The Menu (2022)
But where's the lamb sauce?
Presentation:
It was about time a director tackled a culinary satire and the reviews are…mixed. Meticulous macro shots of avant-garde food are befitting of a contemporary satire, with Anya Taylor Joy looking just as beautiful. The idea of a culinary horror film sounds like a recipe for a spicy dish, and it somewhat is. Ralph Fiennes plays a delightful villain, though the rest of the cast is a mixed bag. The heart of the film should be the satire and performances but I felt a lot of the B roles detracted from Joy and Fiennes. The film has a matching aesthetic with the pretentious tone, satirizing the pompous deconstruction of contemporary cuisine. Colin Stetson’s soundtrack is also wildly chaotic.
Analysis:
Anya Taylor Joy looks flawless in this film as the one that doesn't belong. Modern conversational dialogue was a bit irksome, but i understand it to be necessarily trite to fit the character. The heart of this film is the social commentary on reviewers (me) and consumerism, which was actually well done. There are a few dark laugh out loud moments and intentionally pretentious attitudes, which do add to the story, but not the experience. The film tries to serve you a beef wellington when all you asked for is a steak, but just like the movie concludes, sometimes you just want a damn burger, which this film doesn't give. So by design, the film intentionally commits the crime it accuses society of but because it acknowledges it, it is somehow immune to hypocrisy and criticism? I get how these themes work and i don't mean to kill the messenger but this one left me dissatisfied, which i guess proves the point of the film...huh...
Conclusion:
This is an art film that will require a fancy metaphorical pallet to appreciate it. However, it is intentionally frustrating, laughing at the face of the audience in hypocritical irony. In essence, you will leave feeling like an incomplete course yet an overpaid tip. There are many that will love or hate this meta self-aware film and those people are the ones that this film is mocking, while also angering those who the film are complimenting.
Recommendations
The great beauty behind the blah blah blah.