Denilson Lully
Staff Writer
Gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins associated in the Christian faith, is often given a negative connotation while being praised in the lens of a capitalistic society. Yet it is gluttony that led to the perversion of the founding philosophy of America: The American Dream.
Originally, the American Dream served as a symbol of hope, allowing for those in the most unpleasant of situations to attain greatness. But under this façade of hope, lies a hunger for wealth, a hunger that will satiate itself through any means necessary.
These themes are best expressed in The Menu, a nightmarish movie detailing the flaws in this way of life through a culinary lens.
The Menu, created in 2022 and written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, follows Margot Mills and Tyler on an excursion to the Hawthorn, a fictional restaurant founded and run by Chef Julian Slowik. Margot and Tyler are followed on this excursion by a multitude of guests, including a former movie star, a food critic, rich regulars, and more. In this island, the habitat is perfectly curated to assist in the creation of the Chef’s different meals, all looked over by his cult-like staff. Margot is initially hesitant to conform to this place and their norms, but after encouragement from Tyler, she reluctantly follows through.
Later in the night, the patrons are introduced to a variety of course meals, ranging from a recreation of the island to a bread board only containing condiments. However, the turning point in the film begins with the third meal, aptly named the Mess.
In this meal, one of the staff members of Chef Slowik pulls out a revolver and ends his life in front of all the guests. Soon, the entire room shatters into panic, with the reality of the situation questioned by all.
Margot then realizes the Chef’s true intentions with this meal, which is to kill both the patrons, his staff, and himself as an act of revenge. Throughout the movie, The Menu is portrayed to be a satire of what it means to be rich, showing numerous archetypes of the wealthy persona.
Whether it be Tyler, the condescending food blogger, or George Diaz, the demanding petulant, all these characters are hyperbolic to add an excess layer of comedy. However, this should not divert attention from the main theme of the movie: the destruction of art. This destruction is best shown with the titular character, Chef Slowik, a man who once enjoyed his craft.
In the beginning of his career, Chef Slowik was enamored by the simplicity of cooking and the joy it produced. However, as his notoriety arose, his love for the craft slowly began to dwindle. His wavering interests were mainly in part due to the nature of those he sold his cuisine to, uninterested and unappreciative of his craft. For example, the regular patrons in The Menu, while claiming to frequent the restaurant, had no idea what a singular dish was called.
These actions were an affront to the Chef’s character, causing him to lash out at the guests through this final meal. An interesting technique used in this movie is the allegories present in each meal of the course. These meals serve as a perceived crime done by the wealthy guests in the culinary world.
One of the best examples of this is the meal created by Tyler. Over the course of the film, Tyler is constantly portraying himself as a character filled with sagacity when describing cuisine. Desperately attempting to gain the approval of Chef Slowik with his knowledge, Tyler is suddenly given the opportunity to create his own dish while serving it to the rest of the guests.
However, Chef Slowik begins to berate the dish made by Tyler, showing the lack of knowledge he prided himself on. That being said, one of the most memorable and powerful scenes in the film is towards the end with Margot. During the beginning of the passage, Margot was heavily differentiated from the rest of the group, unimpressed by the spectacle given by Chef Slowik and his staff. She is candid in her speech towards the chef, avoids eating any of his dishes, and overall disobeys most of his commands.
These actions are to show that Margot is a part of the working class, just like Chef Slowik. After realizing the true reason as to why Chef Slowik is torturing the patrons, Margot asks him to make her a burger. This ingenious plan uses a pathos approach tailored to Chef Slowik, reminding him of why he began his cooking journey and allowing her to escape.
Overall, The Menu is an amazing film whose themes apply to a wide variety of topics. The spine-chilling score perfectly synergizes with the actor’s performance to deliver a comedically yet thrilling film. While condemned for having a seemingly confusing ending, it perfectly concludes the fates of those consumed by their greed.
cutline: Photo courtesy of imdb.com
