THE MENU Movie Review - Breakfast All Day

[@seanbirby]

Last week I did Triangle of Sadness and The Menu as an unintentional rich people get their comeuppance double feature

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Good idea. Which did you like better?

[@seanbirby]

@@BreakfastAllDay Triangle of Sadness, but I enjoyed a lot of what both had to offer.

[@josephirizarry5195]

The Menu does not hold A CANDLE to Triangle.

[@brajeshsingh2391]

@@josephirizarry5195 I agree with you that it doesn't. The Triangle of Sadness had a very well written screenplay that integrated the critique with the narrative. Hence both the idea and its execution is very well done in the Triangle of Sadness. The Menu gets its idea right. But unfortunately not its execution. The execution is what Christy would call clunky, which means the narrative just lacks the continuity and the spontaneity to be either as effective or entertaining as Triangle of Sadness. Strengths - I think the concept is great. Its a very smart idea and has some really clever plot twists. In particular the angle of Nicolas Hoult, Ana Taylor Joy and the Coast Guard officer are really very unexpected. I have to honest I am good at understanding plot twists but I could not catch those angles before hand even if there were subtle references given. Acting - As usual Ralph Fiennes is great. This movie entirely rests on his shoulders and throughout the length Fiennes does not appear to be tired or cliched even once, though he is essentially doing the same thing over and over again for the entire runtime. He is eloquent and sharp and very business like from start to finish. Apart from him Nicolas Hoult as the idiotic support character and the man playing the Coast Guard officer are very good as well. Delivering their roles exactly in tune with the concept of the movie. Weaknesses - The script lacks the spontaneity and the logic to hold for its runtime. Now to the defense of the writers a one location story is the most difficult to write as there is nothing which you can use to distract the audience. And this is literally one location because 95% of the movie occurs in the dining hall of a restaurant. And that makes it even tougher. But even with its challenge the writers could have done a better job than they did given they had the right ideas. The first and biggest mistake The Menu makes is to put the cards on the table way too early. I mean if you know where the movie is headed so early it takes a lot the surprise element out and makes it less engaging. You clearly start focusing on the end rather than what's going to happen next. And secondly it fails to involve the support cast into the narrative. I mean the only cast member who gets some meat or cheese on her role apart from Fiennes is Ana Taylor Joy, who is really ordinary. She just lacks the humor or sharpness or vulnerability which was required of her. Even at the climax, where her character really has a very important scene she fails to impress, looking rather uninvolved. They probably needed a more mature actress. Somebody who has some comedic timing which Joy does not display. The rest of the cast even though well integrated into the main plot get little or no chance whatsoever. And it is to their credit Hoult and the other actor use their limited times very well. But the ensemble cast narrative which the Menu promised never occurs. As for the rest of cast most of them hardly get any real chance so its hard to be critical of them. But even when they get a chance they just fail to make the emotional connection with the audience. It does have a good final plot twist when you think everything is over but its probably too late. And that is because the cast never get a chance to get into the plot. So you really do not care what is happening. So while the Menu did promise a very eventful and unexpected experience at the beginning, it really limits the potential of its idea by a very early reveal of its plot and reducing the large group of characters to mere spectators like the audience. The two biggest potential strengths of its narrative, the secret of the Menu and the experiences of the people enjoying or having the Menu are taken off the table. And thus leaving little for the audience except for Fiennes performance and a twisted concept. I give it a 6. This probably needed more work on the writing, the casting and character development.

[@whedabra]

I thought the Menu really worked as a dark comedy, I found myself chuckling and outright laughing throughout. It did a lot of things Triangle of Sadness was trying to do, but did everything better. Thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end, 9/10 from me.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

So glad!

[@ryancrrich]

I couldn’t help but feel the hand of Adam McKay, as it went along. But the cheeseburger scene is fantastic

[@BreakfastAllDay]

It really is. And that ending.

[@dollarsaurus01]

This movie was savage and unpredictable, I loved it. Even felt like it had a little bit of Parasite and Squid Game dna with its tone, class commentary and some of the production design

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Indeed!

[@looney1023]

White Lotus is great! Season 2 is revealing to be another great showcase for Aubrey Plaza's many talents

[@nikitamohanan2124]

Seems like she's in the best phase of her career. She's also going to go toe to toe against Katryn Hahn in Agatha Coven of Chaos and is the perfect antagonist to be cast against someone of her calibre and someone who can match up to Hahn's talent, magnetic screen presence and comic timing!

[@looney1023]

@@nikitamohanan2124 Yes! She's always been fantastic in her niche (dry, deadpan, might be a serial killer) but it's so awesome that she finally gets to do stuff that challenges that persona and lets her be everything she's capable of. She's also a great awards show host too. Her Independent Spirit Awards gigs were fantastic! That Gay Men's Choir bit? Iconic

[@nikitamohanan2124]

@@looney1023 Haven't seen her independent spirits awards or hosting gigs. I know her from parks and Recreation, and some of her films like ingrid goes west, Mike and dave need wedding dates, dirty grandma, etc. I saw her earlier this year in her theatrical release Emily the criminal which she was a co-producer on and was excellent in that.

[@forallthestupidshit3550]

I hated the first season of White Lotus, but it's because it wasn't clear to me until the last episode that it was a drama and not a comedy. As a comedy, it's very poorly done. As a drama, probably pretty good. Selling it as a comedy was its downfall for me.

[@akais2022]

I feel that Judith Light isn't given enough credit. Though she had very few lines, I felt her performance was all in her expressions. The character is clearly a woman that's been through it, having experienced loss and unhappiness and was meant to be passive. I believed her the entire film.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Oh she's always great -- so much so, that we wish she'd gotten more to do.

[@blackkcinamacritic]

This was hands down my most enjoyable film of the year I think the script was well written up into a certain point I do think the premise is better than the second part leading to the Thriller I wish it would have stayed focused the acting performances are phenomenal this movie is 7 courses of emotional sadness and confusion ( 8.5)

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@petergrossi6605]

I saw the menu last night at 11:00pm and I liked it a lot. I really liked the sets, direction, performances, and the salty, delicious script. 7/10. 3 stars out of 4.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

That is very late! 😄

[@RUDEMusicUS]

This movie was actually awesome

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@tccandler]

"Triangle of Sadness" seems like a better version of this.

[@cherryle5660]

I think the point of the movie was that there was no unifying reason why the guest were there other than they were rich and so some people were collateral damage. Sure some of them were bad but sometimes we might just look for reasons to hate them, just cause they were in a movie we didn’t like. And while the finance bros may contribute to why our lives might suck sometimes they’re not the only reason

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks for your insights, Cherry!

[@0214Bub]

I think I may have liked this movie better than you guys. Nothing groundbreaking here, but Fiennes and Taylor-Joy were particularly good. Plus, everything looked amazing. That was one good looking cheeseburger.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Agree with all of that!

[@JLamstudio]

The French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley also served as inspiration for the films RATATOUILLE & my favorite Adam Sandler movie SPANGLISH. I love chef movies, and I love Anya Taylor Joy so can’t wait to see this. I’ve been a chef for 12 years and have met Chef Keller when he came by where I’ve been working in SF!!

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Oh wow, you'll have to let us know what you think when you see it.

[@JLamstudio]

@@BreakfastAllDay ok. I finally saw it last night. Very fun and entertaining, although it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with Hong Chau’s character after a while. The movie did get repetitive, and in the end I was left still hungry! But overall, a fun watch.

[@gimlicharms]

I got to see this Monday and everything you’re both saying I’m in 100 agreement with! I almost wanted it to be either more dark or on the other hand funnier

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[@Wiz83]

I still have not seen Ralph Fiennes as a genocidal Nazi in Schindler's List, but I'm sure he's still not as intimidating as he is in this movie. Also, John Leguizamo is always entertaining, and Anya Taylor Joy is so beautiful I can't take my eyes off her whenever she is on the screen.

[@blueberryboats]

I just saw this last night and without spoiling for others that last thing the chef does, perhaps involving marshmallows was so nuts. Also just hoping Matt is doing okay x

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Yes, that whole scene is so inspired in terms of concept and execution, with the overhead shot of what's happening on the floor.

[@jtatsiue]

I hate it when a inattentive reviewer blames a film for what they miss. The motivation behind the chef’s intent for the evening is fairly obvious, again, if you’re paying attention. Focus on what actually makes the chef happy, and how wealth, exclusivity, prestige and obsession have cut him off from experiencing it, and I think you’ll appreciate this film a lot more.

[@waynedexter]

Dang. That first sentence was slightly scathing and unnecessary. But I’m sure it felt good saying though 😒

[@jtatsiue]

​@@waynedextereh, I think it's safe to say that it didn't feel any better than the act of pointing it out felt for you. Irony, hypocrisy, much? Pot, kettle, take your pick. Meanwhile, you didn't address my critique, i.e., that Breakfast All Day either dismissed, or flat out didn't notice the narrative bread crumbs left by the filmmaker that would've partially refuted their review. Take me to task on that, otherwise, your, ahem, retort was just a milquetoast, ad hominem attack, or you could just watch the movie again and odds are you'll see what I'm getting at.

[@matmurk8536]

​@@waynedexter well have seen several reviews from them where they just didn't get certain aspects of the film they were reviewing so I think @jtatsiue has a point here.

[@brajeshsingh2391]

I remember that in the movie Fiennes said bread is the food of common people. And more than 60% of all food grown, like land is still used for grain. Only 10-12% is fruit and vegetables. Interesting and telling facts that 60% of all food grown is still grain. But then what is the remaining 20-30%. Any ideas. I have been scratching my head. What is the remaining 20-30% ?

[@Rachel-en5nt]

Thank you for validating my disappointment in this movie. I think my biggest issue with it was the lack of character development, to the extent that I really didn't care what happened. I had the same thoughts about Judith Light as you did, but even Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes were wasted in this movie. She wasn't given a single interesting thing to say and he had a lot of interesting things to say but it all rang hollow because of the lack of backstory or nuance--he just came across as someone who'd gone quite literally insane. Hong Chau was the standout performance to me, which was partly because she had all the best (and really only good) lines in the entire thing.

[@lkf8799]

I wish this movie had a bit more of the humor and camp that was implied in the trailer but absolutely loved the performances and it was fascinating. This was the chef's final supper and a vendetta against these people (specific to him but also symbolic of the systems) that represent what kills (his) art (/artists). (Greed, Elitism, Pandering, Selling out, Toxic Fandom, Unfair Criticism, Corruption, Indifference, Fear of Irrelevance, Ego, Fear, Passiveness, Unoriginality, Dishonesty, Abuse of power, Exploitation, Failure, etc.)

[@josephirizarry5195]

It's worth watching once, would not watch again. The end was anticlimactic. It hooked me and kept me engaged through most of the story, but left me unsatisfied.

[@alphacause]

It looks like a culinary version of The Purge, with the difference being that it is the wealthy who are the prey this time and not those of lower income.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Interesting analogy!

[@BoomorBust]

Hate to say it...but you are the exact type of critics I thought this movie was making fun of 🙊

[@evandelgesso6150]

Agree with a lot of what you guys say. It doesn’t push the satire or thriller elements far enough so it just sits in this middle ground where it tries to say a lot and ends up saying nothing. Heavy handed, self indulgent and unoriginal. Wants to be “The Lottery” but ends up being Dr. Seuss

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks for your thoughts, Evan!

[@Thomas15]

I thought it was hilarious and it worked for me, I got the satire almost immediately (unlike Bodies Bodies Bodies). All you really need to know about the characters for this to work is that they’re the type of people to travel by boat for a $1,200 meal! Great cast and performances. 9/10

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Glad you liked it!

[@curtisebear1568]

Spoilers This was a low key Midsommar remake 😂. I feel like Alonso’s take on the revenge aspect being a bit muddled is a bit off. It made perfect sense that these people who are natural “ingredients” of the high class restaurant environment being used as such is quite fitting.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks for your thoughts! She is sort of a Florence Pugh figure.

[@christopherlynch9888]

Disagree. Thia was not simply a satire on wealth . It was about the tension between content creation and content consumption.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Interesting take!

[@JLamstudio]

“Respect for food is respect for life. For who we are, and what we do.” Chef & owner of 3-Michelin star 🌟 restaurants THE FRENCH LAUNDRY & PER SE, Thomas Keller. TFL was where Gavin Newsom was photographed dining at with a group of friends and had no mask on while telling everyone to put their damn masks on! 😂

[@hebablo]

No mention of Ralph Fines’s brilliance? You could see so much pain in his eyes. Good review tho.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

He was great as always! Thanks for watching.

[@bev9708]

Interesting, and Alonso said the same "can we get on with it already" about Triangle of Sadness too, as did I watching it!!

[@curranmccrory2479]

Are you guys planning to review Aftersun? I was floored and have been checking your page every day since seeing it to see if you guys get around to it!

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Yes, in the next couple weeks, thanks for checking!

[@cybertronftw1]

Ngl. That opening pun by Christy was good.

[@teddykgb9971]

I'm surprised this many good actors signed on to something so blatantly high-concept.

[@josephirizarry5195]

Eh, it's high-concept for general audiences. Ultimately safe, not transgressive as it pretends to be.

[@cjwright79]

As far as wealth is concerned, "If you want to know what God thinks of money, look at who he gives it to". and I am very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Good Nurse!

[@BreakfastAllDay]

We still need to get to that one. It's been busy.

[@leonkuwata4510]

SPOILERS: It's worth pointing out that Anya Taylor-Joy has now been in THREE movies where her character is completely vulnerable, and about to die, but the villain decides to spare her life and lets her live at the end of the movie (Split, The Witch, and now The Menu). What are the odds of that?!?!

[@BobSullivanAKABuffy]

That cheeseburger did look good! Agree with you folks on the meh of it all. Re the non-use of Judith Light, I kept thinking that was Stanley Tucci in beard and wig instead of Paul Adelstein. I caught this yesterday evening to use my last A-list ticket of the week since nothing else opened against Wakanda (and I forced myself to check out Prey for the Devil...at least Virginia Madsen was a nice surprise there). There's so many movies opening for Thanksgiving that I'm seeing nothing this weekend and starting my 3-a-week A-List on Tuesday when they start opening. Six new movies at the AMCs, four of them at both venues in SF. I think Glass Onion might be Thanksgiving Day's treat.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

You are organized! And Glass Onion will indeed be a treat.

[@RykComerford]

Would think Alonso would be the target audience for the film's POV, but he still didn't like it.

[@waynedexter]

I don’t think it was the POV he had an issue with. Execution, much?

[@philkang2740]

If you avoided watching the trailer, you would have enjoyed the movie a whole lot more like I did. Top10 for 2022 for me.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

It was pretty tough to avoid the trailer if you went to the movies at all this year! Glad you enjoyed.

[@WilUnabridged]

Did anyone else think the suicides we're way to graphic?

[@cmleidi]

For the longest time, I confused this with Triangle of Sadness. I have not seen it but I'm with Christy. How do you hire Judith Light and give her nothing to do? She can do anything. Has Nicholas Hoult ever not played an obnoxious prig? I need to check on IMDB for that.

[@matthewbertram4312]

Tolkien, Beast in X-Men, the lead in Warm Bodies. Just off the top of my head.

[@cmleidi]

@@matthewbertram4312 Thanks for saving me a trip to IMDB.

[@christophergarrett7082]

I never understand the part of rich culture that goes to the super fancy restaurants pay all the money for very little food

[@BreakfastAllDay]

That is definitely one of the jokes here!

[@1marcelo]

You need to make that experience. At the end of the evening, you are full because they serve a lot of dishes. For me it is worth the money to celebrate a very special occasion.

[@theopinionjunkie7381]

This movie was the bomb. I've seen it twice

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Glad you liked it!

[@DisasterArtist1997]

I hated the first Season of the White Lotus Should is still watch Season 2?

[@waynedexter]

No

[@maplestreetpictures7454]

I loved what the film had to say about art and art criticisms but I agree that as it reveals itself it becomes very messy and silly.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[@jamesbell1613]

If you want a goofy dark comedy with victims with no fight in them, then go for it. If you want tough characters with fight in them? Go see The Invitation or Would You Rather and skip this movie.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

You didn't enjoy this?

[@1marcelo]

I think I saw some references to "The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover" but "The menu" is not as good.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

What did you think of the movie?

[@1marcelo]

@@BreakfastAllDay I think The menu started very well, then it tries to follow too many different back stories without identifying a clear motivation for what is going on, as you guys said. I'm not sure what to think about the hamburger idea. Maybe it is brilliant but presented in a superficial way. Overall, I liked the movie because it is beautiful visually and the cast is amazing.

[@rufflazy2366]

It's a very very good horror comedy. Not 'Great'! I loved it, love you two too.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks! Glad you saw it.

[@squatch545]

I'm a simple man. I see Christy on the Breakfast All Day menu, I click.

[@SydneyTravellersGuide]

... when talking about the cast/movie - you didnt say a single word about ralph fiennes? He's the antagonist of the feature?

[@BreakfastAllDay]

He's good!

[@Ali-gb7mf]

I never bought the reason for killing.

[@michaelgrife6964]

Both of you are so super smart. One of you is also super beautiful.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Ha, thanks very much 😊

[@oneopinion6806]

So better shot at foodie culture: The Menu or Pig?

[@lexis4490]

I think this movie was more fun then what you are describing.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

It is fun! Until it isn't.

[@Lifeoftheparty8290]

People are overthinking this movie that’s exactly what the movie was fun

[@darraghleen6137]

great review guys!

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pb.j.1753]

Gosh I didn’t like this at all. None of the characters were remotely interesting so nothing that happened in there landed with me. The only good thing about it: Hong Chau‘s performance

[@BreakfastAllDay]

She was pretty great. Thanks for your thoughts!

[@snoopzakadave]

It was a good movie but I wouldn't bother watching again. Very cheesy at times

[@BreakfastAllDay]

What was cheesy about it?

[@AXXXXA]

Finally watched this tonight. Saw the trailer but forgot about it. The first 45 minutes were intriguing and paced really good, i was into it. Then it starts to unravel and flail. It was entertaining but ultimately just not good. Kind of funny at parts. I didn’t like the acting. I liked the pacing/editing i guess. Would definitely work better as an hour long black mirror episode. I dk it was ok.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[@qp4367]

Direct quote from Quentin : "I do feel that '80s cinema is, along with the '50s, the worst era in Hollywood history. Matched only by now, matched only by the current era!" Can you guys maybe through your two cents into this and also have either of your read or have plans to comment on or read his new book?

[@nikitamohanan2124]

Can't wait for this. This seems to be the MOST cinematic horror movie of this year! Yearing nothing but great things. More of these kind of films please and next time don't be afraid to push the boundaries even more.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

Let us know!

[@nikitamohanan2124]

@@BreakfastAllDay So it's been a few weeks since the movie released and I didn't know how to say how I felt about if without referring to spoilers but I loved it. Ralph Fiennes and Collin's original score deserve oscar nominations cuz for me personally they are among the best of the year for those respective categories. Just stellar stuff from both of them. But this movie could have benefited from being 10 to 15 minutes longer to better explain "why noone really tried hard enough to ACTUALLY ESCAPE"??? Better explain some characters' intentions and their backstory. Why did that woman who was sexually harassed still choose to work there let alone be a devout cult follower and suggest this suicidal mission? Like ALL OF THEM are seriously mentally ill and deranged and not 1 can see reason??? Is that why it's so easy for them to be submissive and accept their date? That's a MASSIVE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF that you are demanding from the audience lol and I think maybe that's where the movie may have lost some people.

[@kevinbergin9971]

He gave it a Six ???? Did they beat him up at the theater?

[@dimitrikorsakov2570]

People keep saying it's a satire, but what is it a satire of? How does it criticize rich people? They all have faults that are not particularly related to being rich.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

It's shining a light on their excess and carelessness. Thanks for watching.

[@mattearle1781]

You two HAVE to watch “All My Friends Hate Me.” Honestly one of my top movies of the year.

[@tlovehater]

I haven't finished it lol.

[@Chelts]

This movie did not work for me at all. Satire is a delicate thing that requires the humor to hit harder than the message. It was predictable and the dialogue had me wincing throughout and I laughed only at happy birthday.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

That was an amusing bit.

[@SydneyTravellersGuide]

Just walked out. It's sorta good but.... the cast is terribly squandered. They basically spent the whole movie sitting in a chair. How is this reviewing so well? The dryness and slowness makes it even less interesting... and the trailer is the movie.

[@BreakfastAllDay]

It is a waste of some extremely talented people.

[@ibrahimaballer23]

Third act was boring

[@BreakfastAllDay]

It does lose some tension.

[@michaelenglish1992]

I LOVED Pablo E in Weird! He is NoHo Hank's (Barry) soulmate!