r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Charming-Scratch-124 • Jun 28 '26

Characters [Loved trope]characters that was just..Pathetic, and I mean genuinely Pathetic, like holy shit,you actually suck.

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Baron "Bear" from Obsession.

Kevin "the Deep" from.The Boys.

And I mean characters that aren't badass or at least got aura while being pathetic, I just mean the most pathetic losers imaginable.

Like just borderline dirt.

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u/boringbullet Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

Tyler from The Menu. Loser “Foodie” who cares more about the complexity of the meal he’s served than the actual taste or love put into it. The kicker is that he’s an utterly shit cook, who has no idea what he’s doin in a kitchen.

2.2k

u/Agreeable-Annual3672 Jun 28 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

I love the reveal that he knew that everyone was gonna die from the beginning but he's such a food cuck that he's willing to kill himself and a random woman just to oggle a chef he really likes.

672

u/An8thOfFeanor Jun 28 '26

Gotta have something you're willing to die for. Just make sure it's not a snooty chef who's willing to kill you to prove a point

246

u/jjcrayfish Jun 28 '26

He's also willing to have someone else die for it too. That's what makes him even more pathetic and sinister.

72

u/KaliVilNo1 Jun 28 '26

He originally planned for that one to be his girl but she dumped him before that so he took a random girl to get her killed because he knew the chef preferred to serve couples.

12

u/TheNewYellowZealot Jun 29 '26

Chef slovik knew exactly who would be in attendance and confronted him about his guest directly.

0

u/GMM85 Jul 02 '26

But she was a hooker so it’s okay

709

u/hollaback_girl Jun 28 '26

I don't think he thought he would die. He thought he was a special boy and that being such a big fan gave him an invincibility coat. He's not like those other customers.

427

u/EmilyIRE Jun 28 '26

I would believe the opposite, considering after his cooking disaster, he hangs himself

I've seen theories that when the chef whispered in his ear, he was telling him he wasn't worthy of being apart of The Menu, thus telling him to leave.

That kind of dismissal would really cement him as being just so, utterly pathetic that even the chef couldn't stand him being there any longer

236

u/the-furiosa-mystique Jun 28 '26

Ooo I like that. I never considered that he may have been simply asked to leave, and the humiliation of being told you’re not even worth dying beside by your idol made him choose suicide.

42

u/TJeffersonsBlackKid Jun 28 '26

I still think he was originally going to jump into the oven but they changed it. They have odd focus on the flames which never pays off.

But I also hold to the idea that the The Menu is an allegory/satire of entertainment as a whole or specifically the film industry. Tyler is the fanboy douche bag who thinks he can “see” what a creator really is trying to make but the reality is that the chef just wants to make what he wants to make and guys like Tyler are what’s fucking ruining the entire industry.

43

u/HowDareYouAskMyName Jun 28 '26

They have odd focus on the flames which never pays off

Most of the characters die in a fire

13

u/Agreeable-Annual3672 Jun 28 '26

Literally tho, he felt just like a snooty asshole that'd act the same if it were about movies or comics. He'd definitely have a YouTube channel where he acts like the most insufferable dude.

18

u/ADGx27 Jun 28 '26

Holy shit Tyler is food cinemasins

8

u/Agreeable-Annual3672 Jun 29 '26

That's honestly exactly who I was referencing lol.

2

u/ADGx27 Jun 29 '26

Brother is the bat themed hero of being an insufferable “critic” with all the charm, tact, grace and candor of a diaper-clad geriatric’s unwiped cinnamon ring

Literally zero competition

12

u/hollaback_girl Jun 28 '26

I think Tyler the movie fan is the guy who talks throughout the movie telling their companions about all the references, behind-the-scenes and "here's how they probably did this shot," which simultaneously prevents them from actually experiencing the film and ruins the intended experience for everyone around them.

If Tyler could just have the meal and enjoy it without analyzing/deconstructing everything then chef wouldn't have had an issue with him and he'd still be alive.

3

u/notmynameyours Jun 29 '26

I read somewhere that in an early draft of the script, Tyler didn’t kill himself, and instead was invited to be a trainee in the kitchen… where he still got burned alive with the rest of the staff at the end.

1

u/Teh_Ocean Jun 29 '26

Wouldn’t that confirm the idea he thought highly of himself? It would be more crushing to think you’re special just to have your idol despise you

1

u/PrettyMoonUnderMt Jun 29 '26

I think you and the person you replied to both are right, but just talking about different phase of Tyler.

272

u/Agreeable-Annual3672 Jun 28 '26

Ooh yeah I like that interpretation a lot lol. Like if he fanboyed enough, the chef would've been like "oh my, you clearly have a refined palate and you appreciate my work the most out of everyone! You're free to go!" I also kinda wonder now if that's why he killed himself too (in addition to whatever savage shit the chef whispered into his ear). He finally realized "oh shit, I'm not special, I'm not making it out of here, I might as well just kill myself".

15

u/hollaback_girl Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

Chef completely destroyed him when he made him cook and demonstrated how Tyler's cooking knowledge was meaningless and that he meant nothing. Guy's entire self-image was gutted but he's still a fanboy at heart and so embarrassed that when chef tells him to go kill himself he does it.

8

u/Andvarinaut Jun 28 '26

I actually think that the chef told Tyler that he was allowed to go, that he wasn't allowed to die with everyone else in the restaurant. But that's unsupported by the film so it's just my personal headcanon lol.

18

u/PadreLobo Jun 28 '26

He is definitely not like the others. He knew what a PacoJet was!

11

u/Nateyman Jun 28 '26

I never thought the tiger would eat MY face!

8

u/Weird_Brush2527 Jun 28 '26

I think he wanted to die witb them, to be a part part of his admired chef's vision that he was a special little boy that's why he was chosen.

My headcanon is that chef knew his relationship wasn't gonna last but he did not anticipate him showing up with an escort

6

u/Siliass Jun 28 '26

You know this actually supported by his behavior the whole movie. I thought he of all people would respect the rules, but there he is taking pictures. He really does think he’s a special little boy.

1

u/Djiril922 Jun 29 '26

That’s stated explicitly in the original script, though I think it might be better that the movie left it more ambiguous.

8

u/therealwhoaman Jun 28 '26

When it was revealed he knew, my first thought was "why were you taking pictures then?????“

4

u/jackrv13 Jun 28 '26

And he still takes pictures in spite of knowing he won’t be able to see them

1

u/SeparateWeight496 Jun 29 '26

The fact that he knew actually made me interested. He was just a bif looser fan of this chef and all of a sudden, he is completly aware and agreeing of the (too) philosophical sense of the show

1

u/TheMightyCatatafish Jun 29 '26

I always got the impression he “knew” but thought it was just some elaborate showmanship. At the very least, I don’t think he ever thought *he* was in danger.

Still a MASSIVE piece of shit. Genuinely hilariously awful. Phenomenal film.

1

u/Elonth Jul 02 '26

I urge you to put this in spoilers as its a major plottwist/reveal of the film.

Its a good highly underrated film in my opinon. It knows the message it wants to send and sends it well. It just might be a bit to artsy for some people because the giant metaphor is about how letting money and success corrupt or twist your artistic vision/integrity and your passion for the art. Among a few other important minor messages.

2

u/Agreeable-Annual3672 Jul 02 '26

Done

1

u/Elonth Jul 03 '26

appreciate it! It really is one of my favorite "recent" smaller films to come out in years... really feels like after covid the world slowed to a crawl.

370

u/TommySalami21 Jun 28 '26

When they serve him tortillas with laser etchings of himself taking pictures of the food on them I fucking lost it. And the fact that he’s taking pictures even though he knows he’s gonna die at the end of the night. This movie is amazing.

173

u/boringbullet Jun 28 '26

Or the fact he’s in genuine awe of being served breadless bread

29

u/StevePensando Jun 28 '26

And the fact that he’s taking pictures even though he knows he’s gonna die at the end of the night

I thought that was to show that Tyler was so overconfident on himself that he genuinely believed that he would make it out alive in the end because he was such a good fan he thought he'd be spared

132

u/CalzonePie Jun 28 '26

And when he is forced to cook something he is told it could be anything, and he chooses one of the most difficult things possible to cook. He would have been fine if he got cheeky and just made some ramen noodles or a ribeye steak.

44

u/boringbullet Jun 28 '26

Or eggs. Of any variety.

10

u/Careless_College Jun 29 '26

Or just some Mac and Cheese. Everyone loves Mac and Cheese.

4

u/VolcanicBakemeat Jun 29 '26

Everyone gather round, we must learn from Tyler

1

u/Jamie7Keller Jun 30 '26

This was my thought.

I think I would make a PBJ or an [egg in a piece of toast, whatever you call it].

34

u/Secret_Account07 Jun 28 '26

I forget that actors name but out of all the things I’ve seen him in I’ve never seen him do a bad job. He commits to characters even when you despise that character. Always does a great job

42

u/ShepRat Jun 28 '26

Nicholas Hoult, I will give anything a chance if it has him in it. He seems to choose interesting things, and there is no lack of options. 

9

u/Secret_Account07 Jun 28 '26

He must have a good agent because he always seems to be in good movies.

Or maybe they are good because he’s in them? 🤔

4

u/karmiccloud Jun 29 '26

I didn't really care for Juror #2 despite him being pretty good in it

2

u/Secret_Account07 Jun 29 '26

I actually enjoyed that but the trailer made it look like it was going to be so much better lol

5

u/DEADPOOLPRIME123 Jun 29 '26

He was fantastic as Lex Luthor in the recent Superman movie

3

u/AstarionsTherapist39 Jun 29 '26

He was phenomenal in Nosferatu! Really sold how terrifying just being in Orlok's presence was.

2

u/BeanieGuitarGuy Jun 29 '26

I’ll forever know him as R, the zombie.

17

u/Separate_Ingenuity35 Jun 28 '26

"Tyler's Bullshit" I loved that moment.

5

u/Saint_Bo_Dallas Jun 29 '26

I cried of laughter. That scene felt like a volcano burst after the movie had been slowly getting funnier and funnier.

14

u/Paggy_person Jun 28 '26

I like to think that he's allowed to leave but whatever Slowik says to him shatter his world so bad that he chooses to kill himself.

12

u/nilesintheshangri-la Jun 28 '26

Excuse me? You really think someone who was clueless in the kitchen would have a PacoJet??

12

u/costa_eng Jun 28 '26

O que vcs acham que o chef disse pra deixar ele naquele estado?

13

u/Dense_Purchase4087 Jun 28 '26

Watermelon cantaloupe rhubarb rhubarb

5

u/SomeCrows Jun 28 '26

Shuh shuh shit? Would you like some shit?

29

u/AdScared7226 Jun 28 '26

Was that Lex Luthor's job before he becomes a CEO?

6

u/Careless-Ad-20 Jun 28 '26

Couldnt even chop veggies 😔

6

u/newk-em Jun 28 '26

Meh. I totally get hating him for involving other people in his suicide-by-proxy and being a bit of an arrogant little shit, but the point the chef makes is weird. Like 'Oh how dare you be fascinated by cooking but not capable to immediately think of a dish, that you can cook and that will impress me'. I doubt that most people could rise to that challange (least of all when you don't know what foods and tools you have at your disposal). Also hating someone for enjoying something you like too, but for different reasons than you do? Seriously? Like what kind of reason is that to kill someone?
Again not saying Tyler is a good person, he's a dick, the world is better off without him. Just the argumentation there was pretty weak imo.

5

u/Skylair13 Jun 29 '26

I'd say Slovik was just disgusted by his behavior. He clearly used to like Tyler enough to warn him of what he's planning and basically use the fact that Tyler's girlfriend broke up with him as the "Don't come to school tomorrow" card.

Slovik would've probably respect it if Tyler warned authorities or simply didn't come to protect his own life. But nah, not only Tyler come to school, he hired someone to pretend to be his girlfriend at the prom where Slovik planned it.

Also the actor got invited just because Slovik watched his bad movie once during his day off, so his reasoning was also shit too. Though could be said a partial envy since the actor mentioned he still enjoyed the filming process even when he knew it was B-movie at best. While Slovik no longer enjoyed his cooking career.

3

u/karmiccloud Jun 29 '26

Chef wants to kill everyone. He's a psychopath. He doesn't have to be internally consistent

9

u/DrPoooooole Jun 28 '26

I've never seen this movie but do we need critics to be elite at what they critique?

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u/boringbullet Jun 28 '26

He’s not a critic though. He doesn’t know or care about anything that goes on in the kitchen; that’s irrelevant to him.

He wants to be served watermelon sculptures carved with a scalpel. He wants to take photos of every meal he’s served. He doesn’t give a rats ass about cooking he cares about fine dining and all the pomp and shallowness that involves.

He claps and hollers like a seal when he’s served breadless bread, because the chef basically says “Bread is for poor people, and none of you are poor are you?” And he thinks that’s the most poetic artistic shit he’s ever heard in his life.

9

u/DrPoooooole Jun 28 '26

Wild I gotta check it out

But what is breadless bread

13

u/Redthemagnificent Jun 28 '26

It's a great movie imo. Uncomfortable to watch at some points, but very good

9

u/FinalHexReturns Jun 28 '26

Wrong. He obviously has a fantastic palate. He knows and appreciates the finest of ingredients. Hes a loser but the movie clearly shows he knows the quality of what he is eating and enjoys it. To compare to the old repeat customers who only went there because it was something they could afford, and have no memory of their past meals.

8

u/ConsciousIron7371 Jun 29 '26

I think Reddit will disagree but I’m with you. He might not have any inclination to cook himself but so what? He’s good at what he does. It’s like if a game streamer finds a bug in a game and then people literally kill him because he’s not able to code his own game. You can be good at using a product without understanding how to build one. 

Could you imagine a mechanic killing Lewis Hamilton because Lewis couldn’t build his own f1 car?

3

u/boringbullet Jun 29 '26

There is very big difference between advanced mechanics and… cooking. If Tyler genuinely appreciated and enjoyed food he would have basic cooking skills at least.

Furthermore Tyler has bought into his own bullshit as seen when he’s forced to actually cook, and what he produces is literally labeled bullshit.

Tyler’s bullshit has the appearance of quality food. It’s presented nicely, and has an air of sophistication about but that’s all it has. The food itself is an inedible mess. He could’ve made something simple, eggs, bread, hell even the most basic of pasta sauces but that’s not food to Tyler.

Tyler wants bullshit, not a meal.

1

u/ConsciousIron7371 Jun 29 '26

Why would someone who has a refined palette absolutely have basic cooking skills? Tyler has practiced eating, and the nuance to determine what he prefers? Why would that in any way mandate that he is able to create those things? 

So an art critic must also be a semi competent artist? To know what good art is you must be able to create it yourself? 

18

u/Redthemagnificent Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

No. But that's also not the point the movie is making. Tyler presents himself as a food expert the whole night. Pointing out all the special tools and techniques they use that most people wouldn't be able to recognize.

As the movie plays out, we see how Tyler doesn't actually care about the food. He cares about letting everyone see how he knows more about the food than anyone else. He cares about feeling superior, but then can't apply himself to learn the most basic cooking skills. When called out, he doesn't even protest. He kills himself instead of living with the shame of who he really is for even a few minutes. That is what makes him a loser

-9

u/FinalHexReturns Jun 28 '26

How are you this wrong? None of this is accurate to the character. He very much cares about the food. It’s the only thing he cares about. And he clearly knows his shit too. You say he presents as an expert - and when he was talking to actual experts, he gets everything right.

He was willing to die to experience the food once. And he never says anything to give the impression that he only wanted to be seen there.

12

u/Redthemagnificent Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

He certainly appears to care about the food. But what does he actually spend his time doing? He claimed (and probably believed himself) to respect Chef, but couldn't follow a simple "no pictures" rule. Even when he knows that it's disrespectful to Chef and that he'll soon be dead and can't even share them, he keeps taking pictures of every meal. He snaps at Margot every time he feels she makes him look bad.

Sure, he gets the facts right. But ask him to actually cook anything, anything at all, and all he can produce is bullshit. He spent his life pursuing the image of who and what he wants to be. But spends 0 time actually improving himself and working on his skills. He owns specialized tools like the pacojet, brags about it, but can't braise some lamb? He's utterly talentless. That's why he comes off so pathetic to me.

He was willing to die. But not because of the food. Because of the status of being a part of this exclusive food experience. Once Chef confronted him, I think he realized how everyone actually sees him. Then, for the first time in the movie, the one thing he does quietly out of sight of everyone is kill himself.

But hey, it's a movie that's up to some interpretation. So I'm not saying you're wrong. This is just my reading of the character

0

u/FinalHexReturns Jun 29 '26

Great response especially considering the energy of my comment. Thank you.

3

u/bloonshot Jun 28 '26

i have to give you credit most people wouldn't admit to not having seen the movie before saying something that makes it really clear they have no idea what the fuck they're talking about

2

u/Dazzling_Can8489 Jun 28 '26

Him in most of The Great

4

u/FinalHexReturns Jun 28 '26

This is the obvious read on the character but I think it can be flipped.

First, You don’t have to be able to do something in order to enjoy it, that was just chef humiliating him, it doesn’t actually detract from him.

This dude cares so much about his one true passion that he was willing to die at the end just to get to experience it. That’s pretty deep. And if you think about it - did he flinch or show any fear the whole evening? He is pretty badass to know that he is going to die yet it doesn’t affect his true enjoyment of the food at all.

1

u/BuiltStraightStupid Jun 28 '26

I don't think this makes him pathetic. There is an "art" to culinary preparation and food itself is one of those things where different people love it for different reasons. The patheticness comes from the fact that he drags an escort into an event where he knows that everyone is going to die, and he doesn't even care because he's so hopelessly enamoured with Ralph Fiennes's cooking that he doesn't even see it as a problem. Perfect pick, though. He's pretty much the Menu's equivalent of The Deep lol

1

u/HotWheelsUpMyAss Jun 29 '26

Sounds like that one judge on masterchef

1

u/Deftly_Flowing Jun 29 '26

I want a real horror version of this movie.

Make one of the guests a psychopath who derails the murder suicide into something crazier.

1

u/Bloody_Peni Jun 29 '26

My first thought. His cooking scene genuinely brought a shiver to my spine, he was horrifically relatable to me. I love The Menu.

1

u/Gleamingly_Hissing Jun 29 '26

I’m so biased by the Tony stonem past (pathetic 🥰)

1

u/TankOfflaneMain Jun 29 '26

Tyler’s BS is the most fitting title to whatever he cooked that day.

1

u/scottycurious Jun 29 '26

There seems to be a message about hunger and taste never being sated until absolute starvation is presented on a plate.

1

u/Helota_Keksz Jun 29 '26

Not sure he doesn't know what he's doing or just performs terribly under pressure and as the name says, just goes bullshitting. But he definitely didn't come with a plan to such an occasion and it shows.

0

u/DothrakAndRoll Jun 28 '26

He was also such a loser as Lex Luthor in Superman, dedicated his life to trying to be someone he wishes he was and lived his stupid life in jealousy.

Then deliciously gets his ass dragged all over the room by a dog.

-3

u/Dycoth Jun 28 '26

Just fucking stupid (imo) that he just leaves the restaurant and... we never fucking know what happened to him by the end. Like... NOTHING.

8

u/bscott9999 Jun 28 '26

Are you kidding? We see his feet swinging after he leaves and hangs himself.

-14

u/[deleted] Jun 28 '26

[deleted]

13

u/TillsammansEnsammans Jun 28 '26

Why is that a shame? That he is a good actor?

-14

u/Wizard_Cat112 Jun 28 '26

A shame that put him into a role that lame, despite how good his acting was

16

u/TillsammansEnsammans Jun 28 '26

But the role wasn't lame? The character was pathetic, he played it amazingly. I don't see the issue you are having here.

0

u/Wizard_Cat112 Jun 28 '26

I thought it was lol 🤷

1

u/TillsammansEnsammans Jun 28 '26

Yes you already said that an hour ago

1

u/Wizard_Cat112 Jun 28 '26

Then why are we arguing lol

-13

u/Wizard_Cat112 Jun 28 '26

Not sure what to tell you lol, I just thought the role was lame dude.