One of the biggest buzzes in 2022 was Mark Mylod‘s The Menu. Starring a top-notch cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and Ralph Fiennes, this horror/comedy is about a couple who travels to a private island to eat at an exclusive restaurant, that comes with a few shocking surprises. The bold film was nominated for several top awards such as the Writers Guild of America and Golden Globes.
However, surprisingly, The Menu received zero nominations from Academy Awards. Now, snubs are nothing new to the Oscars. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Touch of Evil, The Shining, and Blade Runner are several classics that were shockingly ignored by the Oscars. However, The Menu was a divisive film in general. Did this black comedy about the top one percent deserve an Oscar nomination?
The Story Feels Black and White
There’s nothing hard to understand about The Menu. The story is simply about a cook and his chefs planning the ultimate revenge against their morally corrupt clients. However, Margot is a wretch in their plans. That simple premise allows the complexity of its subject to shine through. Like Triangle of Sadness, The Menu fires shots at the elitists losing their humanity due to their wealthy status. These men and women have ruined lives and couldn’t care less because it doesn’t affect them.
What’s most interesting is that the characters outside of Margot barely fight back. That’s the film’s greatest strength. But also it’s the biggest weakness. These characters are living a lifestyle that everyone dreams of. Why aren’t they fighting back harder? The Menu should’ve explored this nature more with the supporting characters. For Tyler, it makes sense why he doesn’t care about dying. And the message about why everyone else is fine with the suicide is pretty clear. But we’re missing the key ingredient of why they’ve accepted their death.
Richard and Anne were the most innocent out of everyone except Margot. Their marriage is broken and the chef isn’t happy with their pretentious behavior, but that doesn’t mean they deserve to die. The Menu can’t put the spotlight on every character, but there needed to be a deeper level of character development on why these men and women felt that they deserved this sort of treatment. As a result, that lack of dimension doesn’t allow The Menu to truly challenge its strong ideas and themes. It feels very black and white, and social commentary is anything but black and white.
The Characters Are Amazing
The standout is Nicholas Hoult’s Tyler. It’s fascinating to watch him throughout the entire feature not reacting to the horrific situation. His motivations have a deeper dimension that aids to overall themes of the film. He hires Erin (aka Margot) because he doesn’t feel she has any value. It’s a sharp commentary on the way the top one percent view anyone beneath them. It was also a fun juxtaposition for him to seemingly know everything about cooking, but falter when Chef Slowik gave him the spotlight he so craved. Nicholas Hoult was tremendous here.
However, that doesn’t mean other characters didn’t stand out in The Menu. Anya Taylor-Joy was a unique presence as the lead. She feels real and down-to-earth, which makes her performances endearing. Of course, Ralph Fiennes is brilliant as the antagonist. He commands the scene any time he talks. More importantly, little nuances that exemplify his character such as the brief joy he shares when cooking Margot’s burger makes him grounded. He’s definitely psychotic, but it never comes across as over-the-top despite the circumstances.
The cast of different characters creates some fun comedic moments. No one here is particularly bad, though as I mentioned earlier, the other supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Though, Hong Chau’s Elsa is an excellent, but mysterious side character. We don’t know much about her, but her take-no-s**t, dedicated follower perfectly gels with the story.
So, Was Did The Menu Deserve An Oscar Nomination
In terms of wins, Everything Everywhere All At Once was the right choice. The Menu may not be the best film of 2022, but it’s certainly better than several others. It’s ambitious and nicely blends dark humor and social commentary. I would go so far as to say that it’s better than Avatar: Way of the Water and Triangle of Sadness. A very good film that would’ve been worthy of an Oscar nomination.
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