Welcome back to ‘A Brief Review’ a series of brief reviews on films from the present day and all the way back in time. Hoping to filter through the commotion and give some decent reviews of some rather decent films.
Going into The Menu I truly had no idea what to
expect. With a quick glance at the trailer and a snoop at the decent looking cast
list, I was instantly intrigued. Not necessarily because I thought I would love
this film; I just knew I would find it interesting to say the least. The film
follows an exclusive group of upper class ‘foodies’ as they travel on a boat to
a secluded island for an evening of food, drinks and what you could call
entertainment. Nevertheless, the evenings events seem to take a turn towards
the unexpected for the majority of the group. Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and Margot
(Anya Taylor-Joy) are the most ‘normal’ of the groups involved at the party,
with Tyler having an extensive knowledge on ingredients and dinner party
etiquette, along with a few rude narcissistic tendencies. His date, Margot is
nothing like that, and almost immediately senses that something isn’t quite
right about Hawthorn Island. The guests are welcomed to the island with an immediate
aura of efficiency from the members of staff that look after the operation, however, it is the eagerly awaited arrival of Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes)
that has everybody on the edge of their seats. As Slowik arrives, and everybody
is seated, the dinner party can now begin, and it is certainly going to be a night to
remember.
As each dinner course is brought out, the individualised treatment received by each customer initially comes across as attentive, almost like the sort of indulgence these guests would be accustomed to with their higher status and experience in fine dining. Nevertheless, in time, the precisely bespoke courses are shown to have an invasive, and sadistic mood attached to them. Therefore, it doesn’t take long before the guests begin to grow suspicious of the direction of the evenings itinerary, what is the chef really trying to say?
As the ambience of the evening begins to turn a little sour,
Chef Slowik mentions that all of the guests have been intentionally selected as
they have all made a profound impact on the chef in losing the passion for his
work. In one way or another they have all been directly involved in the culture
of taking the art out of cooking. Clearly the director is commenting on the
exploitation of food within the themes of status and money. In many instances,
it is no longer about celebrating and enjoying food, it has become about social
media presence, money, career progression and many other first world delights. For
Chef Slowik it has become a chance to finalise a lasting legacy, albeit doing
so with a rather unorthodox dinner party.
Something that hits you immediately with The Menu is it’s
style and ambition. The cinematography is sharp and well-rehearsed, the
performances by Nicholas Hoult, Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes are outstanding
and very multi-dimensional, and the direction by Mark Mylod is one of suspense,
comedy, and a lot of ingenuity. This a really fun picture. Because of this ‘fun’
it is very apparent to me that The Menu is a film where multiple viewings
will only serve to intensify the experience and the final payoff. There are
many movies out there that make a great impression on their first viewing but fail
to make a lasting impression. Here, it is certainly not the case. The Menu
is boosted by interesting, yet flawed characters that give you a new perspective
each time you experience them, and that for me is a rich and worthwhile
experience.
The Menu is a unique movie that is sure to pick up a few technical
awards throughout the 2023 award season. Also, it must be said, a great partner
film to celebrate the success of Rian Johnson’s equally stylish Glass Onion:
A Knives Out Mystery (2022). If we have more of these kind of films to look
forward to, we certainly have a cinematic revival of originality on our hands.
My Rating: 8.1/10
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