Revenge is a dish best served cold. Or hot, in this movie.
Every artist yearns to be understood, or at least, appreciated, yet every artist with ambition has to pander to the rich in order to climb the ladder of status. Yet at the top, it is never worth it, because no one at that level cares about art, they only concern themselves with fame, power, and money. Thus, the artist's soul is damaged, for his or her art is no longer even art but just another cog in the capitalist machine that powers our world. The desire for recognition makes prostitutes out of all of us, The Menu suggests, although it conveys this message in a much more humorous manner than my staid prose. Anna Taylor Joy plays an escort named Margot who is hired to accompany foodie Tyler (played for many laughs by Nicholas Hoult) to an exclusive island restaurant called Hawthorne, operated by famous chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). This dinner is more than it initially seems, and each of its clientele are there for a purpose, that is, besides Margot, who is a last minute substitution. There's an aging actor (John Liguizamo) who's there to try to push a reality TV show; a threesome of finance bros interested in name dropping and status; a food critic (Janet Mcteer) who has sunk many a career; and an aging couple of richies who can't even name a dish they had, despite dining at Hawthorne ten times. Fiennes is great as an insane celebrity chef, with his facial expressions reminding me of his villainous role as Lord Voldemort. I can't say too much more about The Menu without giving too much away. Let it suffice it to say that it's incredibly funny, and definitely worth seeing, especially if you've ever had a service industry job. A much better comedy thriller than Glass Onion.
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