History Film / TheMenu

* RewatchBonus: [[spoiler:Much of Margot and Tyler's early conversations take on an entirely different light when it's revealed that they are not a couple, and Margot is an escort he hired. From Margot cheerfully commenting that Tyler is paying (not just for the meal, as originally implied), to Tyler lamenting that he hadn't spent time with women like Margot before, their dialogue is peppered with double-meanings and {{foreshadowing}}.]]

** And the reveal of [[spoiler:Tyler's foreknowledge, which only serves to further his {{Jerkass}}ery:]]
--->'''Slowik:''' What were you told ''ahead of time?''\\

** When being served bread accompaniments without the bread, Margot is the only person to point out that Slowik is insulting his guests, rather than marveling over his ingenious ideas. [[spoiler: Not only is she right, but the ability to actually see what's going on and act accordingly, rather than following the beat routine everyone else is so used to is what ultimately saves her skin]].

** The film aims food snobs and influencers. Tyler comes across as quite pretentious as he takes pictures of his food, goes on about mouthfeel, and gushes about the extremely private restaurant they are going to. [[spoiler:Once Chef Julian forces him to cook something himself, he fumbles completely and makes a dish aptly titled "Tyler's Bullshit", which is just a mess of unwashed and badly chopped leek, shallot, butter and undercooked lamb]].

** At one point, Julian is unintentionally on the receiving end when he reveals [[spoiler:to George that the only reason why he's there is because George was the star of ''Calling Doctor Sunshine'', and Julian watched the bad movie on one of his very rare (like, once every three months) days off. When George points out that he didn't write the movie, Julian dismisses this by saying he still took the role for profit, losing his touch as an artist]]. This is almost identical to RealLife [[DisproportionateRetribution harassment and death threats levied at actors for being in a movie or show that fans did not like,]] so the film essentially compares [[LoonyFan these types of "fans"]] to a self-centered, narcissistic [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]]. [[spoiler: It's also a HypocrisyNod, as Margot points out that nothing he's been doing to cater to his wealthy clients has been done with love or passion, either.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[TagLine Painstakingly prepared. Brilliantly executed.]]'']]

** At one point, Julian is unintentionally on the receiving end when he reveals [[spoiler:to George that the only reason why he's there is because George was the star of ''Calling Doctor Sunshine'', and Julian watched the bad movie on his day off. When George points out that he didn't write the movie, Julian dismisses this by saying he still took the role for profit, losing his touch as an artist]]. This is almost identical to RealLife [[DisproportionateRetribution harassment and death threats levied at actors for being in a movie or show that fans did not like,]] so the film essentially compares [[LoonyFan these types of "fans"]] to a self-centered, narcissistic [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]]. [[spoiler: It's also a HypocrisyNod, as Margot points out that nothing he's been doing to cater to his wealthy clients has been done with love or passion, either.]]

* AssholeVictim: The diners at Hawthorn are all wealthy and entitled people. [[spoiler:Except Margot, a working-class escort whose worst sin is being a tad caustic.]]

** "The Mess" dish opens with [[spoiler:Jeremy blowing his brains out because [[AlwaysSecondBest he'll never be as good as Chef Julian.]] Of course, while Jeremy envies Julian's fame and prestige, he completely misses [[CelebrityIsOverrated how that very same fame and notoriety has made Julian's life miserable]]]].

* MoodWhiplash: Julian's "Memory" course explanation starts with a funny "Taco Tuesday" memory premise... [[spoiler: only to be followed by a story of how his young self stabbed his drunk father in the thigh with a kitchen scissor when the former wrapped a phone chord around his mother's neck.]]

* MoneyIsNotPower: The patrons, [[spoiler:with the exception of the working-class Margot,]] who either have a lot of [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney money]] or [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections connections]], are all at the mercy of Chef Julian and his staff.

* LethalChef:
** Averted by definition (if not by name) with Chef Julian and the kitchen staff; they're lethal, but their food is excellent.
** Played straight by [[spoiler:Tyler, who despite his passion for food is abysmal in the kitchen. Set aside that he didn't even wash his vegetables before using them; his undercooked lamb ''may'' very well have been lethal if the only person who ate it wasn't about to self-immolate anyway.]]

* LethalChef: Averted by definition (if not by name) with Chef Julian and the kitchen staff; they're lethal, but their food is excellent.
** [[spoiler:Played straight by Tyler, who despite his passion for food is abysmal in the kitchen. Set aside that he didn't even wash his vegetables before using them; his undercooked lamb ''may'' very well have been lethal if the only person who ate it wasn't about to self-immolate anyway.]]

** Invoked by Margot. When Tyler reacts with astonishment that one of Julian's cooks knew his name, she notes that he neglected to ask the chef's name in return. He waves this off as unimportant.
*** [[spoiler:He doesn't know ''her'' last name either, and his overall treatment of her is quite poor, even before we find out that he knowingly sentenced her to ''death'' by bringing her to Hawthorn.]]

** [[spoiler:Played straight by Tyler, who despite his passion for food is useless in the kitchen. Set aside that he didn't even wash his vegetables before using them; his undercooked lamb ''may'' very well have been lethal if the only person who ate it wasn't about to self-immolate anyway.]]

** At one point, Julian is unintentionally on the receiving end when he reveals [[spoiler:to George that the only reason why he's there is because George was the star of ''Doctor Sunshine'', and Julian watched the bad movie on his day off. When George points out that he didn't write the movie, Julian dismisses this by saying he still took the role for profit, losing his touch as an artist]]. This is almost identical to RealLife [[DisproportionateRetribution harassment and death threats levied at actors for being in a movie or show that fans did not like,]] so the film essentially compares [[LoonyFan these types of "fans"]] to a self-centered, narcissistic [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]]. [[spoiler: It's also a HypocrisyNod, as Margot points out that nothing he's been doing to cater to his wealthy clients has been done with love or passion, either.]]

** The film aims food snobs and influencers. Tyler comes across as quite pretentious as he takes pictures of his food, goes on about mouthfeel, and gushes about the extremely private restaurant they are going to. [[spoiler:Once Chef Julian forces him to cook something himself, he fumbles completely and makes a dish aptly titled "Tyler's Bullshit", which is just a mess of unwashed leek, shallot, butter and undercooked lamb]].

** When Margot refuses to eat one of the courses, Tyler yells at her that he "is the one paying". [[spoiler:This is the first clue that Margot's actually a prostitute hired by Tyler for the evening]].
** Even earlier, Tyler doesn't know Margot's last name when they first arrive on the island. [[spoiler:Initially one can assume it's just very early in their relationship, and he's an inconsiderate, pompous ass. It's actually because she's an escort.]]

** Slowik states that each guest should think of themselves as "ingredients in a degustation[[note]]"tasting" [[/note]] concept." [[spoiler:Later on, they all become part of the ingredients in the final course.]]

** Earlier in the movie Tyler makes a big deal about noticing the [=PacoJet=] the cooks are using. Later, Margot uses the machine [[spoiler:[[CombatPragmatist to briefly incapacitate Elsa]]]].

** Elsa mentions early on that the cooks never intentionally burn anything unless it's needed for the menu. [[spoiler:The film ends with ''everyone'' on Hawthorn Island being burned to death as the conclusion of the titular menu]].
** If you have read about the Jonestown massacre and other cults you would be a little bit suspicious when you see the barracks where the workers live in. Also, their day ends at 2 am at night and starts at 6 am in the morning, meaning they get ''four'' hours of sleep every night at the best. There are no private spaces, even the toilets and the showers are in the open. The lack of sleep, privacy and any form of individualism are the perfect conditions for mass induction.

* HelplessObserverProtagonist: [[spoiler:Towards the end of the night, Julian notes that all of the guests have been rather helpless the entire night, even after the dawning realization that they were all going to die. He notes if they had all actually attempted to fight for their lives, they very well could have survived. Instead, they all helplessly waited for their deaths, even as the cooks put marshmallow vests and chocolate hats on them shortly before they are all immolated. Our protagonist Margot is distinguished by actively trying to survive and manages to succeed]].

* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Tyler gets one in rapid succession once his role in the Menu is exposed by Julian. It starts with Margot punching him in the face (and would've continued if she hadn't been pulled off him), immediately following with Julian humiliating him in the kitchen by making him cook and finally driving him to suicide.]]
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: In one course, every male diner is released into the woods in order to be hunted down. Downplayed, however, as [[spoiler:they're not killed in the forest -- just brought back to Hawthorn. The "winner" even gets an extra dessert]].
* IAmAMonster: Julian thinks this of himself as revealed in a discussion with Margot.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Shortly after learning (from the man himself before allowing her to stab him in the leg) that Julian had sexually harassed the sous-chef Katherine, Lillian attempts to convince her that she doesn't have to [[spoiler:go through with the night's agenda that ends with everyone there, both guests and staff, dead]] simply because he's forcing her to. Katherine then cheerfully reveals that the [[spoiler:everybody dying]] part was actually her idea. Hearing this, Lillian sighs and pours herself another glass of wine, while other female patrons instantly join her.

* JustAFleshWound: About halfway through the movie, Chef Julian as set up for one of the meals allows the female chef in his employ that he had been sexually harassing in the past to stab him in the thigh. He barely seems affected by it for the rest of the movie.

* LethalChef: Averted by definition (if not by name) with Chef Julian and the kitchen staff; they're lethal, but their food is excellent. [[spoiler:Played straight by Tyler, who despite his passion for food is useless in the kitchen. Set aside that he didn't even wash his vegetables before using them; his undercooked lamb ''may'' very well have been lethal if the only person who ate it wasn't about to self-immolate anyway.]]

* MortonsFork: In recognition of the fact that she wasn't supposed to be there, Slowik offers Margot the choice of dying with the staff or dying as a guest. Margot points out that the choice is meaningless since both involve her dying, an unacceptable outcome.

** [[spoiler:Tyler]]'s presence at the dinner. [[spoiler:He knew from the very beginning that the dinner would end in everyone's deaths, and was so obsessed with experiencing it anyway that he hired a prostitute to be his plus-one and put her neck on the chopping block right along with his own.]]

* OrderedToDie: Slowik manipulated around 30 cooks, waiters/guards and sommelier [[spoiler:to go through a murder/suicide pact without blinking]]. It helped that the staff was isolated, sleep-deprived and lacked privacy in a high-tension/high-performance environment, and then you have Slowik who is a master manipulator having access to you 24/7. [[spoiler:He is so successful that the staff themselves proposes that everyone needs to die.]]

** Combined with EvenEvilHasStandards, Julian [[spoiler:humiliates Tyler after he revealed that Tyler brought an innocent person with him to die, leading Tyler to kill himself.]] After Margot punches [[spoiler:Tyler]], everyone, staff and patrons, are on her side.
* PreciousPhoto: Julian's office is extremely sparsely decorated and contains only a handful of newspaper scraps and a few photos of his early restaurant successes and his family. However, the one picture that is framed and on most prominent display [[spoiler:is his EmployeeOfTheMonth award from his first job as a fast food line cook. This turns out to be ''very'' important.]]

* RuleOfSymbolism: The myth of Tantalus is subtly referenced throughout the film. The silver door that hides Julian's secret room has a Greek-esque image of a figure surrounded by what looks like flowering plants, yet his face looks fixed in horror. This alludes to how Tantalus was punished [[AndIMustScream to always be within reach of food and water, but could never touch it.]] Julian's dinner as a whole also alludes to how Tantalus served dinner to the Olympians, and served them his own son to show they were not true gods. Except instead of gods, Julian is trying to make his point to the rich elite, who are completely powerless to stop him without their resources. And lastly, both Julian and [[spoiler:Margot]] are service workers who no longer feel pleasure and happiness from their jobs, also symbolizing the punishment of Tantalus. Near the end of the film, the myth is directly named when Margot sees that Julian's career kick-started in Tantalus.

** The dessert course is plated directly on the floor of the restaurant with artful swoops of sauce on the floor. The dessert course at the molecular gastronomy restaurant Alinea is also plated this way except directly on the table (plus the scene is almost a [[HomageShot shot-by-shot recreation]] of said restaurant's episode in the Netflix series ''Chef's Table''; ironically, Alinea's dish takes advantage of the cold, while Hawthorn [[spoiler:plates theirs for the intention of lighting everything on fire]]).

** At one point, Julian is unintentionally on the receiving end when he reveals [[spoiler:to George that the only reason why he's there is because George was the star of ''Doctor Sunshine'', and Julian watched the bad movie on his day off. When George points out that he didn't write the movie, Julian dismisses this by saying he still took the role for profit, ruining his image as an artist]]. This is almost identical to RealLife [[DisproportionateRetribution harassment and death threats levied at actors for being in a movie or show that fans did not like,]] so the film essentially compares [[LoonyFan these types of "fans"]] to a self-centered, narcissistic [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]]. [[spoiler: It's also a HypocrisyNod, as Margot points out that nothing he's been doing to cater to his wealthy clients has been done with love or passion, either.]]

* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:The newspapers in Chef Julian's house give Margot the information she needs to survive the night, as they portray him when he was a young, ordinary, but ultimately happy line cook at a burger joint. Margot invokes this by asking Julian to prepare her a cheeseburger, which touches him so much that he lets her go in the end.]]

* Sinister Schnoz: One of Slowik's unnamed female cooks has a big nose.

* Know-NothingKnow-It-All: [[spoiler:Tyler]] has certainly done his homework on fancy culinary terms, but he can't cook his way out of a paper bag.

* PinballProtagonist: [[spoiler:Margot's actions don't truly affect the plot in any way, and Slowik and his cultists pull off their plan with barely a hitch. Although she succeeds in saving her own life, Slowik notes she wasn't supposed to be at the restaurant in the first place, and may have already been looking for an excuse to let her leave]].

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When [[spoiler:Margot leaves the restaurant]] in the finale, Slowik's mother can be seen passed out at her table.

* HappinessInMinimumWage: [[spoiler:The last time Slowik was genuinely happy was when working as a fry cook at a burger joint. Margot learning this is what allows her to survive the night.]]