The Menu movie is a satirical commentary on the relationship between the elite class and its superficial appreciation of true art in the gourmet cuisine world. The film explores severe world problems of the class divide, the unequal division of food, an artist’s constant tussle with capitalism, the subjectivity of art, the ethic of critics, and the double standards of the privileged class. The film is a satisfying black comedy that punishes the pretentiousness of the aristocrats, which has made the haute couture industry highly toxic to work in, especially in the food world where too much attention is on the presentation, detailing, and serving pompous clients.
The clients who eat food, buy expensive clothes, and appreciate art as a way of satisfying their pseudo intellectual fetish to fit into their society status. The artist’s expression and joy of creating the art to connect with the soul somewhere gets lost among the pretentious consumers. The film starts with a young couple visiting an expensive diner with other elite guests, hosted by a celebrity chef, followed by his assistants. But, the chef is a mastermind behind a sinister plan curated for all his guests.
Massacre of elite egos
Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) executed a well-conspired death trap around the pre-planned guests. The chef had chosen guests from different walks of life. Each of them had an ideology towards his craft that had directly or indirectly affected his passion. All the guests carried sins which are not punished but rewarded in a capitalist society. The common characteristics among the guests were pretension, lack of morality, incompetence, classism, capitalism, and hypocrisy. He hated the elite old couple for eating his dishes because they could afford it, not because of hunger or pleasure. He hated the critic for being in the position of analyzing his craft without having the competent skills that Chef Slowik had mastered for years.
Tyler represented the wannabe art lovers with surface-level knowledge who chose niche genres to stand out. Tyler represented the current generation confused about their individuality who find indie art forms to build a sense of identity. Chef Slowik hated Tyler for being a sycophant with no integrity. He was not a true fan as he only agreed to a well-known chef for validation. Apart from his lost passion, Chef Slowik’s staff members also lied in the lower brinks of the class system. He presented the daily struggles of his staff to give his ignorant guests a reality check.
An Artist’s Torment
Chef Slowik’s greatest agony was of losing pleasure in his work. His profession was not just earning fortune, luxuries, accolades, and fame for him. He worshipped his art. Human’s desire to turn their passion into purpose is enough to for self-contentment. Being able to earn a living from something which gives happiness is greater than any luxuries in the world. Chef Slowik’s vanity was all about his talent than all the other things that come with success. His ego took a big hit when he realised the reality behind all the fake appreciation. Director Mark Mylod indirectly comments on the subjectivity of art.
There is a deliberate spoof on the aristocrats who appreciate high end art without having any proper knowledge about it just to fit in their social circles. Chef’s anger was against the whole haute food business where the chefs and whole management suffer while maintaining the meaningless status quos of the powerful. There is little to no empathy for the working class workers who are struggling to make their ends meet. According to him his art is misunderstood as his clients is neither starving nor they eat for gratification. The judgement of his art satisfies the pride of his clients and adds an intangible glory on their high end refined preference.
Margot: The Loophole
Margot was not part of Chef’s revenge plan. She turns out to be an escort named Erin. Her working-class survival instincts made her stand out among the wealthy snobs. Margot has learned to outsmart the high profile while being exploited by them. Tyler brought her on a date while already knowing about the plan, signifying her worth in the real world. He chose to put her life in danger as he considered it worthless. But, Margot turned the tables on the chef by knowing his origin and telling him to cook comfort food (a staple for the working class).
Thus, her street smartness and relatable outlook became a standout for the chef, unlike the other guests. Chef Slowik found a sense of empathy in Margot since both were commodified differently to serve the luxuries of the privileged class. Margot also represented a section of people who cared about eating the food for hunger and contentment. She would not care if the food is made by a Michelin star chef or an amateur unless it satisfies her stomach. She was the oppressed among all of them. Thus, the chef tries to change the narrative by letting her go while manipulating the fate of the remaining others. Quite contrary to the real world.
Seven Deadly Sins
Director Mark Mylod created a metaphorical hell for humans living in the contemporary world. They are all associated with a common virtue of chasing the American dream, including the chefs. The guests split into six sections, with the cooking platform being the seventh one. Each group of guests represents a sin according to a subjective interpretation. Since, each person can have more than one sin in a room full of big egos passively clashing with each other. The fading movie star represented greed, who was ok with taking any silly role in bad films for money. The food critic Lilian represented envy that had shut down big businesses of celebrated chefs over the years.
She enjoys her power over something she barely has any competency in. She envies the brilliance and competence of Chef Slowik. The Wall Street investors represent pride and challenge the chef by ordering food not mentioned on the menu. They try to exert their power of position on the staff by threatening the repercussions. Richard, an old wealthy aristocrat, represents lust, who had cheated on his wife for years with various young women. Tyler represented gluttony, who ate everything that the chef made while like a dimwit obsessive fan. Margot and Slowik represent the rage, that they have towards society due to their subjective sufferings. The chef’s mother represents sloth, who has ignored his son’s suffering for a relatively comfortable life.
The Menu
