i would love to hear more commentary from Dominique Crenn on the actual menu… such precision in the skewering!
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In terms of skewering foodie culture I thought the movie was pretty on point. Reminded me a lot of my recent Kato dining experience except without the murder.
As a movie it was ok - worth what I paid.
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a food influencer character (a la @chrishei) trying to shakedown the chef for free food would have been great.
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lol. It had a different “Do you know who I am” scene… lol… I also loved that photo with the “investor” The dude looked like he had just bagged a rainbow polar bear or something… And Chef looked like said dead bear…
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Right on cue:
But how would u propose the influencer be killed off? Same fate as others or a special fate?
@chrishei @JLee
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@SteveR just mentioned this movie again which made me realize I had missed this thread on its inception. I saw the movie over the Thanksgiving Weekend, where my partner and I were the sole occupants of the theater. (An underrated experience. I recommend it.) We both LOVED the film, and it’s come up as a point of reference for us a few times since.
What I have yet to see, either here or on HO, is a discussion of (one of) the main, obvious points of the film: the skewering of ‘foodie’ culture. The language, the rarefied ingredients, the stories that seemingly MUST accompany these high priced meals. Clearly, the movie comes down fairly solidly on calling ‘bullshit’ on that sort of thing.
If you compare the increasingly non-hunger-abating courses of Hawthorne with the straightforward “it tastes good and satisfies my caloric need” of the final cheeseburger, then… what’s the film’s point? That cooking (as a service) should be about fulfilling nutritional and ‘taste’ requirements and stop pretending to be ‘more?’
Is ‘food as art’, (good Alinea or bad Bros ) inherently undesirable and elitist? Is it a moral crime to blow upwards of $1000 on a single meal when thousands in the same country go to bed hungry?
That seems like an awful big lift for something like this, and I don’t know that the film really is up to that task. But maybe the food was just the gateway symbol into the broader ‘people who serve’ vs. ‘people who take’ point, and I’m getting too hung up on the metaphor.
I know that I really liked the film, and if I had HBO Max I’d probably watch it again. I might even get the Blu Ray once that rolls around.
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I’m a fan of absurdist parody type movies, skewering aspects of our almost out of control (obviously my opinion) society(ies). I loved “Mars Attacks” & “Don’t Look Up”, flaws & all. Similarly, I really liked “The Menu”. Yeah, I’m not sure what their overarching intended point was, but I took it as a way to poke fun on how our culture has now made a mockery of what was once genuine concern over sourcing, culinary skill & enjoyment of cooking/dining. Hopefully, like with the other films that I’ve liked, it serves as a way to reflect upon the excesses & stupidity, while not throwing everything good out the window. All while keeping me laughing.
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the mention of Tehachapi Grain Project slayed me. It was my “I know what a pacojet is” moment.
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HA! That was my Captain America Moment too… BTW… Their Tortillas are pretty awesome and you can get them at Standings.
As to @lectroid comments about the main point of the film, I don’t think Foodies were the direct target. I think obsession was. Foodies are hardly the only ones who worship upon ‘creators’. Further there was a reason why They all had to die and did die.. A restaurant and high exalted chef in this world an only exist with… Investors believing in their vision (and wanting to collect chef and then throw their weight around.), Regulars who sustain the business, The big spenders who you turn profit on and of course the wannabes who bring the sense of awe to the place. There was a reason the regular didn’t remember the dishes prior. The big spenders demanded the bread. The wannabe dies by command. The restaurant needs these guests as much as it needed its ingredients, the chef and staff. They were also elemental to the Hawthorne. This is why they were included in the grand theme of the night…
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given that habitue is/was $1500 a head, is The Menu a bargain at only $1250??
“Maybe you wanna jam it into the Pacojet.” was my favorite.
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the burger looked great, but man, I thought the ending was boring
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I agree that the ending was probably the weakest bit. While the concept of the human s’more is amusing, and shots of it were beautiful (esp that overhead shot) the diners’ easy acceptance of their fate rang a little false for me. I could think of ways to handwave away my objections, but the rest of the film was so much fun I can forgive the misstep.
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I think by the end of the film, the diners were resigned for to their fate. The chef even mentions that they could have tried harder… but being acolytes…. They could not help but be part of what next… to see how the chef played things out. They were willing to go because they understood their part in the grand menu. Plus…. Their death would always be associated with Hawthorne. That’s like a foodie badge of honor if there ever was one
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Good catch.
Agreed started off strong ended in a whimper
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So, in the end, does anyone know who was guiding that boat leading off the island with our ‘heroin’, burger in hand? Apparently talented, she knew how to operate this craft…
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Tesla technology.
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Now on Hulu. Not a great film but worth watching, especially for the fair number of big laughs. Reportedly the director often gave the cast an extra take in which they could improvise, which was the source of “taco Tuesday.” Production values were excellent, continuity not so much. The wines were as real as the Tehachapi Grain Project.
The ending was silly but then so was the fundamental concept, crossing “trapped in an isolated place with a killer” horror with a parody of Chef’s Table, plus a dash of Agatha Christie in the cast of stereotypes. It was obvious to me from very early on that Margot was the designated sole survivor as required by the genre.
Learning afterward that Dominique Crenn designed the food was pretty funny.
I once owned a PacoJet. The patent has expired so you can now get a knockoff for under $200.
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