal" countries it's vastly worse. I defy you to find a nation which has a healthier and friendlier relationship between wait staff and customers than the USA. Yes, there are exceptions, but most foreigners coming over here get absolutely freaked out by how friendly employees are and Americans going overseas are generally really genuinely offended by how unfriendly and arrogant the staff of restaurants tend to be. This is something I've experienced both first hand as someone that lived abroad, and a nigh universal experience I've had related to me by people on both sides of the pond.
And as for tipping, foreigners and oikiophobes give it a bad name, but really the whole idea behind tipping is to allow the customer to scale the cost of the meal to his own income. The wealthier you are, the more you are supposed to pay for the meal in order to ensure that the dining experience is accessible to everyone. And every single restaurant I've seen in the USA that tries to get away from tipping fails, because both the staff and the diners want to do it. If you take the tips away, the wait staff makes less money and the price of the food goes up in a way that makes it less accessible to the poorer customers for whom the dining experience is a special treat. Almost invariably this drives down the quality of servers you can hire and the business either decides to bring back tips or folds.
@@celebrim1 I can only speak for myself and some friends - but we (as Europeans) were uncomfortable with the "friendliness" of Americans as it is not genuine. Service or retail staff isn't nice to you, because they genuinely mean it. It's just part of American culture. I live in a city that is considered to be one of the least "friendly" in Europe, however for me it does not feel unfriendly. If I am friendly to people, they are friendly as well -- but they won't pander to the customers the same way service personell in the U.S. is trained to do.
Sometimes you find people here that are standoff-ish, but culturally our reaction to that is thinking that these particular people just take themselves too seriously.
Also, tipping is completely normal here, and I was rather shocked at how little people tipped in the U.S..
At the end of the day, it's just a cultural difference.
This film puts before consumers of all creative art forms the issues creatives/creators face. The people that control the market. The consumers that have an insatiable appetite for the works but care less about the mental health of the artisan. The ones who use the art as a status symbol. The critics who judge the work and decide the future livelihood of the artist. The people who launder money with the works created. And the human who is torn in so many directions they lose their way.
As someone who creates, this movie made me feel seen.
As a working chef, the representation of that patron/chef relationship is perfect in this movie. By the end I knew exactly what the movie was about, and I understood how he felt, on a really personal level.
My dad saw this film and loved it. I saw the trailers and the ending was spoiled for me. We both concluded that "sometimes the best meal is a simple one rather than the fancy stuff".
It's kind of when Gordon Ramsay challenged an amateur chef to bake a brownie. The amateur chef, despite only using 3 simple ingredients, won to a Michelin Star Chef that Gordon was in denial!
I think also the best meal is one that is...well, a meal, first and foremost. I don't go to an art exhibit to eat, just like i wouldn't go to a restaurant for art. If I'm paying for food, i want to leave satisfied and full.
@@randomthoughts0829 these type of restaurants are for rich pretentious assholes who wish to stroke their ego more than enjoy a meal
Heh, this sentiment is inline with my old statement that if you want tasty food don’t go to fancy and expensive restaurants that have long waiting lists for people who want reservations, just go to where working class folks really enjoy having dinner 🤔😏😊😂 by the way, none of the dishes in this movie look very tasty, but then I’m a cheeseburger type guy too 😂
“What school did you go to?”
“Brown”
“Student Loans?”
“No”
“Sorry, you’re dying”
Best line in the whole film
It was actually the most contrite and out of place but okay
@@xenn4985 not really, he’s basically asking her if she easily sailed through her school debts or if she actually had to struggle with her school debts like the “common people”
It’s hinting at her association with the rich and powerful who don’t know about the struggles of the common people because they had rich families to pay for everything
@@xenn4985 it's perfectly in line with his character.
@@DiamondWoodStudios Exactly, it's a superficial justification. Again he himself recognizes he's a monster. It's not a good reason to kill her, it's an excuse to kill her.
The line literally only exists to illustrate that he is not an ideologue, but is rather seeking personal resolution.
It's funny because ideologues think it's a nod to them(you).
@@jbo4547 Yes, that doesn't mean it's a good line. It is again, contrite and out of place.
Everything the line tells us about him and the story was said better somewhere else.
It's the kind of line that would be cut if it didn't tickle your little idiot brains lmao.
I used to work at Starbucks, and a lot of the themes of this movie speak to me! In particular, the one about customers' superiority complex over the barista/chef/service worker. They think they know better than we do how to do our job, but they don't! Of course, they don't; why would they? They've never done it before!
My father is a chef and while he is not a regular restaurant chef (private chef) it definitely comes with its own sacrifices, he is at someone else’s schedules mercy at all times. He is there before they eat breakfast and leaves after dinner/dessert. He follows them when they go to a separate house (which means he doesn’t come home for days, sometimes weeks) it’s honestly the reason I never even considered being a chef, because I have never and will never have that amount of devotion or passion in order to sacrifice other aspects of my life.
“It’s better to consume what you enjoy, what makes you happy, than spend your time bending over backwards, forcing yourself to like things you may not, just to feel like you belong…”
Dude, that PERFECTLY nails my alcoholic drink choices. I’ve believed for many years that one should choose what they enjoy, not what some mooks in society think is “normal,” and that quote hit the nail on the head as to why.
Too bad so many people don’t seem to understand that.
The cheeseburger isn't what granted Margot her freedom. It was her initial unwavering determination to actually get the service that would match the price tag of the dinner date. Chef recognised himself in Margot, he recognised how she was a service provider, just like himself. That is why he favoured Margot from the very beginning. Unlike the rest of the guests, Margot never boasted, never placed herself on a pedastal, nor did she ever try to act as though she fit in with the snobby rich customers.
Not only that, but would it be wrong to theorise that Margot may be the daughter we see Slowik embrace in photograph that Margot found? He seemed to know that her name wasn't really Margot, and that she'd lied, not only to him, but to Tyler about her identity. He also seemed to recognise her need to remain anonymous, as she felt like she was out of place, even before they got to the island, when she was in Tyler's presence. But this is just a side note to serve as food for thought from the initial point of view we are all forced to look at it from
Now, back to the initial theory. Chef had been helping Margot since before she even found out about his burger flipping days. The first encounter where he tried to warn her off was in the loo, when he told Margot that she didn't belong there. What seemed like a shallow thing to say to a guest could be viewed as a sincere warning from one soul to another. The second encounter was when chef revealed that Tyler had known that all the guests, including Margot, were going to die after their meal. Unlike the rest of the guests, chef Slowik gave Margot a chance to see things around her for what they truly were. He sympathised with Margot, probably because he recognised her inate innocence in all that mess. The third encounter was when he sent Margot to go get the missing barrel from the smoke house. He knew that she would find the knife and inevitably try and escape. Slowik proved to be a psychological expert, so predicting Margot rationality wasn't a challenge for him. He knew that his second in command was an envious woman who held herself to a higher standard. Thus, he expected her to attack Margot as she returned from the smoke house. A mystery is whether Slowik left the knife in the smoke house himself, or whether it was her who left it there, as a way to help herself escape after hearing the horrifying idea her colleague pitched for their final menu, but that's besides the point anyways. Slowik was counting on Margot's will to survive to help her beat the Asian lady (I forgot her name, i apologise). He knew that if she managed to survive that, she'd be able to figure out the loop hole in his plan. After all, all critical thinkers understand the need to think about the pitfalls of any plans.
The fourth encounter was more of a tango; Slowik needed Margot to understand why the others were being killed, for only hen would she be able to escape unharmed, as she didn't fit into his initial plan. Slowik is not heartless, that is what he was trying to show the other guests. Margot, being Slowik's dance partner, or paid attention to Slowik's words and anger. That is why she was able to come up with the cheeseburger idea. She never viewed Slowik as a monster, she just wanted to get home alive. Margot had initially accepted her fate. Slowik wasn't only smiling because he got to prepare a meal that took him back to a better time in his life. He was also smiling, because for once, a customer understood the true passion each chef carries. A chef wants to see the joy in their customer's eyes as they enjoy the meal they requested. But unlike the other guests. Margot expressed that she wanted a dish that only allowed her freedom of choice when it came to what she ate, but also a dish that she would genuinely enjoy and appreciate, because it was a dish she didn't have to overthink in order for her to love it. Slowik respected Margot for being a genuine human being who understood the true struggles of life.
The cheeseburger was their mutual understanding. Slowik providing Margot with a getaway boat is a hidden sign that he never meant to kill any innocent life. His staff died with him, because as he expressed about the one chef who killed himself, others want to be him. They want his life, his title, his prestige. But unlike Margot, nobody could recognise the genuine absurdity that was the restaurant and all it seemed to stand for at the point. When Slowik told Margot that she finally had her freedom after Tyler's humiliation was a double, if not triple entendre. The cheeseburger was a farewell gift from him to his passion, which Margot seemed to embody. At the same time, the cheeseburger was also Margot cheat code to beat his game and leave.
This film is cinematography genius. And this is my take on it
I recall a show called Fameless where they offered elite food to common people. They raved about how exquisite the food was, but behind the scene, it was cheap food made with things like Kool whip in a glass topped with cocoa powder.
That reminds me of the guy Ooah Butler from Vice who made a top rated restaurant on Trip Advisor for one night out of his shed serving frozen food
I tell you though... Slowik was spitting straight facts about American being the best cheese for a cheeseburger. The way it just oozes over the patty, and fills every nook and cranny of the beef patty with cheesey wonderfulness... Divine!
And those "fried egg" edges...yum!
@@caronstout354oh yeah those are the BEST :D man this comment just made me hungry
I did a long post in "The Menu" sub on Reddit talking about it, but this film is actually just Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for adults. It's practically the same film in so many ways. I love The Menu and the performances - but it seriously is the same overall film, with slight differences in characters and plot.
Haha that was actually one of the things I noticed as well after my first viewing.
I firmly believe this was the writer's thinly veiled middle finger to every professional critic, UA-cam influencer, college creative writing professor, and internet troll commenter that's ever read or watched their work. It must have been so cathartic to write this 😆. I enjoyed it immensely.
art imitates life
It seems like the chef Slowik has achieved the perfection he wanted. His reward was being able to serve this super exclusive restaurant. But now that he achieved his purpose, he no longer has a purpose and he is ready to die. Margot is a lot like him. She serves pleasure to assholes with a ton of money, just like Slowik. She knows his struggles and her job is also soul sucking. That is how she knows how to convince him to spare her.
somehow, I agree with you. I think their relationship at the end is symbolic : they serviced each other. There was an honest exchange. He fed her with a real cheese-burger. She provided him a memory of happiness/experience he lost when he was an enthusiastic chef. But you're right about the "perfection" slowik thing (creating perfection for customers) and the job of an escort is psychological understanding of their customers (they heal their inner hearts more than just having sexual relationship).
Wow, finally someone who knows how to review a movie instead of just walking you through the movie telling you what we already see in front of us. "And right here, we see Margot taking out a cigarette and lighting it next to the open window." 😒🙄🙄🙄
If your reviews are all like what you did here. I will most likely subscribe to your channel! 👏🏻👏🏻
After top gun mavericks, Megan, puss in boot last wish, glass onion, del Toro pinokio and this, I think I'm right if I said we started to burn out with marvels and DC superheroes movies....just a little bit bored.
Movie like this give us a refreshments, a point to remember that there are other movies besides super big budget superheroes movies.
As someone who works in the industry and did all the schooling, this IS the culinary industry. Everything from the pretentious critics to the armchair chefs to the douchey clients, being wound up so tight every night with no release valve, the relentless and necessary pursuit of perfection, it's all there. There's a reason culinary has the highest burnout rate of any field.
And honestly, it spoke to me as someone who dropped the pretentious bullshit. I've done this exercise in both school and with coworkers where you make the same dish twice. One as it's meant to be and the other as hoity toity as possible. The one that LOOKS fancy, people are willing to pay more for. Sometimes exponentially more. But the one that's simple and done right people will come back to have AGAIN. And that's the whole freaking point. A simple steak and potatoes is infinitely more appealing to people than some deconstructed bullshit piece.
Really to sum up the whole industry and The Menu's message, I point to Zoidberg when he's served foie gras and caviar: "goose liver? Fish eggs? Where's the GOOSE? Where's the FISH?"
It's fascinating how The Menu and Glass Onion were released barely a month apart. Their similarities are pretty hard to miss.
Cheeseburger scene was so beautiful and emotional in the middle of a thriller, unexpected
It was HEALING haha
tyler represents most of the people who talks more than actually done something
Yeah very true haha
I wonder if he also represents the people who tend to just regurgitate what they've heard said by others? It sounds like he's never ACTUALLY had the chef's food before even though he praises it as amazing and the chef as one of the best. When I was a kid I used to say metroid prime was the greatest game of all time. then a friend asked me if i had ever played it and i said i hadn't. That's when I realized I had only heard someone on the internet say that a lot, and I was just repeating what they said instead of going off of what I thought at the time. Another example of this is people who insist that a movie is bad (or good) even though they've NEVER seen the movie for themselves! (Some would argue that they read a synopsis or saw clips of it on social media; I would argue that this is worse)
the point being that its really a easy to just repeat things we've heard without ever having any first hand experience of our own. Tyler may claim to be a foodie, but if he never tried the chef's food before tasting it...then he can't really take the food in without heavy bias that the chef doesn't want.
@@mallk238 Definitely. I've seen thousands of people who only recite opinions from others despite never actually do it.
A while ago I played the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy and most common things I see people said is that Tomb Raider 2 was the best game of all time and 3 was absolutely trash.
When I played it, people exaggerated af, part 2 was not that great and part is certainly not trash.
I think alot of people forget that you don't have to have the same opinions as everyone else.
I found this movie to be a big metaphor for the film industry
Oh FOR SURE. It can really apply to most creative fields.
You'd really like Chef (2014) by Jon Favreau. It explores the same themes, and draws similar parallels with the film industry.
Oh yeah. Definitely at least a critique of Auteur Theory and director hero worship. Slowik to me at least; feels like a pastiche of Kubrick and others.
Or any artistic expression when combined with commerce.
Of art in general.
The first course is hilerious. They are eating plain plants and raw scalope. So this is no cooking, just well presented. :D
I think in the end the reason slovik smiled and seemed happy even if only for a moment was because only this simple service industry (if you even want to call it that) girl who got the opportunities to join the kitchen, to learn more, and to see the full picture all against her will. She was the only person in that entire restaurant who understood exactly why he was doing what he was doing. Even if she didn’t agree with him, even if she wanted to leave. In that moment I like to think she wasn’t trying to escape (though she likely was) I think she genuinely wanted to eat something she’d enjoy made by one of the world’s greatest cooks, not as some psychology exam on a bun but something to just sit back and enjoy. But also knowing deep down slovik would also enjoy that carefree cooking he knew she’d love.
In that moment the two of them both understood each other in a way that only the two of them could. They weren’t egotistical assholes seeking clout, and they weren’t hollow imitations looking for your success and fame. They were two people taking a moment to acknowledge the wants of each other. I believe the girl genuinely wanted to have a simple burger because I believe she had fully accepted her death. And I think she accepted her death because she almost seemed reluctant to leave the dining room. You could attribute this to survivors guilt, but it didn’t seem that way, it seemed like a moment of shock. “Is this really happening? Am I actually being allowed to leave?” After she accepted her fate she wanted to share slovik’s joy and passion before she died. And after accepting his fate and his happiness to go out in his own choosing to make that final statement through his art, he wanted to show his appreciation for the one person in that room and possibly in years that cared more about him than his food. So he let her go.
I got into cooking through jobs I had out of high school, I learned to cook with passion as an art and I had a lot of employers encourage me to go to culinary school, to take the extra step but by the time I was financially well off to consider it, (just a couple years of constant grinding) I hated cooking. I hated customers who complained constantly looking for free meals. I hated coworkers that blamed me when I made exactly what they ordered back to the kitchen. And I hated the kitchen staff that complained about each other and myself always saying they are better than this person or that person or even me. It was always a competition against yourself, your coworkers, and your customers. I got a compliment and a tip from a customer when I was at my breaking point one day for cooking “a simply great fucking steak” and I actually walked out and quit. That moment of appreciation meant more to me than any paycheck and I stopped right there at that high note. Today im a college student finishing a bachelors degree in biology and chemistry and starting work towards a doctorate in physical therapy. My point being this movie brought back a ton of memories and emotions I forgot I had, and for a moment as I saw slovik with tears in his eyes with the slightest hint of a grin at his passion being sparked mere moments before he killed himself I couldn’t help but cry at the paragon of my own loss of joy, creativity, and passion.
This movie was a beautiful and likely ironic piece of work by directors, actors, and the entire production staff.
This is by far a new favorite movie of mine.
This is what cinema should be.
What you went through is the reason why I never desired to work in the culinary profession. Somehow I just knew that as soon as I started working it, I would learn to hate it. I've drawn inspiration from the works of great chefs and great cooks for my own cooking, in fact it's how I learned to cook my steaks, and the reason I learned how to make smash burgers, which Slovik demonstrates admirably. I cook for myself and I cook for loved ones. That is my audience, and I do it because I want them to enjoy themselves, so they can experience a fleeting moment of bliss in their lives that comes only from me. I don't know how to prep like the pros and more than likely I would hold a kitchen back with my speed. But I like to take my time cooking. The time doesn't matter to me at all. What's important to me is that whoever is eating it loves it.
I cook and sell spaghetti/stir fried noodles out of a cardboard box at the Sunday market near my house, may not be as hoity-toity as a Michelin star resto gig but atleast it doesn't make me wanna blow my head off or burn everything in sight
And my friend, as someone who has a best friend who is a chef, and an ex dishpig myself, we both would take your noodles/pasta over Haute cuisine anyway if we had to choose.
It cracks me up how many in the industry I know have personal taste outside of the kitchen that would make the elite turn white LOL
@@RogueBoyScouthahaha thanks man.. 😁 rest assured that ill be serving you guys with a most grateful smile instead of hostile contempt
When I was younger, my parents took me to some fancy restaurants, and I don't remember any of the dishes. I only recall being super self-conscious to follow the "rules", as we were a normal family and visits to those restaurants was something very special for us.
However, I remember this amazing green thai curry in a cardboard box my dad and I got at a farmers market once, that we both shared sitting on a bench outside. The food was amazing and being able to share it was even more so. Many more experiences like these, and none of them at fancy restaurants.
And don't sell yourself short. There is a reason why people love "street food". It trumps a concoction of the most exotic ingredients, one can find, served on tiny plates, every time. Given the chance I'd honestly be excited to try all the different noodles/pasta you have to offer. Good food is exciting. Meals in fancy restaurants may offer new interesting tastes, but it is rarely good food that is actually satisfying.
I see the Cheeseburger as joy in simplicity. Throughout the film Slowik has been miserable preparing all the intricate and kind of pretentious dishes but when he makes the burger and fries he smiles for the first time in the movie because its so simple and comforting. Not complicated at all just simplistic.
Great analysis. Shoutout to HBO, a lot of people saw this movie recently because of HBO (myself included). I still think maybe the Chef got the last laugh with a tainted burger.
Seriously! I love that so many people have discovered this film through HBO recently. It's been a BIG HIT on streaming and VOD.
It's on Disney+ internationally
She did take a bite in the restaurant and was still fine on the boat. It could be a slow acting illness but I think he spared her as she still has goodness and the will to live. She deliberately asked for take away just to give him the chance to relive his memories working at the place where his original love for food developed.
I genuinely got emotional during the scene of him making a cheesburger. That's not a sentence I ever thought I would say unironically, but this movie really pulled it off. Easily one of my new faves.
I work in healthcare which is arguably not an art and different in several regards but it is still a service industry where people expect perfection. This movie and your breakdown of it was so resonant to my experiences and what I've seen. I work with a doctor who is relatively new. He's been out of school for a while but just got licensed as a specialist in the field we work in. He breaks his back working with patients to truly understand their plights and to give them the best treatment he possibly can. Most of the senior providers are not like this. I imagine/hope once upon a time they may have been but now most patients are just another person on the list for that day. Only a month or so into his time at our clinic he had a patient who died. The cause was almost certainly out of his hands. The family of that patients review bombed him on google and I saw it absolutely kill him for a few days. I truly hate the idea that one day I will come into work and he will have be broken down to that level by the overwhelming weight of that perfection that is expected on him.
Beyond that I work with a fell Medical Assistant who has worked in healthcare for almost twenty years. They were an EMT/paramedic for almost a decade, an ER tech for a number of years when then only when she couldn't do jobs that physically demanding anymore did she switch to clinical/outpatient medicine. I've heard people tell her that a trained monkey could do her job. A person who has nearly two decades of knowledge and experience.
We've had people come in and tell doctors who have trained and lived this for nearly everyday for countless hours that they are wrong because their 10 min google search says otherwise.
We are only trying to do our best and go through mindnumbing and backbreaking work to give it. While I understand that when someone's life may be on the line mistakes cannot be tolerated in the same way It's rough. I've seen all the character archetypes from this movie in my work. Both from the service end such as the head chef and those under him as well as from out patients/customers. I hate using that word here but it's true none the less. People who go into healthcare for the renown not knowing that it's hard, doctors who have been broken down and no longer do it for the purpose of helping people, people who think they can just throw money at their problems, people who are nice until you tell them no, people who think they know better.
The fact that she paid with cash while everyone else paid with their credit debit plastic cards.
As a Tyler, I remember watching this film with my mom, and I wanted to show her my latest sketches. I absolutely died laughing when it cut to “Tyler’s bs”.😂
The Menu was a delicious , decadent treat of movie making at its very best ….I gave it a ‘chef’s kiss” ❤
when she took a bite of the cheeseburger, she said "now that is a cheeseburger" instead of "hmmmm...this is A grade wagyu beef cooked in 10 minutes before it was flipped in 45 degree angle"
Never before have I rooted for the antagonist of a movie before watching The Menu
I beg you to watch Law Abiding Citizen, if you haven’t already. You will certainly root for the antagonist.
The man sexually harassed his employé and manipulated them all into killing themselves. I can't be on the side of someone who hypocritically treats his staff like filth but then complains about his clients being takers
@@Reikotsu
Law Abiding Citizen is such a fantastic movie, and easily one of Gerard Butler's best performances.
Sloak is a flawed hero who knows he's strayed from the art and willing to pay the price for it, but not willing to let those who drove him there to escape blame. His allowance to let Margo escape is his final act of heroism to not allow another servance industry provider to suffer.
I'd hardly call him a hero. He's an egomaniac who's killing a bunch of people who didn't really do anything wrong (other than the finance bros) purely because he blames them for the destruction of his love of cooking.
The fact that Noma, one of the world’s best restaurants and likely a resemblance of what this film mocks, reopened by just selling a burger and later announcing that they will be closing is oddly parallel to this film
First time I went into high dining and ordered spaghetti bolognese, the plate was fucking massive but there was barely any spaghetti
That's why I love Olive Garden. Massive amounts of spaghetti and infinite bread. I feel the food is worth the money.
I initially thought this movie was dumb. I serve at a fine dining restaurant. I like your take on the menu. Maybe I'm too close to it. Like I thought, this is a movie? But I truly enjoyed your analysis.
Check out the deleted scene, he tried to "get out" , but Lillian (?) The critic found him and kinda dragged him back in. (And isolated him there, perhaps?)
Something I find fascinating about the difference between Perfection critical movies of the past like Whiplash or Black Swan and movies today like Nope and The Menu is that Whiplash and Black Swan criticize the relationship between mentors and their students. The placement of the pursuit of perfection is entwined entirely on the side of the performer. Meanwhile Nope and The Menu criticize the relationship between the audience and the performer. The pursuit of perfection, or in Nope's case more of spectacle, comes from the desire of the audience to be wowed. There can be no pursuit of perfect performance or grand spectacle if there is no one there to watch it, and so both sides feed into each other, creating a dangerous environment that neither can end. Those movies of the past placed the blame on one end of a relationship, the performance world, but now, I think people, or at least some film makers, are realizing that blame is to be placed on both the manufacturer and the consumer. And that also is the case outside of art. So many people blame corporations for exploiting labor in poor countries, yet don't realize that they continue to endorse it by purchasing the corporation's goods. Both sides are at fault.
As a hospo worker, this movie hit too hard 💀 absolute perfection
On the wine-tasting…I took a month-long class where every day for 4 hours we would meet and discuss a concept, learn the tools, and train our smells…and more often than not we would taste.
68 wines later and the message throughout the whole course is…we have taught you the basics and how to approach wine, but ultimately the only person who lives inside your mouth is you…
Buy and drink what you LIKE, not what you think is good because of the vineyard or price tag.
Culinary truly is a supreme art. Paintings and sculptures you experience with vision, pottery with touch, music with sound, but cooking is an art you experience for a short time by tasting the food, seeing its presentation, smelling the aroma, and it all exists for you to devour. Chefs have to be able to make endless art with food all for us to eat it and digest it literally.
I became a pastry chef and went through schooling and worked in many kitchens by myself creating gourmet desserts but lost my passion and I remember I used to love it so much just baking boxed cupcakes in my own kitchen at like 3 am and decorating with simple buttercream😭😭👏🏼 I love this movie with my entire being and it really represents what’s wrong with money, power, prestige and society. Life should be tasted and savored instead of turning to shit inside your gut
I watched another "review" of this movie after watching it and they totally missed the point of it, focusing on the plot and how all these people could've escaped this island not seeing that they paid and WANTED to be there in the beginning. Great video and great understanding man I enjoyed this !
I’ve done just about everything in a restaurant from dishwasher to manager to bar tender to line cook. This movie was cathartic to watch.
It’s a thankless and miserable job to have and I’m so happy I got out. Leave big tips and always be kind to your servers!
One of my favorite parts of this movie is how much is packed within the scene where he explains the movie was what made him snap. When he realized almost all you said, that he's treated like a roomba to the people he strove to make art for, while the people who can treat him like that can be lazy and mediocre at every thing they do; and the clear connect to the working class versus the elite. Beautiful film. I just finished it today and had to fly here to see if anyone else was as blown away by it as I was.
I cried when Tyler started cooking. Ouch ouch ouch. On that note, the whole point of the Tyler character was to confront the viewer with himself, and when Tyler tries to put it all together like a pro, he fails miserably, the viewer is supposed to feel "called out" as you are like Tyler, thinking you understand the show and its message. Your Ego is called out in the form of Tyler, who must acknowledge his folly and kill himself before the rest of the experience can be understood. ego has to go for before any further insight can come from the night. Just as, like Margot, we "weren't supposed to be there" and are only there to learn something, we are Tyler too, and he has to die before we are free to learn and leave fed and grateful.
This is an interesting take. I found myself watching it all through Margo’s eyes a little too much to see it this way
I’d love to see a celebrity chef like Gordon Ramsey react to this movie and provide some insight to it.
One dark aspect of her asking for the burger is that she's manipulating Chef, it's part of what she does for customers.
Whether or not she wants a burger was never the question, it's what does the chef really want to serve and then attempting to leave.
“There will be no substitutions at hawthornnnn !!!”
The breadless bread scene was like a culinary version of the Emperors New Clothes!
“Excuse me! What the hell is this!?”
“Tortillas. Delicioso!”
you don't have to tell me to see the menu. I already have, and I thought it was truly on of the very best films of 2022. my school SCAD, I think even screened it at the savannah film festival and I believe Nicholas Hoult showed up. this is already a must have for me on blu-ray. but is it crazy for me to think that "the menu" could get a possible Criterion Collection with essay and a director's commentary included down the line??
I went and saw this movie with a dear friend of mine, my writing editor. I was stunned by how good it was. I initially thought it would be some sort of cannibal horror story, but it wasn't even close to that. This movie spoke to me on a deeply personal level as someone who could burn water, but who loves, loves, LOVES to eat, and has been a food service worker (though never a chef). I met so many guys and gals who were just like Slowik in my time. Who loved to cook and eat good food, but hated the work, hated the customers. I remember when I worked at one of the nicer diners in town, one of the line cooks and my manager had heard that I wasn't getting enough to eat b/c I couldn't afford much food after my medical bills, and the cook made me a cheeseburger on the spot, free of charge. He would make me a cheeseburger every day we worked together, and that was the most delicious burger I could have asked for.
I've watched the Menu four times. Twice with friends, twice on my own. The ending is by far my favorite part of the movie. In an experience fueled by hatred and spite for those who tortured him as an artist, Julian's last meal that he cooks with his own two hands... is a cheeseburger with grilled onions, and crinkle-cut fries. Not a labor of sophistication and self-flagellation, but a labor of love. Just some good fucking food that fills you up.
Be nice to the cook (and the waiter, too).
Fun fact: the 🍔-$9.95..the plate its served on-$72 to $85
Hahahaha that’s incredible
@@FilmSpeak I googled it right after seeing the movie...I got the 🍔 but the plate is way out of my price point!
what does that mean
@@zackp8201 it's a 10 dollar cheeseburger but the plate is hundred bucks
13:32 no. He chose to bring her because he had to bring someone and he didn’t care if she died. She was worthless to him. He didn’t care about her at all. She was disposable, a tool to use to get his elite experience. He could have brought someone else, but he probably chose an “elite” girlfriend and thought she had some value. She wasn’t quite disposable like Margo as a paid companion and non-elite was.
One of my favorite film analyses ever. You're so honestly blunt and creative with your arguments in this and its amazing.
We gave voldemort a nose and he becomes a cultist chef... fanfuckingtastic
I am not a person who is often speechless… this film left me speechless
Loved this movie. Thankfully I went out to the theater to watch it before it stopped showing. Such a great film.
The amuse dish is an excellent foreshadow to the final scene. I learn about that from a youtuber who used to be a chef. Listen to chefs who know the ingredients and break it down is really awesome. Which definitely makes repeat viewing so much better. Now I want to see what a sommelier thinks about the wine being served.
When i first heard about this, I was very skeptical when I saw a thriller centered around food, even rolling my eyes at the title, wondering what they could possibly do to make a movie called "the menu" work without being boring or cheesy. Seeing the IMDB rating, it clearly did work, and I had to watch it for myself. It's such a breath of fresh air finding a movie that isn't just a forgettable overbudgeted reboot or low-risk money grab built from preexisting hype. The satirical humor behind foodie culture was strong in this movie, but doesn't take away from the suspense of gradually uncovering Hawthorne's insanity. If I find myself thinking about a movie for days after having initially watched it, I know it's good, and this is one of my favorites now.
This movie was amazing. I just watched it. However I haven’t seen anybody share my take on it. The chef doesn’t have them wound or is he “chasing perfection”… he did something he loved, and had it corrupted the elite. Hes not a narcissist. He’s heartbroken
I agree with you! Sure, perhaps Slowik has been run-down by giving everything he has and is to perfecting his art, but it’s more the corruption of that goal that sees him turning to murder-suicide. I can’t quite remember if it’s explicitly stated in the movie, but I feel like when he saw ‘Dr. Sunshine’ was the moment he came to the full realisation of ‘I hate what I’ve done/become in service to elites who don’t/can’t care about the blood sweat and tears I’ve put into my work.’
@@Victoura56 YES! Corruption of something done from joy, bastardized by $$$. I dont think he ever strived for “perfection”… just appreciation. And in so doing gave more and more if himself. Him being able to spot the “other” service worker and her being a prostitute was perfection.
And I dont think he stated that during the “Sunshine” epilogue. But he did clearly state that “he had become part of the problem”
Im about to watch it again. I really was SHOCKED at home much I liked this movie.
I actually almost shut it off in first 20 minutes. I HATED it. And only started to enjoy as the madness escalated and social norms where obliterated.
I worked as a DJ on Long Island with a HUGE wedding industry for 20+ years. And this movie really struck a nerve with me. The entire theme about giving to people you will never know. And desire to make people happy, being incentivized makes it insanity. I would have DJ for free! That is why I could never start my own company. Always thought it was RIDICULOUS the amount of $ that people charged to do something so fun.
It took a unique type of cold blooded individuals to start & stat un the industry. The funny thing is I knew many & they were MOSTLY terrible DJs! Lol. And most of the best DJs are not long for the industry because they “burn out”. These days I go no where NEAR a wedding! Give me a intimate residency 2 nights a week, or some of VFW Family birthday parties anytime, over the high end wedding factories chewing up the youth and spitting it out when its done with it.
I've worked as a cook for 7 years, fast food and fine Asian dinning. My favorite dish is boiled buckwheat porridge in chicken stock, with cooked onion and egg sunny side up
the best simple protein breakfast to start the day
I'm happy i quit this career 10 years ago
As a graphic designer, I identified with everything you said in the first 60 seconds of this video.
When I see those fancy dishes, I feel bad. It's like a beautifully decorated and wrapped Christmas present; both are designed with such artistic wonder yet are meant to be destroyed. I feel bad opening those gifts, and if I had to eat one of those dishes I feel like I couldn't just because it is so delicately made. Now, I've never been to a fancy restaurant, and likely never will. However, I have gone out of my way to try and thank the fast food people whenever possible. Sure mistakes are there, but I know they're on a conveyer belt of insanity so I don't care about the errors. I just appreciate how they can get through the day with a smile on their face despite it all, and I will NEVER want to work in such an environment. Those people, chefs and fast food workers, are stronger than I ever will be.
I like how the Chef sees his own hypocrisy and doesn’t seem himself worthy enough to live either. He could have very easily left the high dining industry and gone on to become a cook for the average person to really enjoy. As he told the customers “if you simply fought harder you could’ve escaped”. But he chooses to stay for years and years, bitter and complaining, choosing to serve the very people he despises. Almost victimizing himself, but also seeing how he fed the circle he also chooses to kill himself
there is a reaction video of this movie done by a chef and she breaks down what all the dishes mean and you can see all the foreshadowing it’s crazy
There was a cut scene where the critic was waterboarded with that emulsion
if i had a nickel for every time a movie sent rich, entitled assholes to secluded islands to revel in their uppity society, then blew them all up, i'd have 2 nickels. which isn't a lot but strange that it happened twice.
always wonder if the victims are truly so gulity that they deserve to die? Like how Jigsaw chooses his victims (ohh you cheat on taxes? YOU DIE)..all they did was what most typically humans do..if we are all being judge I'm sure every one of us have flaws that would be deemed guilty..I got shit ton that would prob send me to my death lol ..
The movie more or less explicitly states that no, none of them really deserve to die. The head chef literally calls himself a monster at one point, and they all kill themselves too.
The reasoning for killing their patrons is a retroactive justification to bolster their personal disillusionment with their art.
Such a modern movie classic
i just watched this movie last week. i saw it pop up everywhere.
once i started watching it, it turned out be a very well done movie.
the interactions between slowick and erin is just beautiful. the back and forth between them on screen plays off really well. erin does know good food, it isnt how pricey it is or some other nonsense. its about food someone really wants to just sit down and eat, not getting the best and most expensive menu items and pretending its good.
slowick on the other hand forgot what love for food was about, he threw it all away just to be better and better (he thinks) than anyone else. yet his food is boring and dull in the end because he doesnt care about it anymore.
where at the end erin asks him for a simple cheeseburger, something slowick started off with. simple comfort food, he regains his love for food but knows its too late to stop what he set out to do. but he lets erin leave because she appreciates the food he gave her at the end. a good delicious cheeseburger. he respects erin for telling him the truth and she respects him for giving her something she really wants to have.
This is beyond the best review and breakdown ive seen so far. None of the reviews ive seen actually understood the meaning of this whole movie. You are the first person ive seen that didnt call Slowik a "villain" and it just shows that you saw how much depth this movie had and actually understood it (atleast what i think) great video ill sub cause of this 😀
for the margo part i think he's just glad that the one that isn't on the menu is gone. the other one that's not part of the menu was essentially for margo too. so i think he just really want to let her go or join them with full understanding why they're doing it