Since the first groups of humans divided themselves into haves and have-nots, class divisions have plagued us almost since the beginning of civilization. Things haven’t altered all that much from the caveman with the biggest stick to the CEO with the biggest money account. Those who have lived their entire lives in slavery now have the chance to turn the tables in the 2022 dark comedy “The Menu,” which has a really surreal setting.
In the Mark Mylod-directed movie, a group of affluent, privileged eaters travel to an exclusive island eatery named Hawthorne for an unforgettable meal. The quirky but talented Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes in an outstanding performance) prepares the entire dinner in advance (no substitutes), and it has a narrative to go along with it. Similar to Kevin Spacey in “Seven” if he had watched much too much Food Network, Slowik uses the evening as a means of retribution against his visitors, his staff, and himself for a long list of transgressions.
Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), a snobby and enthusiastic gourmand, and Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), his enigmatic but tired date, are our heroes. Tyler warns her that “tonight will be madness” as he watches the guests board the boat that will transport them to the remote island for the night. He’s looking forward to that “madness,” and it’s going to be so much more than even Margot, who is street-smart, could ever imagine. Everyone will be dead by the end of the night except for her, and her only chance of surviving depends on her ability to offer Slowik the one thing he craves most and cannot have: work fulfilment.
The Menu Ending Explained
Although “The Menu” is a movie about waiters and waitresses, the people they serve also have a significant impact. Every person who has ever worked in the service sector, whether it be in the food service, retail, healthcare, or sex industry, has horror stories about clients. Chef Slowik has chosen the guests at Hawthorne deliberately, and the dinner has been designed to punish each of their individual transgressions. Each of the guests has done something to arouse the chef’s wrath, and throughout the course of the evening, we get a sense of why he might be angry with them even before he explains why they are all destined to perish.
Even though Hawthorne is one of the world’s most elite restaurants, Richard (Reed Birney) and his wife Anne (Judith Light) have visited there 11 times. Richard, however, can’t recall any of his meals and has been cheating on his wife. Then there’s Lillian, a culinary critic (Janet McTeer), and Ted, her assistant (Paul Adelstein), whose scathing evaluations have forced businesses to close. Additionally, there are Slowik’s alcoholic mother, three conceited and conceited businessmen who work for the person who owns Hawthorne (Rob Yang, Arturo Castro, and Mark St. Cyr), a hack actor (John Leguizamo), and his spoiled assistant (Aimee Carrero).
Tyler’s offence is his obsessive attention to analysing the chef’s creations without fully enjoying them, as well as his refusal to stop snapping pictures of the meals despite instructions not to. Tyler originally made a reservation for another date, but Margot showed up instead, destabilising the entire plan by substituting for her.
Although she goes by the name Erin from Boston, Margot is actually a working-class service worker who Slowik recognises through her nice clothes and stiff posture. The first hint appears when one of the sous chefs calls Tyler by name. Tyler is overjoyed and exclaims, “He knew my name, babe!” She points out that Tyler never asked the chef for his name.
She even tells Tyler that it’s funny that he wants the Chef to like him because he’s paying Chef for a service because she is acutely aware of the class gulf and the distinction between the affluent clientele and the service employees caring for them. Margot, who serves as his personal escort, is also employed by Tyler. He doesn’t seem to grasp that it would be equally pitiful for him to want her to truly like him.
Two courses, “The Mess” and “Man’s Folly,” are devoted to punishing the staff and Slowik, and each contributes to his greater analysis of the relationships between class and power. In the movie “The Mess,” Adam Aalderks’ character, sous chef Jeremy, commits himself in full front of everyone to show the mess that humans make of everything in order to live in service to others. According to Slowik, his brains and bloody smears are comparable to “the mess you make of your life, your sanity, and your body.” You receive it for “devoting your life to people you will never know.” He also says that no matter how hard Jeremy tried, he would never be great, underscoring the pointlessness of such ardour.
Before setting himself on fire, Slowik addresses the audience and claims that they “represent the ruin of my art and my life” and that they now had the opportunity to “be a part of it.” The flames then spread forth over the alcohol that had been spilt on the floor. Then it’s over when the chefs switch on the gas burners.
Even though the engine fails not far from the island, Margot manages to reach the small coast patrol boat and start it. The only one who truly gets to “enjoy” the s’mores, even if she can’t technically eat the rich, she sits and brings out her take-out hamburger and watches while Hawthorne burns.