The Menu

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I was resistant to watching this movie because I felt like the premise is so clear, and the "eat the rich" narrative in lots of tv/movies/internet discourse is kind of exhausting. But the first 30 minutes of this movie were hilarious, and I had a great time watching this one.

For context, I was flying home from Europe and got a first class seat (its a long story, but it cost me nothing and was a crazy experience). Being surrounded by rich snobs who live in luxury while watching this was quite a trip, but I also realized I was kind of one of them for those 7 hours. Its easy to hate others who seemingly don't realize how obscenely fortunate they are, but if you can use this app you are already in some top percentage of wealth in the world, so who am I to judge. Anyways, enough preaching.

I hate upscale foodie culture with a passion. People who taste notes in their coffee and wine? Get outta here. Michelin stars? Who needs em. The only movie that has ever gotten me close to caring was Pig, and that's a must watch in my book. This movie stomps all over that in a delightful way, as you watch finance bros, food critics, and generally rich people who spend money because that's all they know how to do go on an unhinged dining experience.

The formula of the movie got a bit repetitive for me, with each course introducing something crazy, but I liked how the level was raised each course. Hard to discuss without spoiling, but things go off the rails early. I was a bit confused what chef's end goal was in all of this, and the ending was vague in a way I like, but the message of this movie wasn't as clear as I thought it would be. That's a good thing and a bad thing, and the first half felt tighter to me than the second half. If the goal is to see terrible people deal with the consequences of their actions, mission accomplished, and that is satisfying to watch on its own.

The Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy pairing here is outstanding, and I found his character was the source of most of my laughs. If you are looking a thrill and don't think about it too hard this movie is a special treat.

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