Netflix And Chill: Tick, Tick . . . Boom! (2021)

I have made the same mistake too many times already, but I am sure that I will continue to make it every year for the rest of my life. Some movies just don't seem to grab me, despite the fact that I like any of the main players involved, and despite some praise being thrown around. Tick, Tick . . . Boom! was another one of those films. I'm a big fan of Andrew Garfield, but I wasn't all that excited by the idea of a musical biopic about the famous Jonathan Larson (a musical theatre figure best known for the phenomenan that is Rent). More fool me.

It's the early 1990s. Larson (Garfield) takes to the stage to perform "Tick, Tick . . . Boom!". It's based on his struggles to keep himself motivated, keep himself from alienating his loved ones (mainly his girlfriend, Susan, played here by Alexandra Shipp, and a very good friend, Michael, played by Robin de Jesús), and try to make some kind of impact on the musical theatre world as he senses the titular tick tick reminding him of time marching ever onward. There's also the constant shadow of the AIDS crisis adding a sense of fear and urgency to things.

Based on the work of Larson, which was the kind of semi-autobiographical tale you suspect added plenty of creative liberties around a constant core of naked truth and raw pain running through it, this is turned into a satisfying and entertaining movie experience by writer Steven Levenson and director Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda has some experience with musicals, of course (I'm jokingly understating his own success), and he seems to be a perfect choice to helm this, constantly moving around Larson to show him from various angles, and various distances, as he tries to balance out his selfishness, his creative drive, and the love that he has for others he wants to keep in his life.

Garfield is fantastic in the lead role. He's great with both the seriously dramatic moments and also the moments of humour, but he's also really good with the scenes that require him to sing and dance. And I would argue that nobody does a better damp-eyed sad face than that man, who could star in yet another remake of The Heartbreak Kid that would just be footage of him walking up to people in the street and wobbling his tear ducts ever so slightly until they are in floods of tears. Shipp and Jesús are also very good, and they show our main character the different life options available without becoming ridiculously paper-thin stereotypes. Vanessa Hudgens is a good fit for the role of Karessa, a stage performer who helps to deliver Larson's full creative vision, and there's fun to be had from seeing Bradley Whitford portray the famous Stephen Sondheim, particularly in a scene that has him disagreeing with the opinion of Walter Bloom (head of a musical theatre workshop, played by the one and only Richard Kind). Others worth mentioning are Jonathan Marc Sherman (as Ira Weitzman), Joshua Henry (as Roger), Ben Levi Ross (as Freddy), and Judith Light playing an agent who doesn't seem a million miles away from the comic creation we used to see struggling to get work for Joey Tribbiani in Friends.

Considering my ignorance of Larson's work, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Tick, Tick . . . Boom! was able to quickly win me over with the wit and energy of the lyrics and staging of the musical numbers. It's not up there with the very best, but it succeeded in getting me to occasionally tap my feet and enjoy songs I was hearing for the very first time. That's no mean feat, and I'm sure that those who already know Larson's work will find more treats and get even more from this. 

Now, excuse me, I'm off to listen to "Therapy" (which was my favourite song from this) and convince myself that I really should eventually watch Rent at some point. 

8/10

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The Menu (2022)

I like to think of myself, sometimes, as a bit of a foodie. I cannot tell you every individual ingredient in a meal, and I don’t need to overpay for one or two on a pile of crumbs that is labelled as “deconstructed beans on toast”, but I am happy to a) try new things, and b) pay more for a quality experience, especially as I head towards the third year anniversary of a sober life. I completely agree with those who laugh at the pretentiousness and snobbery that often accompanies “serious” foodies though, although it isn’t half as ridiculous as the nonsense you get from wine snobs.

The Menu is a film that happily bursts the bubble of the worst food snobbery, as well as poking fun at pretentious criticism, making me slightly wary of reviewing it (although I always strive to avoid pretentious criticism), but happy to share in the joy that so many others have already found in it.

A number of people have been invited to a private dining experience, an intimate restaurant on a small island, and it isn’t long until things start to become dark and sinister. The diners are treated rather contemptuously, but that may be part of the whole theatre experience. Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is impressed by everything around him, he’s just so delighted to finally experience the work of Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), while his date for the evening (“Margot”, played by Anya Taylor-joy) is completely non-plussed, at least until the starters are out of the way.

Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, and directed by Mark Mylod, it comes as no surprise that these people have, between them, delivered a good deal of work for Succession and The Onion. The Menu has the willingness to ridicule those seeking to attain unearned rewards, a la Succession, while also creeping further and further into the kind of hilarious absurdity of The Onion.

The script is as sharp as any of the kitchen knives, and the visuals and atmosphere throughout are nicely in line with the fine dining setting, crisp and clear, and the orderly manner of every dish serving helps to keep focus in the right areas, all the way to what is arguably the greatest cinematic dessert ever presented in film.

It’s hard to pick out a standout performance, everyone is so good here, but I’ll start by praising Fiennes (who can deliver a performance of subtle and controlled comedy that easily sits alongside anything from any celebrated comedic performer you could mention). Always in control, and always happy to show the diners exactly how he views them, Fiennes is excellent as the pivotal figure in the film. Hoult is an nervy puppy in comparison, and his performance becomes funnier as events around him become much harder to ignore or move on from. Taylor-Joy is cooler than cool throughout, her ability to point out that the emperor may actually be naked making her the most fascinating member of the dining party. As Taylor-Joy is always a fascinating onscreen presence, she’s a perfect fit for her role. Strong support comes from Hong Chau (Elsa, the maitre d’), John Leguizamo (a faded star who claims to know the chef), Janet McTeer (a restaurant critic), Reed Birney and Judith Light (a married couple with a strained relationship), and many more, including some actors who play some eminently douchey “dudebros” so well that I hated them for pretty much every minute they were onscreen.

The patrons in the movie may be taken aback by what is served up to them, but viewers should be satisfied with every delicacy, especially while reading the descriptions of each course. This is equal parts twisted and hilarious, constructed as beautifully as any dish you might see helping someone to win a season of Masterchef. In other words, it is simply . . . “chef’s kiss”.

8/10

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