An updated version of Plato’s cave, this movie called The Menu.
Kick in the eye. Ha! It’s also a comedic take on the Last Supper.
An island restaurant, but really a cave with a show going on. A drama. A stage play.
A cast of characters. Diners. Sinners who have missed the mark.
A guru. A chef.
Criminals. Thieves. Prostitutes. Liars. Those creating their own dramas and believing them.
He who sacrifices himself by suicide.
Consider the inside of the restaurant the cave. That finalizing door. The trapping of humans into a play.
What is happening when they go outside of the cave?
Life as a prison – and that one bit where they’re in the prison yard.
The corporate bad man is made into an angel and drowned for the diners.
The one with big eyes – Anya – sees clearly. Her John is wide-eyed, too.
The John is experiencing enthusiastically, but he opts out because he over-idealizes the God of the cave – the guru.
The human chef or guru takes all the power lines. When he speaks, he’s honest and clear. With some anger in him, of course. This breaking free requires explosive anger and a scorching of the script – a killing of the actors. He could also be a Satan character. See the notes below.
The biggest laugh being . . . chef-guru is miffed that none of the diners notice they’re not chained to their seats. They’re not detained. Nobody tried to leave!
All the diners struggle with the drama and the stage play of the meal, but they don’t realize they could just walk out of the kitchen (theater – cinema).
The man who breaks the vow of marriage loses his finger. The taker characters in the cave mostly driven by ego.
The givers seem to have given up their egos to serve the ego of the chef-guru.
And the guru understands his own personal loss. He knows about ego and the futility of his creations. Fire so good at resetting.
To die by fire in the cave.
The clear-eyed prostitute escaping and enjoying the food of life beyond the show on the cave walls, beyond the island, beyond the dock, out in the ocean like Melville’s Ahab in Moby Dick. And what is her name? Margo. Ocean go! Go to the ocean. To the sea. At sea.
One hand clapping silently for Mark Mylod, Seth Reiss, Will Tracy, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Oh, and for a performer performing a God-guru – Ralph Fiennes. And for those large eyes – the wide awakened eyes of Anya Taylor-Joy.
A genius movie. The Matrix for foodies.
Why not just walk out of the kitchen and take the boat past the stars?
Who is your guru?
Who do you need to walk away from?
What is your stage?
Where is your freedom?
What boat takes you away from the screenplay?
Now back to our previously scheduled programming.
Some more notes on this wonderful script and symbolic mastery of a movie:
All the characters are biblical names of importance. Even the prostitute changing from Margot to Erin.
There are 12 “disciples” that board the boat and join the supper.
The journalist is named Lillian Bloom. Lilies of the field is a Jesus-biblical thing of importance.
I’m not completely sure about this, but I think the first image of the film is a black woman lighting a black cigarette – then it cuts to Margot lighting a white cigarette.
Margot is a funny play on the idea that she’s going to sea. To the freedom of the sea perhaps or to some further horror! Mar – Spanish for sea.
Lots of symbolism. And nothing goes by the wayside or is overlooked/wasted.
Great riffs from the chef, too. Julian and Slowik are important names.
Hell fire. Lots of that.
To me there’s a sense of guru cult. With the chef being a sort of guru character and the diner enthusiast guy (the John) a sycophant or overly-enthused follower.
The protagonist is “awake” . . she’s the only one with eyes wide open. I think that’s why they casted an actress with huge eyes.
As a guru, he’s a good fit for Satan. Chef as Satan: Temptation. Desire, Fulfillment. Damnation.
Sin of gluttony.
He’s clean, though, and he’s gone through his own self discovery. He used to enjoy making food for others. Service industry. He asks the prostitute this. She used to enjoy providing services, too.
Both of them are fed up with the takers, the customers, though. The rubes, the sheep, etc.
And if the chef is a Christ figure, it’s hilarious that his mother (Mary – I’m not sure if that’s her name in the credits; didn’t check) is in despair and drinking herself through the drama.
Correction: Linda is the mother’s name. In Spanish/Latin that’s for beautiful or pretty.
BUT in German, it’s the name for serpent, which makes much more sense in a biblical setting.