disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

MENUS-PLAISIRS — LES TROISGROS -- An Enthralling Glimpse at the Minutiae of Fine Dining

11/20/2023

0 Comments

 
Review by Camden Ferrell
Picture
Frederick Wiseman is seen by many as one of the most significant and important figures in documentary filmmaking. His influential work dates back to the 1960’s, but he’s still in full force, making movies at the impressive age of 93. Menus – Plaisirs — Les Troisgros is his newest film that had its premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. At four hours, this is a hefty documentary that goes by rather swiftly thanks to sharp editing and an engrossing and compelling subject.
 
The Troisgros family is a dynasty of culinary prestige, owning and operating three restaurants in central France. Troisgros, the restaurant at which this film predominantly takes place, has been around for 93 years and has maintained three Michelin stars for 55 of them. This film follows the present chef and staff as they prepare for service at their restaurant. This might sound like a simple premise, but Wiseman is able to dissect this premise and allow the viewer to closely analyze the minutiae that goes into operating a restaurant of this caliber.
 
The subject itself lends itself well to narrative storytelling. There’s no ambiguity in the process of running these restaurants. The film’s lengthy runtime allows us to see every tiny aspect from start to finish. We see the purchase of vegetables in a local market, the visit to a cheese processing center, the creation and preparation of their dishes, etc. For example, the movie is able to spend several minutes on the nuances of different ingredients and their effects on an almond purée without feeling like it’s at the expense of something more important to the overarching story. It’s a behemoth of a process to capture in a movie, and the narrative structure works very well in achieving its goal.
Picture
Passion and skill combine to make the people in this film engaging to watch. We get to see Cesar Troisgros carry on his family’s legacy, and seeing this generational honor blend with his genuine fascination and expertise with food is something truly special. He surrounds himself with individuals who are knowledgeable about their fields of work, and it’s clear that they love what they do. This enthusiasm is what prevents this movie from dragging in places it otherwise would have. Even for someone like me who doesn’t partake in fine dining, this is an excellent group of people to watch and learn from.
 
The first two hours of this movie are absolutely engrossing and masterful, and it makes a strong case for being the best documentary of the year. However, in the latter half of the movie, there is an abrupt shift outside of the restaurant, as the story detours to the source of the restaurant’s wine and cheese. This tangent is relevant but not particularly necessary. It disrupts the ethereal momentum that the movie had built up, and it doesn’t ever fully recover from that. The movie still finishes strong, but it feels like there’s a 210-minute movie here that would have worked better.
 
Menus – Plaisirs — Les Troisgros boasts a daunting runtime, but it flies by far faster than one would expect. Watching the people in this documentary do what they love never gets boring, and there are some almost mesmerizing sequences throughout the film that will make the most stubborn cynic of fine dining fall in love with the craft briefly. At the age of 93, Wiseman has made a movie that is mature yet energetic, and it’s a testament to his abilities as a filmmaker that a movie this strong feels almost effortless on his end.
 
Menus – Plaisirs — Les Troisgros is in theaters November 22.
 
Rating: 4/5

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About