Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Cortechba Overrated

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . as the reign began for our most beloved leader, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (aka, FDR), who came into office proclaiming his Art of the New Deal (Social Security and Regulation for the Fat Cat One Per Centers who were then destroying America's workers with their job-killing Corrupt Capitalism). Now, with Friday's swear-in for Red Commie KGB operative, the buffoon D.J. Rump as the U.S. Game Show Host-in-Chief, every American should watch MENU again in order to learn how to stuff a duck when that Blessed Day upon which Rump's goose is cooked finally arrives. It's possible, of course, that the new American Czar Vlad "Mad Dog" Putin may decide to cut his losses, and use his Puppet Rump to nuke ALL of our American and NATO military bases at 1 PM the Day After Tomorrow. As the media has been warning for months, the Racist U.S. Constitution Suicide Pact leaves NO time for anyone to conduct sanity tests, impeachment hearings, or high treason trials during the FOUR MINUTES it takes for a "Destroy America!" tweet to morph from the mind of a Megalomaniac Tool to nukes taking flight. Thanks to the Racist Electoral College (concocted by Confederate Slave Rapists to insure that they could thwart Democratic Elections whenever they wished--the Racist Party has swiped FIVE elections from the people already, while the People's Party has yet to hijack ANY election!) and an irrational minority of Red Commie Russian Red State enablers (sharing a very similar mindset with the people of Russia itself, who HAD Democracy, but preferred and chose to live under Satan's Thumb, proving that they cannot be trusted to have a nation of their own!), we ALL may be as dead at Pete Smith's duck by the time you read this. But, as they say, Mass Delusions have consequences, and we're all better off Dead than Red, anyway. So, Pete, Bottoms up, wherever you are Today!

Tad Pole " . . . which makes it a dead duck." So observes Pete Smith, with his trademark Snarkiness, at one juncture in this cooking fantasy. If MENU's main character, John Xavier Omsk, added his name up for Scrabble value, it would total a sizable 40 points. (My full name has the same number of letters, but yields only half as many points.) Perhaps more interesting to word game players (at least those of grandpa's or great-grandpa's generation) is that one of the notable clues for vintage crossword puzzles plays John's wife, Mrs. Omsk. Yep, Una Merkel (as in 37 Down: Actress _ _ _ Merkel) makes an appearance here as a particularly ditsy blonde. Referred to by narrator Smith as "this dizzy dame," Una tries to crack open an egg with a metal nutcracker! Once chef Luis Alberni pops into the scene like some sort of kitchen genii, things settle down into two actual recipes being given and prepared: one for dressing (as in, how to stuff a duck), and the other for making baked apples (no, you cannot just set an apple on the sidewalk in the summer--I suppose you actually COULD, but it probably would not taste as good as these ones seen on the screen).

Neil Doyle This is a rare case of a short that was so highly regarded by the makers that it was remade under another title several years later. Audiences must have loved it.I can't say that much for it. A woman (UNA MERKEL), in a modern looking kitchen with all sorts of gadgets, is a complete klutz until, by magic, a chef appears to help her stuff a duck before her husband (FRANKLIN PANGBORN) comes home from work with some company. Otherwise, the poor woman would have nothing to show for her efforts but a mess on the kitchen floor which he clears up immediately. He also shows her how to make baked apples.The real source of amusement is the script, narrated in witty fashion by Pete Smith and making a lot of funny observations.It's funny, not hilarious, and for anyone interested in gourmet cooking it might be even more worth watching.

Michael_Elliott Menu (1933) ** (out of 4) Technicolor short from MGM has Pete Smith teaching women how to cook a duck that won't make their husbands sick. I've seen quite a few of these Smith educational shorts and while most of them are entertaining the same can't be said for this one. Even at nine minutes this thing goes on too long and none of the comedy in the film works.You can find this short playing on TCM quite often and Warner has released it on their Katharine Hepburn set. This is one of the weaker Smith shorts but they all have a certain quality.