cinema history class: the menu (2022)

The session: "Bring Your Own Movie Month"

Our annual session in which each of us in the class takes a turn sharing a movie of his choice.

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Week 1: The Menu (2022)
Directed by Mark Mylod

My Impressions Going In:
Since I chose this movie for our annual BYOM, you might infer that I love this movie. You'd be right. More below.

Plot:

Diners assemble at a ritzy restaurant on a private island for a high-priced, high status meal. Little do they know that the chef /restauranteur has...special...plans for the night.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

I was a bit apprehensive about bringing The Menu. It's unusual for us to screen any movie made after 1980, and this is a 2022 film. As such, it was shot with a more contemporary style, which I wasn't sure would go over well with the guys -- other than Ethan I'm the youngest in the room. In addition, there was some CGI, which the guys aren't inclined to like. Fortunately, there's not a lot of CGI there.

At any rate, I chose to bring The Menu because it stuck with me. I saw it last fall with Ethan and a friend. And the next day I a\was still thinking about it. Mulling it over in my head. For comparison purposes, we saw M3gan about the same time. I enjoyed it. And then when it was over I stopped thinking about it. The Menu is relatively original; I had no sense of having seen the story before. Until the end, I constantly wondering where it was going.

The film is a study of celebrity culture and cults in the age of social media. Ralph Fiennes' character, Chef, reached has reached the pinnacle of his chosen career. His staff venerates him. His restaurant is an experience that celebrities and rich people can check off their lists. But he no longer experiences any joy in cooking.

And the guys all enjoyed it, which was a bit of a relief. I still recall the great Scott Pilgrim debacle of two years ago.

Ratings

Bob-O: 10
Christina: 9.7
Dave: 9.6
Ethan: 9.5
Keith: 9.8