Strangely, that was the part of the film where I felt they slipped a little. Given the later lines in the film about jacking the prices, and the presence of the rich regulars, the number should have been ridiculous. There was a Salt Bae article on the beeb recently about dished cooking up to £1400, and that's just for a prick wear shades to stand at your table whilst you take your social media pics.
another part I thought was great is her using the menu to wipe her face. Every part of her character shows she is just a normal person who didnt belong there
I mean she probably was starving after eating nothing and a whole lot of fighting/anxiety Though to be fair I would probably be afraid of the burger being poisoned too...
The older lady was actually one of my favorites, she was funny. Realized her husband had slept with Margot and still encouraged her to leave at the end despite knowing she would be left behind. Because Margot hesitated.
I really liked that as well! To add on, the woman viewed it as a way of saving her own daughter, who Margot looked a lot like, that committed suicide due to her own father's abuse. The woman felt she needed to be cleansed after letting her husband get away with that and this helped her guilty conscience.
@@Valedog42 i know their daughter (Claire) died, and that you can pick up from clues that her father had abused her, but I'm wondering where you heard she committed suicide? I would love to get more backstory, and i like the idea that that's why the woman encouraged her to go.
@charlottefarrell9095 I think it's implied for the following reasons: As you pointed out, she for sure died and was sexually abused by her father, which could likely lead to suicide without either parents' support. The mother was unnerved by Erin looking so much like her daughter, and I think her face shows guilt when she mentions the similarity throughout the film. I think the final bit, where she motions to Erin to leave, her face shows she feels she is making things right, and a weight is being lifted off her shoulders after being ridden by guilt. There are subtle implications throughout the film regarding each of the characters, and I think that's one of the great things about the movie.
@@Valedog42bro.. using facial expressions the mom made as evidence of the claim "their daughter committed suicide" is a bit of a stretch, no? Just say it's your head canon and leave it at that 😂
Margot is very much like the Chef. She is also getting paid to provide a pleasurable experience for people with lots of money. She also knows as much as he does about serving the jerks with money.
But unlike him, she hasn't lost her soul. We can assume that Margot entered her profession knowing it to be fundamentally objectifying, and so she was always careful to keep the role separate from her core self. The very fact that she wore a false name speaks to this. While Julian Slowik devoted his entire self to becoming the greatest chef in the world. When he discovered that there was no meaning or fulfillment waiting at the top of that mountain, he had no other identity to fall back on.
yes ! when we first meet him, he tells her “you shouldn’t be here”, and we assume it as how her status does not allow to be there, but towards the end it’s very clear his tone meant he did not want a woman like her to go through the same torture as these people; she didn’t deserve it
Even knowing they were all going to die, Chef still had them all pay the bill with their credit cards before the third course. $1200 and so far it had been microscopic melon balls and a single oyster.
@@ElizabethT45 They ate less than they desired, and more than they deserved. And the unholy transaction wouldn't be complete had Chef provided it gratis. They were supposed to be getting what they paid for. If they hadn't paid, the evening ritual wouldn't have been complete. Also, presumably, Tyler's card was only charged for one meal, since Margot sent hers back. :)
I went into this blind with a friend and was not expecting this absurd, hilarious, gorgeous-looking movie. We thoroughly enjoyed its humour, especially whenever Margot's partner was on-screen.
Tyler peeking in the window, jealous that he was missing a course that was only served to the women - when he was supposed to be trying to escape. Me at the time: 'Seriously, dude?!?' 😏
There was something that I feel you missed. Earlier in the movie, Tyler brought up the fact that there was an overarching theme that tied the experience together, and later another character said that they couldn't just leave because the whole dinner wouldn't work if they didn't all die at the end. I think Margot found a way to ask to leave that still felt thematically appropriate to the chef. She flipped it from being about how the guests had taken all the joy out of cooking, to making him realise that he was just as guilty of this as the customers. This revelation ended up replacing the original intention for the overarching theme, and thus allowed her to leave according to his rule. I think he knew that if he said no to her request to leave, it would have ruined his "perfect menu"
One interesting take I saw in another video was how in the beginning introduction to the smokehouse, they talked about bacteria potentially killing a person if it was aged wrong, and that last bite of the cheeseburger at the very end could have been fatal, perhaps. I don't think it changes the ending but it's something to think about, whether Margot actually did survive.
@@versusforward yes this is a famous one when the movie came out and personally have a love hate thing for that ending but the producer has confirmed that she survived
The deleted scene is important too. The regulars found him hiding in a food truck in Korea and forced him back in his horrible career. Tie it to Leguizamo ruining his day off and he found he was stuck in a crap cycle.
I don't know that it actually adds anything. It would have shown that he already had found a better life, but allowed himself to be tempted back into the one he had already deemed empty. I think the burger works better when you imagine he'd never actually considered just going back to flipping burgers until that night, when it was far, far too late.
@@rottensquid I thought the boat scene was the food critic talking about how he was discovered? He wasn't a big name yet, she had his food and wrote about it, then Verrick offered him the island and Hawthorn? So it wasn't tempting him back, it was how he got his start?
@@fangman21 To my understanding, the Taco Truck was between his time as head chef of Tantalus, and his time as head chef of Hawthorne. He was basically hiding, and they still found him and dragged him back.
@fangman21 you may be right. I just know they found him in a food truck outside of the country. Probably serves the same purpose. Forcing him into a bad career path.
I went into this movie blind. It's intense. Tension builds for a solid 90 minutes until the clap. I felt myself getting fatigued with edge of seat syndrome. Movies generally do not capture my attention for their entire run time. This movie was an awakening that good cinema still exists. I had almost given up on the concept of a good movie. And you're the recommendation that got me to watch it. Thank you.
I think the best scene actually is the dessert scene. Everyone is so lost in what the chef is saying, so broken by the experience that they’ve fully bought into everything. They accepted their fates and are even happy for it. As if this was the experience they’ve wanted all along and didn’t realize, they even proclaimed “I love you chef” with the staff.
I wawsnt convinced by this bcs it's unrealistic, a day of trauma doesnt end your will to live sorry. But I went with "well they realized they're shit anyway and needed to die." and this sorta "saved" it for me. THe entire film was great except the scene with the running men that was ultra unnecessary social commentary shoved in my face for the millionth time and the last scene for being sorta unrealistic. Things I loved where the asllicker "friend" (i know they had some publisher author relationship) of the restaurant critique lady and every course aswell as the visual art of the film
The burger scene is both Margot and Julian reigniting their passion for their work. Julian hates the way people didn't appreciate his work, and Margot is finally bringing back his passion for cooking and rewarding him with genuine appreciation. Margot, meanwhile, lost her passion for escorting after being asked to do disturbing and unethical roleplay, and here, she's found a client she can provide comfort and happiness to while saving her own life. It's a two-way exchange where both service workers are doing their job and making their client happy--the golden scenario that allows Margot to leave with the respect and appreciation of the only person in the room who can understand her--and who she can understand...and he happens to be the broken psychopath orchestrating a murder-suicide. The burger scene is absolutely perfect.
Margot was somehow his legacy. By letting her go, that chef who loved food is still alive somewhere . Julian completed the menu but he had a nice and unexpected “supplement” that added more meaning to it.
To be fair though Tyler wasn't shocked that much because he knew beforehand what the Chefs plan was. He came there expecting everyone to die, just not that early...
This scene made me so happy, just the demonstration of her understanding of him as a person and his motivators which shows in my eyes there are two ways you can approach people completely at their end with the world, with understanding or with fear. Those who approached him with fear saw their end and Margot took the other path, connecting with his pain and past and giving him something to be joyous about for even a few moments, bringing out a sympathetic side to him. The others knew their faults but chose not to confront the nature of being in that room and their part in it, whereas she really understands the true concept of the menu.
I think this is a new genre of horror, satire, suspense films we have been getting. Get Out, Knives Out, Parasite, Glass, Bad Times at the El Royale....all are (I think) in the same genre just differing points in the spectrum.
The chef liked having to earn the customer's satisfaction. It probably was so long since someone criticized his food and they ate up everything he made regardless if it was truly good or not
specifically- criticized him in a genuine way I've come to understand one of the guests is that type of food critic that nitpicks sh*t a normal person wouldn't even consider noticing
The ending was just - *chef's kiss* Margot's escape releasing the tension letting us fully embrace the humor, the chocolate running down their faces in the fire, my wife and I were laughing so hard in the theater. So cathartic. Delightfully original indeed.
I loved the fact that they explained why American Cheese is the perfect cheese for burgers. We do this too, we use cheeses like cheddar, which separates when melted on a burger.
If your cheddar is separating.... You're doing something wrong. I've never seen that in my life, even though I do think American cheese should always go on a burger. Sometimes combined with another cheese.
Browsing his filmography, Nicholas Hoult has made very few bad choices. Not all stellar movies, of course, but a very nice range of types of roles, across many good movies. The Menu was a delight, just a very satisfying movie, as a foodie who also enjoys roasting the insipid foodie subculture. The set design was well planned, and allowed for lots of depth on each plans, with stuff happening all over in the background.
Yeah I feel like I underappreciate Hoult because he’s been in our lives for so long! A rare example of child actor who somehow got through unscathed while experimenting with different roles. And agreed, the set design/cinematography was great, allowing us to float between the tables very seamlessly.
I love the irony of the “eat the rich” movies because in the end, the actors are rich people who get paid hundreds of thousands to be in a movie highlighting the absurdity of being rich.
People can be rich and say they should have higher taxes. As someone who has worked in housekeeping, fast food, retail, and janitorial, I can say all of those jobs need to pay more and people need to respect them more even though I’m now working a MUCH better job. Assuming none of these actors worked in the service industry is probably a mistake. Millionaires can advocate for socialism without handicapping themselves before the system changes.
that's where you're (kind of) wrong. the vast majority of actors actually struggle to make ends meet. they are overworked and underpaid by the industry, as well as easily exploited. when you're thinking about actors who get vast sums of money thrown at them to star in a film, it usually only applies to A list big names like marvel characters.
@@noahhenderson3164 it was an “ensemble” cast and that usually means they’re well known actors. A few were A-list actors who’ve won academy awards before
I just love the fact that everyone there just accepted death and didn't even try to fight back harder when they could've had a chance to survive if they had just literally fought.
@@junkonatsumizaka5149 Julian Slowik points it out multiple times during the film that they could have left if they really fought to. The point is that these people who have always had power don’t know what to do when it gets taken away. They fold instead of looking for new avenues of survival.
I got through half way into your vid and I've got say this: I worked in the hospitality industry as a cook on and off for over 8 years and watching this movie cut deep into my soul. I highly recommend that you rewatch it with someone that is a waiter, chef or cook. As there are way, WAY more deeper meaning to the story. Hospo is like the mafia, easy to get in, almost impossible to get out. The shear insanity to the commitment to please another person through food is almost beyond explaining. I cared so much to the point it burnt my brain out and I quit and stopped eating (anything healthy). Because I could break down how long it would take me to prepare and cook. I lost all respect for myself and was left with resentment towards humanity. People who have worked in the industry understand the Chef's motives. And might even to a degree, agree with what he did. At the same time, it is a bit dramatic.
Man you are just a chef not an effing mafia boss. Don't make you or your job bigger than you are. You just serve food, no need to make such a big deal out of it.
@@CaptainMarci104 I don't think you realise that hospitality is full of what society would call "undesirables". A fair amount are current or ex addicts and a lot of them were well, criminals. Those people "serving food" are either got nothing to lose or are trying to get a second chance in life. That's why you should always, ALWAYS be nice to people who work in hospo. You never know if the person you're abusing could have a seriously dark past. Also, it's just plain decency.
Well yeah. It's all a manipulation to scratch the general desire to see it happen in real life. Seeing it on screen makes it less likely that anybody will actually do anything about the rich.
I felt similarly to the woman who spoke to you in the theatre. I was very energized and affected when I saw the film on screen. I appreciate your breakdown and identifying the dynamics at play. The way chef and the staff rebuffed the challenges but also identified the patrons' passivity -- they might have fought back more effectively than they tried. Margo seemingly "hacked" the program/kitchen culture. The clap is like a back door password. I have an association to 1983's WarGames. David (Matthew) Broderick) mines Prof. Falken's past and comes up with "Joshua" - both the WOPR password and the way to unlock the real Falken's participation. (Coincidence that WOPR is also a burger reference?). When Margo accesses the chef's earlier hopefulness (having researched his past) she is able to regress him freeing him up to change his original plan. In WarGames, somehow tic-tac-toe, the child's game that is so "harmless" that it is the allowed by Joshua even when everything else is locked out. And that becomes the kernel that allows the computer to learn the futility of going through with the game. I presume this is a trope we could find in other stories as well.
Thing I loved about this movie was how they managed to make all the food beautiful, but I didn't realize how unappetizing it all was until that burger rolled out at the end, and my mouth literally started watering.
@@BensCoffeeRants and here we have somebody who never worked in hospitality. Buddy, it can't give us any new ideas, we were already thinking about it while we serve you with a smile, movie or not. So don't worry, if you're not dead it wasn't because of a lack of murderous ideas but because of the decency of the people who put up with you
@@wakkaseta8351 budy, it was a joke, I don't want to kill anyone. Are you alright? How is it that saying that I don't actually want to kill random people I don't know is considered virtue signaling? Is the only thing keeping you from going postal unemployment? I'll say it again, normal people don't actually want to kill anyone, and saying that isn't claiming to be a saint.
Brilliant video man! I had only seen the three leads for this movie, avoiding all trailers, and was desperate to see it and the ending was fantastic. It fit everything set up so perfection and really felt like a dozen loose strands were tied up in just one great scene.
I watched a commentary on this, i believe KennieJD, and she mentioned how he used a MLK quote (the one about the oppressed and the oppressor) and how that summarizes the wealthy people's inability to fight back. In other words, they've never "been oppressed" and therefore did not have to fight for anything. This was also in relation to Chef taunting them for not even trying to escape: because they've probably never done anything for themselves
Did anyone else notice that there was no bread for the bread course, but there was at least one hamburger bun in the kitchen? Why would Slowik have hamburger buns in his locally sourced and foraged kitchen? Because he always hoped someone would ask him for a burger, maybe?
I thought it was a really good play on the cult-like following of fandoms and how people view their idols. Well-deserving chefs are sought out by people who want to work for them. People travel to their restaurants. The ones who run their own restaurants strive to provide a solid dining experience. TBH considering the lengths the team goes to if this were set in the real world you'd be paying way more especially considering the generous wine pours. If you've ever worked or seen a high-dining kitchen, it is so strange to see people worship the way the head chef runs things. We get a little backstory about Chef's past -- his dad was abusive. Chef is trying to innovate as much as he can, but when we go to his house we see he yearns for the past. Even when he's building an amazing life he's still butting heads with his father's ghost. Margo immediately saw through all the posturing and put the pieces together. I LOVED this movie.
I went into this movie completely blind and I came out very satisfied. I didn't know what to make of it immediately after the credits started, but after a while and letting it marinate it grew a lot more on me with time.
I live with my mother- who is obsessed with watching cooking shows- particularly intense competition ones where the only goal is to impress the judges. And while sometimes its fun, after watching literally hundreds of hours of world class chefs having their food nitpicked to death over the tiniest things- it makes this movie really stand out for me in a positive way.
I loved this film, and this was a great take on it as well. Thanks for making this video. Also I was emotional at the end - perhaps due to my time working in food service for 15 years, perhaps from my own experience dining at the extreme high end, but most probably due to my own love for a good cheeseburger. I really *truly* loved this film.
In my eyes the subtle difference in the way of her eating the cheeseburger was the best part... she gave him, the demanding monster what he wanted, by giving him a little joy for making his food, but also being the only one who listened in the beginning and really tasted and not just ate... once she was on the boat she looked at the burger with a hint of hate and disgust, not tasting the burger truly but just shoving a big bite into her mouth just eating it while watching him burn in the flames... She not just escaped but defeated him the only way he could be beaten and winning his own game.
"The Menu" is one of the funniest movies I've seen. It's so tongue in cheek with its dark comedy theme. Great acting, bizarre plot and satisfying ending. As satisfying as a proper cheeseburger! Reminds me of some Brunuel movies like The Exterminating Angel (1962).
I enjoy how you unpack films. I worked with film critics back in the 70s and 80s. Retired newspaper cartoonist. I’ll have the pizza for my grandkids.😊❤
I think a lot of people are also ignoring the fact that she's an escort. Reading people and catering to them is what she does for a living. When he found that out, he sent her to his "home" knowing she would take whatever information she could to try to read him and in turn cater to him; and that's exactly what she did. What she did wasn't just a ploy, she genuinely tried to get him to see his love for food wasn't dead(as he expected, she genuinely cares about people)...that's why she finished the burger
@@zan9898 I think the finance guys would be greed because we are shown on the tortilla..that they embezzle money..and the black guy thought the chef would take their money(thinking the chef may also see that money solves everything) if it would save everyone and the angel investor who was about to be drowned...whereas the actor would be pride...
On the IMDb trivia section for the film this is how someone else assigned the deadly sins: Greed - Soren, Dave, and Bryce [finance bros], who embezzled Gluttony - Tyler, who's willing to die for food Lust - Richard [old rich husband], who's a cheater Envy - George [actor], who's a washed-up name-dropper Pride - Lillian and Ted [critic and publisher], who believe the dinner is just for them Sloth - Julian's mother, who did nothing to stop her husband's abuse Wrath - Julian and the other chefs, who murder everyone
What truest drove me crazy about the ending was her stopping the boat and finishing her burger while watching everyone burn, something about that scene just drives me insane.
I love the menu not for its content but what it represents. It stands as a major critique of consumerism and greed. And is amazingly sculptured from start to finish.
Thank you for analysis and not a recap. Any comments on Margot’s facial expression at the end? My thought is that she was in work mode till then. At the end, she has the same level of dissatisfaction as Chef. Just used her skills to buy her life by giving him a moment of happiness. It also makes it obvious she doesn’t belong.
This movie made me want to order a damn good cheeseburger, and not the sh@y McDonalds or Burgerking Premade microwaved Cheeseburger but a Freshly Cooked Burger with basic @ss ingredients. Ground beef, American Cheese slices, Burger Buns, and optional onions and lettuce (hold the tomato).
@@JustinLesamiz Incorrect. Not like that. People know a good burger when they see one. No replies will be seen or read. You know I'm right. This movie was made for guys like you. As a lesson.
@@C0ncep1t technically every food is processed unless you eat it raw since cook8nh is a type of processed. But what i am talkimg about is fresh ground meat, not the pink glop that is turned into mcdonalds burgers that i dont want.
I love Ralph Fiennes and saw the trailer for this and figured "oh so is this some sort of horror movie? Looks neat" and jumped right in. Absolutely loved it, I enjoy the critiques it made, the "victims" fitting into quite relevant and modern critiques. They are awful but not heavy handed in their awfulness. It doesn't beat you on the head about it so you do still feel sympathy for a lot of them.
Also to add Margot profession plays a key role. She is an escort and discusses how her service to give other the experience they want. That is much like what she does for chef. She plays the role of the customer he longs to serve. Someone he hasnt seen in a very long long time. She preforms that service for him and is rewarded with her escape.
I didn't really consider that "Eat the Rich" was even a genre. I haven't even seen most of the movies in question. But now that I think about I think my favorite one of all might be... Trading Places? Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, 1983. Small classic.
This felt like a movie that straddled the line between genres, but in a bad way. It came across as a satire that wasn't satirical enough to be biting, a thriller that wasn't thrilling enough to be exciting, and a comedy that wasn't comedic enough to be funny. The characters were all simplistic and one dimensional, while managing to also not be caricaturized to enough of an extreme so as to be humorous. The motivation of the head chef is simplistic and boring, with not even a halfway reasonable explanation given for how or why a whole cadre of staff and chefs were happy to all kill themselves with him (the pressure of being a fancy chef is hard, the art of cooking isn't fun anymore, we live on an island like a cult *sad frowny face* let's all die). There were some moments of actual character development, such as Margot and the Chef's 1-on-1 discussing the debasement of working the hospitality industry, and the Chef having the staff member recount his sexual harassment and subsequent mistreatment of her before she stabbed him in the leg was brilliant. Some of these things pointed to the movie maybe taking a turn and taking what had been one dimensional characters through the first half of the movie and flipping them around and developing character for them in the second half, but then it whips right back to all the characters embodying their stereotypes and nothing more. And the final buildup for the climax of the movie? Margot sees a picture of Chef unhappy as a head chef, Margot sees another picture of Chef unhappy as a head chef, and then she sees a picture of him happy making a burger before he was a head chef. This leads directly to the painfully facile denouement. There's nothing to make clear, there are no strands of thought to pull together, there's nothing to reveal, because everything throughout the movie has been simplistic and mashed into your face. The only thing that kept me watching the movie through to the end was waiting for some sort of big reveal, some sort of insight that revealed a greater depth to the story or the main characters than just the flat and lifeless piece that it was. I just had to be missing something clever, there just HAD to be something more to it, right?
The epitome of a hybird genre. Not new ones but instead mixed ones. When this logic is applied into a lot of media and arts it gets criticized for being lazy, but it sure does attracts a lot of people despite being lazy.
Literally, when I saw the trailer for the first time, I knew I had to watch it in the theater, I did, and it was amazing, I loved the whole film, and the ending was just absolutely amazing, and was so well done, they couldn't have ended it any better imo.
I mean...It was co-written by one of the brains behind The Onion, so the satire is of a similar slant unsurprisingly. Big fan of Seth Reiss' writing and overall humor so very glad to see this getting so much solid publicity.
Yeah both writers are late night writers, which you can kind of feel in the tone of the film. Enough social commentary to be engaging, but throwing in enough entertaining moments to “keep you awake”
It was a fun movie, but the rich were caricatures, not fleshed out people. It makes it too easy for the kinds of wealthy people they are satirizing to distance themselves from them and believe they are nothing alike.
True. Makes them impossibly simple - another reason we don’t really care when people get threatened or injured. Pretty different from Succession, White Lotus and TOS.
The problem wasn't that it was too simplistic, the problem is that the film is lifeless. The characters being exaggerated stereotypes would honestly work really well and fit perfectly with the subject matter, if only the film were directed, acted, and edited with any amount of passion. Instead it feels like it was made by a team of comatose patients, which is incredibly ironic considering the ideas of passion, the loss of passion, frustration with stagnation of art, etc. with which it concerns itself. Just an awful boring uninspired piece of slop. It's all concepts, no execution. Every scene, you can picture the board room meeting where they tossed around their ideas on their mind map for "cool" and "profound" stuff they could do for the sake of "insightful commentary" meanwhile the actual implementation of those ideas is completely inert and soulless. If Adam McKay and Mark Mylod had done a ten minute Ted X talk going "hey isn't it kinda messed up about commentary culture and all this piled on critic crap has ruined art?" it would've been more compelling than this slog of a film, because they clearly didn't care one bit about putting any passion into the actual filmmaking on display in their film about a creator who is angry about having lost his passion for his art.
I was surprised how good the movie was, I was skeptical at first. The dialogue was grate. I loved the part in the end when the older lady singled her to leave.
This and "Don't Look Up" shows how mixing the topic du juor and famous actors doesn't guarantee a good movie. One dimensional caricatures, replacing subtleties and nuances with style and one liners, made this movie tonally....odd. I still have not found any opinion pieces or reviews that satisfactorily explain why this movie is getting so much attention...
She used what info she was able to gather about him to get him to break with his conception of how the evening needed to end. She rewrote the narrative in a way that was sufficiently beautiful and meaningful to him that he was willing to let her go. It's not really the same as making a deconstructed version of a simple dish for a critic that then coincidentally turns out to be a childhood favorite of theirs.
I rarely watch a movie twice, back to back. That's because there are so few worth it. I don't go to theaters anymore for that reason. Hollywood produces more shit than most cattle farms. So I loved stumbling across The Menu right here on TH-cam. The acting was great but no one actor hogged the scenes. The ending was fantastic.
I like the boat scene as its a commentary on the current situation were in, you are just in a world of wannabe wealth but the moment it all crumbles you might as well as sit back and watch every unfold into Chaos
I liked the movie, truly enjoyed THAT ending but something I’ve noticed that NO ONE has ever brought up is...and yes, it is silly, but...Margot was never served or got a cheeseburger, but was given a DOUBLE cheeseburger. YES, there is a difference between a cheeseburger and DOUBLE cheeseburger- I’m an American, I know cheeseburgers, DAMN IT! (Said in a kidding manner, of course)
This movie is one of those I only feel good about it when it's over. Like Tenet, I was enjoying it but on the last scene it really crowns the movie. I almost stoped watching the menu mid movie, Margot is the only thing that got me going till the end, and then I was very satisfied.
imagine paying $1200 and not getting any bread
I dont have to imagine paying 10$ and not getting a good movie.
Strangely, that was the part of the film where I felt they slipped a little. Given the later lines in the film about jacking the prices, and the presence of the rich regulars, the number should have been ridiculous. There was a Salt Bae article on the beeb recently about dished cooking up to £1400, and that's just for a prick wear shades to stand at your table whilst you take your social media pics.
@@MrCai01 Maybe there's a more expensive package where Chef does a TikTok with you
bread's food for the poor, Ritchie Rich
It’s food for the common people, and we, my friend, are not the common people 😂
I liked that she finished the burger, it wasn't just a ploy to escape. she promised that she was going to eat it on the go, and she did.
another part I thought was great is her using the menu to wipe her face. Every part of her character shows she is just a normal person who didnt belong there
I mean she probably was starving after eating nothing and a whole lot of fighting/anxiety
Though to be fair I would probably be afraid of the burger being poisoned too...
Well she was hungry, she had not eaten any of the food beforehand not liking it.
@@zachanikwanoSlowik's ego and perfectionism would never allow him to serve spoiled or bad food like that
who wouldnt eat a cheeseburger if it was made with love and taste
The older lady was actually one of my favorites, she was funny. Realized her husband had slept with Margot and still encouraged her to leave at the end despite knowing she would be left behind. Because Margot hesitated.
She was so real for that!
I really liked that as well! To add on, the woman viewed it as a way of saving her own daughter, who Margot looked a lot like, that committed suicide due to her own father's abuse. The woman felt she needed to be cleansed after letting her husband get away with that and this helped her guilty conscience.
@@Valedog42 i know their daughter (Claire) died, and that you can pick up from clues that her father had abused her, but I'm wondering where you heard she committed suicide? I would love to get more backstory, and i like the idea that that's why the woman encouraged her to go.
@charlottefarrell9095 I think it's implied for the following reasons:
As you pointed out, she for sure died and was sexually abused by her father, which could likely lead to suicide without either parents' support. The mother was unnerved by Erin looking so much like her daughter, and I think her face shows guilt when she mentions the similarity throughout the film. I think the final bit, where she motions to Erin to leave, her face shows she feels she is making things right, and a weight is being lifted off her shoulders after being ridden by guilt. There are subtle implications throughout the film regarding each of the characters, and I think that's one of the great things about the movie.
@@Valedog42bro.. using facial expressions the mom made as evidence of the claim "their daughter committed suicide" is a bit of a stretch, no? Just say it's your head canon and leave it at that 😂
A cute detail was her handing in crumpled physical cash to pay for the food instead of a credit card or a check to tie it all back to his roots
I did not even notice this, makes the scene even better!
Yup, and all those other customers, each one of them take out their cards when asked to pay the bill.
and then using the receipt as a napkin! lol what a great touch.
@@aspiringwayfarerShe used the menu as the napkin though, not the receipt
Margot is very much like the Chef. She is also getting paid to provide a pleasurable experience for people with lots of money. She also knows as much as he does about serving the jerks with money.
But unlike him, she hasn't lost her soul. We can assume that Margot entered her profession knowing it to be fundamentally objectifying, and so she was always careful to keep the role separate from her core self. The very fact that she wore a false name speaks to this. While Julian Slowik devoted his entire self to becoming the greatest chef in the world. When he discovered that there was no meaning or fulfillment waiting at the top of that mountain, he had no other identity to fall back on.
yes ! when we first meet him, he tells her “you shouldn’t be here”, and we assume it as how her status does not allow to be there, but towards the end it’s very clear his tone meant he did not want a woman like her to go through the same torture as these people; she didn’t deserve it
I thought it was funny when Chef called her a "shit shoveler"
Even knowing they were all going to die, Chef still had them all pay the bill with their credit cards before the third course. $1200 and so far it had been microscopic melon balls and a single oyster.
@@ElizabethT45 They ate less than they desired, and more than they deserved. And the unholy transaction wouldn't be complete had Chef provided it gratis. They were supposed to be getting what they paid for. If they hadn't paid, the evening ritual wouldn't have been complete. Also, presumably, Tyler's card was only charged for one meal, since Margot sent hers back. :)
I went into this blind with a friend and was not expecting this absurd, hilarious, gorgeous-looking movie. We thoroughly enjoyed its humour, especially whenever Margot's partner was on-screen.
Tyler was one of my favourite parts of the movie
Tyler's BS 😂
Tyler peeking in the window, jealous that he was missing a course that was only served to the women - when he was supposed to be trying to escape.
Me at the time: 'Seriously, dude?!?'
😏
@@MarshaLove0723 I can't think of a more perfect metaphor.
Cough cough * client
There was something that I feel you missed. Earlier in the movie, Tyler brought up the fact that there was an overarching theme that tied the experience together, and later another character said that they couldn't just leave because the whole dinner wouldn't work if they didn't all die at the end. I think Margot found a way to ask to leave that still felt thematically appropriate to the chef. She flipped it from being about how the guests had taken all the joy out of cooking, to making him realise that he was just as guilty of this as the customers. This revelation ended up replacing the original intention for the overarching theme, and thus allowed her to leave according to his rule. I think he knew that if he said no to her request to leave, it would have ruined his "perfect menu"
One interesting take I saw in another video was how in the beginning introduction to the smokehouse, they talked about bacteria potentially killing a person if it was aged wrong, and that last bite of the cheeseburger at the very end could have been fatal, perhaps. I don't think it changes the ending but it's something to think about, whether Margot actually did survive.
@@versusforward Doubtful because he was tasked to make the cheapest cheeseburger for Margot. Cheap cheese burgers do not use dry aged meat.
@@versusforward yes this is a famous one when the movie came out and personally have a love hate thing for that ending but the producer has confirmed that she survived
If that's supposed to be a "revelation" that occurred in the movie, they did a piss poor job of conveying it.
@@JustTryingToGetAYTPlayButton Then it seems really silly to have the boat die right there.
The deleted scene is important too.
The regulars found him hiding in a food truck in Korea and forced him back in his horrible career.
Tie it to Leguizamo ruining his day off and he found he was stuck in a crap cycle.
*googles deleted scene immediately*
I don't know that it actually adds anything. It would have shown that he already had found a better life, but allowed himself to be tempted back into the one he had already deemed empty. I think the burger works better when you imagine he'd never actually considered just going back to flipping burgers until that night, when it was far, far too late.
@@rottensquid I thought the boat scene was the food critic talking about how he was discovered? He wasn't a big name yet, she had his food and wrote about it, then Verrick offered him the island and Hawthorn? So it wasn't tempting him back, it was how he got his start?
@@fangman21 To my understanding, the Taco Truck was between his time as head chef of Tantalus, and his time as head chef of Hawthorne.
He was basically hiding, and they still found him and dragged him back.
@fangman21 you may be right. I just know they found him in a food truck outside of the country. Probably serves the same purpose. Forcing him into a bad career path.
The important lesson I learned is that if Gordon Ramsay kidnaps me I should just order him to make me a cheeseburger
No.
Lamb Sauce. It must be Lamb Sauce. He *hates* when you forget 'THE FUCKING LAMB SAUCE'
nah order a sausage roll
Nope, you gotta order fish ‘n chips
Nope. You're corrupt. You die too.
@G N pesto around it, not on it
I loved when they kept bringing the critic more & more broken sauce like giving her the finger
It seems that the intention lies in a cut scene where they "waterboard" her with an absurd amount of broken emulsion
@Donald Donald it's sauce
I went into this movie blind. It's intense. Tension builds for a solid 90 minutes until the clap. I felt myself getting fatigued with edge of seat syndrome. Movies generally do not capture my attention for their entire run time. This movie was an awakening that good cinema still exists. I had almost given up on the concept of a good movie. And you're the recommendation that got me to watch it. Thank you.
I went in blind too
I also went into ot blind but felt no tension what's so ever just sorta waiting to see what apuld happen
I went in full of spoilers from youtube shorts and it was still tense, amazing movie
Oh I loved it, my friend who I went with hated it, as 'nothing happened' in it. It is an amazing film on art itself.
I think the best scene actually is the dessert scene. Everyone is so lost in what the chef is saying, so broken by the experience that they’ve fully bought into everything. They accepted their fates and are even happy for it. As if this was the experience they’ve wanted all along and didn’t realize, they even proclaimed “I love you chef” with the staff.
yeah, that shit weirded me out.
I wawsnt convinced by this bcs it's unrealistic, a day of trauma doesnt end your will to live sorry.
But I went with "well they realized they're shit anyway and needed to die." and this sorta "saved" it for me. THe entire film was great except the scene with the running men that was ultra unnecessary social commentary shoved in my face for the millionth time and the last scene for being sorta unrealistic.
Things I loved where the asllicker "friend" (i know they had some publisher author relationship) of the restaurant critique lady and every course aswell as the visual art of the film
@@johndalton4559 All it takes is one bad day...
@@johndalton4559 It depends of what mindset you have at the start, a day of trauma can be enough if you already felt suicidal/depressed and such.
Sounds like working for a faceless megacorp.
The burger scene is both Margot and Julian reigniting their passion for their work. Julian hates the way people didn't appreciate his work, and Margot is finally bringing back his passion for cooking and rewarding him with genuine appreciation. Margot, meanwhile, lost her passion for escorting after being asked to do disturbing and unethical roleplay, and here, she's found a client she can provide comfort and happiness to while saving her own life. It's a two-way exchange where both service workers are doing their job and making their client happy--the golden scenario that allows Margot to leave with the respect and appreciation of the only person in the room who can understand her--and who she can understand...and he happens to be the broken psychopath orchestrating a murder-suicide.
The burger scene is absolutely perfect.
The menu is a satirical thriller. That’s the genre
It's a retribution drama with food as its focus...
I had said it was just "a very dark comedy" to someone, but I think I like "satirical thriller." That sounds pretty apt.
It’s a food porn horror comedy
@@brantclements8888 oh ok
The Menu is a SATIRE. It may also be a thriller. There's no such thing as "the" genre
Honestly the "can I get the rest to go?" is a beautiful double entendre. Chef and Margo know what she is really asking, and he still lets her go.
“I’m sorry You’re dying”
The best line from the movie for me
Margot was somehow his legacy. By letting her go, that chef who loved food is still alive somewhere . Julian completed the menu but he had a nice and unexpected “supplement” that added more meaning to it.
To be fair though Tyler wasn't shocked that much because he knew beforehand what the Chefs plan was. He came there expecting everyone to die, just not that early...
Oh yeah I totally forgot he knew!! What an asshole move to bring Margot w/ him!! You've reignited my hate haha
Yeah, it was completely fucked up. It's why the chef gave her the chance to leave. She was never supposed to be there.
This scene made me so happy, just the demonstration of her understanding of him as a person and his motivators which shows in my eyes there are two ways you can approach people completely at their end with the world, with understanding or with fear.
Those who approached him with fear saw their end and Margot took the other path, connecting with his pain and past and giving him something to be joyous about for even a few moments, bringing out a sympathetic side to him.
The others knew their faults but chose not to confront the nature of being in that room and their part in it, whereas she really understands the true concept of the menu.
I think this is a new genre of horror, satire, suspense films we have been getting. Get Out, Knives Out, Parasite, Glass, Bad Times at the El Royale....all are (I think) in the same genre just differing points in the spectrum.
Not really a new genre of horror but on brand with films like Shaun of the dead, Bird Box, , the Belko Experiment and Devil from 2010.
If you think this is a new genre, you don't watch enough movies.
The chef liked having to earn the customer's satisfaction. It probably was so long since someone criticized his food and they ate up everything he made regardless if it was truly good or not
specifically- criticized him in a genuine way
I've come to understand one of the guests is that type of food critic that nitpicks sh*t a normal person wouldn't even consider noticing
The ending was just - *chef's kiss*
Margot's escape releasing the tension letting us fully embrace the humor, the chocolate running down their faces in the fire, my wife and I were laughing so hard in the theater. So cathartic. Delightfully original indeed.
I loved the fact that they explained why American Cheese is the perfect cheese for burgers. We do this too, we use cheeses like cheddar, which separates when melted on a burger.
If your cheddar is separating.... You're doing something wrong. I've never seen that in my life, even though I do think American cheese should always go on a burger. Sometimes combined with another cheese.
America ALWAYS does it better! 🇺🇸
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 America does a lot of things better alright
Browsing his filmography, Nicholas Hoult has made very few bad choices. Not all stellar movies, of course, but a very nice range of types of roles, across many good movies.
The Menu was a delight, just a very satisfying movie, as a foodie who also enjoys roasting the insipid foodie subculture.
The set design was well planned, and allowed for lots of depth on each plans, with stuff happening all over in the background.
Yeah I feel like I underappreciate Hoult because he’s been in our lives for so long! A rare example of child actor who somehow got through unscathed while experimenting with different roles.
And agreed, the set design/cinematography was great, allowing us to float between the tables very seamlessly.
I only watched this movie because of him. Watch "About a Boy"
@@SceneItReviews He was brashly funny as Peter III in Amazon's "The Great"!
Hoult in my opinion was also very good in "X-Men First Class" and "The Great" Tv Show. He can be good it probably depends on the role.
Don't forget his essentially semi-mute performance as R in Warm Bodies...
I love the irony of the “eat the rich” movies because in the end, the actors are rich people who get paid hundreds of thousands to be in a movie highlighting the absurdity of being rich.
People can be rich and say they should have higher taxes.
As someone who has worked in housekeeping, fast food, retail, and janitorial, I can say all of those jobs need to pay more and people need to respect them more even though I’m now working a MUCH better job.
Assuming none of these actors worked in the service industry is probably a mistake.
Millionaires can advocate for socialism without handicapping themselves before the system changes.
@@rettwoods simp for the rich swing along side them
that's where you're (kind of) wrong. the vast majority of actors actually struggle to make ends meet. they are overworked and underpaid by the industry, as well as easily exploited. when you're thinking about actors who get vast sums of money thrown at them to star in a film, it usually only applies to A list big names like marvel characters.
@@tokyodaze462 like most of these actors are p well known and paid very well for this role I can only assume
@@noahhenderson3164 it was an “ensemble” cast and that usually means they’re well known actors. A few were A-list actors who’ve won academy awards before
I just love the fact that everyone there just accepted death and didn't even try to fight back harder when they could've had a chance to survive if they had just literally fought.
Yeah, I didn't understand that part at all...
@@junkonatsumizaka5149 Julian Slowik points it out multiple times during the film that they could have left if they really fought to. The point is that these people who have always had power don’t know what to do when it gets taken away. They fold instead of looking for new avenues of survival.
@@Uneclipsed Aaaaah, that makes sense! Ty for explaining.
well the rich guy got his finger cut off
@@Uneclipsed interesting
No one gets a bread, yet she got a GD burger. Brilliant.
I liked how the only time you see any semblance of of happiness or a smile on Chefs face was when he was making the burger.
I got through half way into your vid and I've got say this:
I worked in the hospitality industry as a cook on and off for over 8 years and watching this movie cut deep into my soul. I highly recommend that you rewatch it with someone that is a waiter, chef or cook. As there are way, WAY more deeper meaning to the story.
Hospo is like the mafia, easy to get in, almost impossible to get out. The shear insanity to the commitment to please another person through food is almost beyond explaining.
I cared so much to the point it burnt my brain out and I quit and stopped eating (anything healthy).
Because I could break down how long it would take me to prepare and cook. I lost all respect for myself and was left with resentment towards humanity.
People who have worked in the industry understand the Chef's motives. And might even to a degree, agree with what he did. At the same time, it is a bit dramatic.
Ooh boy, you must have watched The Bear, right? I would like to rewatch with someone that worked/works on the food service...
Man you are just a chef not an effing mafia boss. Don't make you or your job bigger than you are. You just serve food, no need to make such a big deal out of it.
@@CaptainMarci104 I don't think you realise that hospitality is full of what society would call "undesirables". A fair amount are current or ex addicts and a lot of them were well, criminals. Those people "serving food" are either got nothing to lose or are trying to get a second chance in life.
That's why you should always, ALWAYS be nice to people who work in hospo. You never know if the person you're abusing could have a seriously dark past.
Also, it's just plain decency.
Customer service is grueling
@@zitronentee It should be renamed to "customer tolerance".
I think the main problem with 'eat the rich' type movies/stories is that they're made by rich people for poor people lol
Well yeah. It's all a manipulation to scratch the general desire to see it happen in real life. Seeing it on screen makes it less likely that anybody will actually do anything about the rich.
vs made by poor people for rich people?
@@Amalasian vs not making tasteless social commentaries
@@TheInator1234 oh my bad. I was thinking you were looking for like a more grunge feel or something.
Exactly.
I liked the movie for what it was, but it was made by rich people, in a critique of rich people. The irony is astounding.
"student loans?"
"no..."
"im sorry, you're dying." one of the funniest jokes in the movie, not gonna lie. XD
Reason I love “horror:” you walk into movies like the menu and barbarian and see the most unique entertaining stuff of the year
The Menu isn't horror by any stretch of the imagination. It's a satirical thriller.
@@JustinLesamizthriller movies are a subset of the horror genre
Dude, i've watched lots of reviews about this movie but your's ON POINT. Thank you, amazing work!
I felt similarly to the woman who spoke to you in the theatre. I was very energized and affected when I saw the film on screen. I appreciate your breakdown and identifying the dynamics at play. The way chef and the staff rebuffed the challenges but also identified the patrons' passivity -- they might have fought back more effectively than they tried. Margo seemingly "hacked" the program/kitchen culture. The clap is like a back door password. I have an association to 1983's WarGames. David (Matthew) Broderick) mines Prof. Falken's past and comes up with "Joshua" - both the WOPR password and the way to unlock the real Falken's participation. (Coincidence that WOPR is also a burger reference?). When Margo accesses the chef's earlier hopefulness (having researched his past) she is able to regress him freeing him up to change his original plan. In WarGames, somehow tic-tac-toe, the child's game that is so "harmless" that it is the allowed by Joshua even when everything else is locked out. And that becomes the kernel that allows the computer to learn the futility of going through with the game. I presume this is a trope we could find in other stories as well.
The “these are tortiiiilllaaas” line killed me in the theater, so fucking funny
Thing I loved about this movie was how they managed to make all the food beautiful, but I didn't realize how unappetizing it all was until that burger rolled out at the end, and my mouth literally started watering.
Only someone who has never worked in hospitality could miss so much of the biting satire in The Menu
hope it didn't give you any ideas.
@@BensCoffeeRants and here we have somebody who never worked in hospitality. Buddy, it can't give us any new ideas, we were already thinking about it while we serve you with a smile, movie or not. So don't worry, if you're not dead it wasn't because of a lack of murderous ideas but because of the decency of the people who put up with you
@@taiyoqun
Please, the only thing stopping you is the threat of losing the job, don't try and act like you're some oppressed saint.
@@wakkaseta8351 budy, it was a joke, I don't want to kill anyone. Are you alright? How is it that saying that I don't actually want to kill random people I don't know is considered virtue signaling? Is the only thing keeping you from going postal unemployment? I'll say it again, normal people don't actually want to kill anyone, and saying that isn't claiming to be a saint.
@@taiyoqun Saying that just means you lack even basic self-awareness of biological impulses, but what should I expect from a wokie?
On "that's the point" the single best shot in The Wolf of Wallstreet is the shot of the FBI agent taking the train home
Brilliant video man! I had only seen the three leads for this movie, avoiding all trailers, and was desperate to see it and the ending was fantastic. It fit everything set up so perfection and really felt like a dozen loose strands were tied up in just one great scene.
She plays almost the same role that she played in Split. She's a hostage destined to die, but escapes death because her heart is pure.
This has become one of my favorite movies because everyone sees it in a different light.
I watched a commentary on this, i believe KennieJD, and she mentioned how he used a MLK quote (the one about the oppressed and the oppressor) and how that summarizes the wealthy people's inability to fight back. In other words, they've never "been oppressed" and therefore did not have to fight for anything. This was also in relation to Chef taunting them for not even trying to escape: because they've probably never done anything for themselves
Did anyone else notice that there was no bread for the bread course, but there was at least one hamburger bun in the kitchen? Why would Slowik have hamburger buns in his locally sourced and foraged kitchen? Because he always hoped someone would ask him for a burger, maybe?
He made it clear that they stock "everything". Plus, the staff has to eat, right?
@@JustinLesamiz good point!
He probably had all the ingredients for a good 🍔 on hand as a late nightvsnack after a bad day/night in the kitchen...
I thought it was a really good play on the cult-like following of fandoms and how people view their idols. Well-deserving chefs are sought out by people who want to work for them. People travel to their restaurants. The ones who run their own restaurants strive to provide a solid dining experience. TBH considering the lengths the team goes to if this were set in the real world you'd be paying way more especially considering the generous wine pours. If you've ever worked or seen a high-dining kitchen, it is so strange to see people worship the way the head chef runs things. We get a little backstory about Chef's past -- his dad was abusive. Chef is trying to innovate as much as he can, but when we go to his house we see he yearns for the past. Even when he's building an amazing life he's still butting heads with his father's ghost. Margo immediately saw through all the posturing and put the pieces together. I LOVED this movie.
I went into this movie completely blind and I came out very satisfied. I didn't know what to make of it immediately after the credits started, but after a while and letting it marinate it grew a lot more on me with time.
I live with my mother- who is obsessed with watching cooking shows- particularly intense competition ones where the only goal is to impress the judges. And while sometimes its fun, after watching literally hundreds of hours of world class chefs having their food nitpicked to death over the tiniest things- it makes this movie really stand out for me in a positive way.
This is the 2nd time she escapes a charismatic psychopath through being "pure"
I loved this film, and this was a great take on it as well. Thanks for making this video. Also I was emotional at the end - perhaps due to my time working in food service for 15 years, perhaps from my own experience dining at the extreme high end, but most probably due to my own love for a good cheeseburger. I really *truly* loved this film.
In my eyes the subtle difference in the way of her eating the cheeseburger was the best part... she gave him, the demanding monster what he wanted, by giving him a little joy for making his food, but also being the only one who listened in the beginning and really tasted and not just ate... once she was on the boat she looked at the burger with a hint of hate and disgust, not tasting the burger truly but just shoving a big bite into her mouth just eating it while watching him burn in the flames... She not just escaped but defeated him the only way he could be beaten and winning his own game.
And damning everyone else. Proving the Chef right. She WAS an eater and a taker after all.
The Chef wasn't defeated. His mission was complete. He won.
Such an enjoyable film.
"The Menu" is one of the funniest movies I've seen. It's so tongue in cheek with its dark comedy theme. Great acting, bizarre plot and satisfying ending. As satisfying as a proper cheeseburger! Reminds me of some Brunuel movies like The Exterminating Angel (1962).
I enjoy how you unpack films. I worked with film critics back in the 70s and 80s. Retired newspaper cartoonist. I’ll have the pizza for my grandkids.😊❤
The sommelier was hilarious.
I think a lot of people are also ignoring the fact that she's an escort. Reading people and catering to them is what she does for a living. When he found that out, he sent her to his "home" knowing she would take whatever information she could to try to read him and in turn cater to him; and that's exactly what she did. What she did wasn't just a ploy, she genuinely tried to get him to see his love for food wasn't dead(as he expected, she genuinely cares about people)...that's why she finished the burger
did someone else think about every table + chef could symbolize the 7 deadly sins?
That’s exactly what I thought! I just couldn’t find a way to assign all the sins to everyone in the room
@@zwisss the chef - rage, his mom - sloth, the investment guys - pride, actor - greed, tyler - gluttony, food critic - envy, the old rich man - lust
@@zan9898 I think the finance guys would be greed because we are shown on the tortilla..that they embezzle money..and the black guy thought the chef would take their money(thinking the chef may also see that money solves everything) if it would save everyone and the angel investor who was about to be drowned...whereas the actor would be pride...
On the IMDb trivia section for the film this is how someone else assigned the deadly sins:
Greed - Soren, Dave, and Bryce [finance bros], who embezzled
Gluttony - Tyler, who's willing to die for food
Lust - Richard [old rich husband], who's a cheater
Envy - George [actor], who's a washed-up name-dropper
Pride - Lillian and Ted [critic and publisher], who believe the dinner is just for them
Sloth - Julian's mother, who did nothing to stop her husband's abuse
Wrath - Julian and the other chefs, who murder everyone
@@zan9898how is Tyler gluttony ? Also actor isn’t greed, he just wants to be relevant.
What truest drove me crazy about the ending was her stopping the boat and finishing her burger while watching everyone burn, something about that scene just drives me insane.
Because that proved the Chef right in the end. Margot WAS an eater and a taker after all. She would be the Chef's legacy.
@@mywifesboyfriend5558 everyone on the boat was evil then?
She was getting her story straight before having to deal with the authorities and first responders, when they find her on the "Coast Guard" boat...
She was kind to him. She gave him a chance to be happy one last time.
It's not the cheeseburger, it was reminding the chef he loves cooking by having him cook something he loves cooking.
the power of anya taylor joy
I love the menu not for its content but what it represents. It stands as a major critique of consumerism and greed. And is amazingly sculptured from start to finish.
i like to think chef set up that escape route to reveal the one who was worthy to live
Thank you for analysis and not a recap. Any comments on Margot’s facial expression at the end? My thought is that she was in work mode till then. At the end, she has the same level of dissatisfaction as Chef. Just used her skills to buy her life by giving him a moment of happiness. It also makes it obvious she doesn’t belong.
That's quite an observation
This movie made me want to order a damn good cheeseburger, and not the sh@y McDonalds or Burgerking Premade microwaved Cheeseburger but a Freshly Cooked Burger with basic @ss ingredients. Ground beef, American Cheese slices, Burger Buns, and optional onions and lettuce (hold the tomato).
There’s a place in Hollywood selling the menu burger, it’s called Irv’s burger. Only till Jan 30th 2023
@@xretroman There are a million places that serve that burger. The whole point is that there's nothing special about it. Just a classic cheeseburger.
@@JustinLesamiz Incorrect. Not like that. People know a good burger when they see one.
No replies will be seen or read.
You know I'm right. This movie was made for guys like you.
As a lesson.
You can't complain about processed food and then want processed chesse on it.
@@C0ncep1t technically every food is processed unless you eat it raw since cook8nh is a type of processed. But what i am talkimg about is fresh ground meat, not the pink glop that is turned into mcdonalds burgers that i dont want.
I appreciate the concise packaging of the video, doesn't waste any time
I love Ralph Fiennes and saw the trailer for this and figured "oh so is this some sort of horror movie? Looks neat" and jumped right in. Absolutely loved it, I enjoy the critiques it made, the "victims" fitting into quite relevant and modern critiques. They are awful but not heavy handed in their awfulness. It doesn't beat you on the head about it so you do still feel sympathy for a lot of them.
A lot of that fancy food looked pretty good, but that burger looked the best. Since watching this movie, I have been making a lot of burgers
at 6:06 i thought $1250 was too cheap, only 11 accommodations a day or two can not maintain the business to feed about 40 employees
I dove into this blind, never even seeing a trailer. I think I might want to do that with most movies going forward.
This is one of my favorite modern movies.
the facial expressions in the whole cheeseburger scene are so brilliant
Also to add Margot profession plays a key role. She is an escort and discusses how her service to give other the experience they want. That is much like what she does for chef. She plays the role of the customer he longs to serve. Someone he hasnt seen in a very long long time. She preforms that service for him and is rewarded with her escape.
Fantastic video. You really nailed it. Glad I found this channel.
Lmao I loved the short wave radio scene chef did em dirty lol
I didn't really consider that "Eat the Rich" was even a genre. I haven't even seen most of the movies in question. But now that I think about I think my favorite one of all might be... Trading Places? Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, 1983. Small classic.
7:52 that is the weakest bite into a cheeseburger ever put to film
This felt like a movie that straddled the line between genres, but in a bad way. It came across as a satire that wasn't satirical enough to be biting, a thriller that wasn't thrilling enough to be exciting, and a comedy that wasn't comedic enough to be funny. The characters were all simplistic and one dimensional, while managing to also not be caricaturized to enough of an extreme so as to be humorous. The motivation of the head chef is simplistic and boring, with not even a halfway reasonable explanation given for how or why a whole cadre of staff and chefs were happy to all kill themselves with him (the pressure of being a fancy chef is hard, the art of cooking isn't fun anymore, we live on an island like a cult *sad frowny face* let's all die).
There were some moments of actual character development, such as Margot and the Chef's 1-on-1 discussing the debasement of working the hospitality industry, and the Chef having the staff member recount his sexual harassment and subsequent mistreatment of her before she stabbed him in the leg was brilliant. Some of these things pointed to the movie maybe taking a turn and taking what had been one dimensional characters through the first half of the movie and flipping them around and developing character for them in the second half, but then it whips right back to all the characters embodying their stereotypes and nothing more.
And the final buildup for the climax of the movie? Margot sees a picture of Chef unhappy as a head chef, Margot sees another picture of Chef unhappy as a head chef, and then she sees a picture of him happy making a burger before he was a head chef. This leads directly to the painfully facile denouement. There's nothing to make clear, there are no strands of thought to pull together, there's nothing to reveal, because everything throughout the movie has been simplistic and mashed into your face.
The only thing that kept me watching the movie through to the end was waiting for some sort of big reveal, some sort of insight that revealed a greater depth to the story or the main characters than just the flat and lifeless piece that it was. I just had to be missing something clever, there just HAD to be something more to it, right?
Nicely done analysis. Very enjoyable movie.
The epitome of a hybird genre. Not new ones but instead mixed ones. When this logic is applied into a lot of media and arts it gets criticized for being lazy, but it sure does attracts a lot of people despite being lazy.
she’s also the only customer that has worked minimum wage customer service.
dude your videos are addicting.
Literally, when I saw the trailer for the first time, I knew I had to watch it in the theater, I did, and it was amazing, I loved the whole film, and the ending was just absolutely amazing, and was so well done, they couldn't have ended it any better imo.
Hello, future me. I will come back here in a few years, and this channel will have millions of subscribers. Keep up the good work!
the “umeboshi” part sent me to the fucking moon for absolutely no reason.
I mean...It was co-written by one of the brains behind The Onion, so the satire is of a similar slant unsurprisingly. Big fan of Seth Reiss' writing and overall humor so very glad to see this getting so much solid publicity.
Yeah both writers are late night writers, which you can kind of feel in the tone of the film. Enough social commentary to be engaging, but throwing in enough entertaining moments to “keep you awake”
Great video!
I think its important, in the whole movie for sure but in this scene in particular, that Slowik is actually very likable.
It was a fun movie, but the rich were caricatures, not fleshed out people. It makes it too easy for the kinds of wealthy people they are satirizing to distance themselves from them and believe they are nothing alike.
True. Makes them impossibly simple - another reason we don’t really care when people get threatened or injured. Pretty different from Succession, White Lotus and TOS.
I don't think fleshing out characters was a major concern for the writers when they thought of this film. It's the type of film that works without it
@Fishy Fish true not every character needs to be fleshed out this is why I love Jack Horner from puss in boots
The problem wasn't that it was too simplistic, the problem is that the film is lifeless. The characters being exaggerated stereotypes would honestly work really well and fit perfectly with the subject matter, if only the film were directed, acted, and edited with any amount of passion. Instead it feels like it was made by a team of comatose patients, which is incredibly ironic considering the ideas of passion, the loss of passion, frustration with stagnation of art, etc. with which it concerns itself. Just an awful boring uninspired piece of slop. It's all concepts, no execution.
Every scene, you can picture the board room meeting where they tossed around their ideas on their mind map for "cool" and "profound" stuff they could do for the sake of "insightful commentary" meanwhile the actual implementation of those ideas is completely inert and soulless. If Adam McKay and Mark Mylod had done a ten minute Ted X talk going "hey isn't it kinda messed up about commentary culture and all this piled on critic crap has ruined art?" it would've been more compelling than this slog of a film, because they clearly didn't care one bit about putting any passion into the actual filmmaking on display in their film about a creator who is angry about having lost his passion for his art.
I was surprised how good the movie was, I was skeptical at first. The dialogue was grate. I loved the part in the end when the older lady singled her to leave.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this film.
This and "Don't Look Up" shows how mixing the topic du juor and famous actors doesn't guarantee a good movie. One dimensional caricatures, replacing subtleties and nuances with style and one liners, made this movie tonally....odd. I still have not found any opinion pieces or reviews that satisfactorily explain why this movie is getting so much attention...
"..logic, persistence, courage, and passion are more important than money."
"Passion"
Yes, I too am very passionate about being alive.
The end was just ratatouille. It was too simple. She saw the picture of him flipping burgers earlier.
She used what info she was able to gather about him to get him to break with his conception of how the evening needed to end. She rewrote the narrative in a way that was sufficiently beautiful and meaningful to him that he was willing to let her go. It's not really the same as making a deconstructed version of a simple dish for a critic that then coincidentally turns out to be a childhood favorite of theirs.
Yeah, it felt like a massive copout.
@@woudgy All of that is obvious. It just wasn't earned at all.
I rewatch so i can watch rich people suffer and watch an artist connect to his roots bybeing "cleansed"
I rarely watch a movie twice, back to back. That's because there are so few worth it. I don't go to theaters anymore for that reason. Hollywood produces more shit than most cattle farms. So I loved stumbling across The Menu right here on TH-cam. The acting was great but no one actor hogged the scenes. The ending was fantastic.
I like the boat scene as its a commentary on the current situation were in, you are just in a world of wannabe wealth but the moment it all crumbles you might as well as sit back and watch every unfold into Chaos
One of the best movies I have seen in a long time.
I have nothing bad to say about this film. It's just perfect
I love the cheeseburger scene. It’s the most human part of the film and there is an emotional payoff. Enjoyed The Menu thoroughly
I liked the movie, truly enjoyed THAT ending but something I’ve noticed that NO ONE has ever brought up is...and yes, it is silly, but...Margot was never served or got a cheeseburger, but was given a DOUBLE cheeseburger. YES, there is a difference between a cheeseburger and DOUBLE cheeseburger- I’m an American, I know cheeseburgers, DAMN IT! (Said in a kidding manner, of course)
I noticed it at the time as well. I don't know if it's significant, but an American wouldn't make that mistake.
This movie is one of those I only feel good about it when it's over. Like Tenet, I was enjoying it but on the last scene it really crowns the movie. I almost stoped watching the menu mid movie, Margot is the only thing that got me going till the end, and then I was very satisfied.