The Menu (2022)

Movie Info

Gooble, Gobble! We will make you one of us.

Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) runs a tight kitchen and has built an impressive reputation.  On a private island, Chef Slowik gives diners an experience…and he’s about to give them the ultimate multi-course meal.  Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) finds herself surprisingly invited by Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) to the exclusive event and finds herself surrounded by the upper crust of society who can afford the absorbent price of admission.  Margot’s arrival has created a problem for Chef Slowik.  He has a meal plan, and Margot isn’t part of it.  The menu will have to change.

Directed by Mark Mylod, The Menu is a horror-comedy thriller.  The movie was released to positive reviews.

I had wanted to see The Menu when I heard good reports of it, but I went into the film with no expectations or ideas (I don’t know that I ever saw the trailer).  There have been a lot of decent class-based movies in recent years…and revenge of the lower class.  Be it Parasite or something like Sorry to Bother You, the movie takes aim at those who abuse societal rules to get ahead.  Due to aspects of the plot, a *****spoiler alert***** exists for the rest of the view.

SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!

The characters are trapped by a maniacal killer on an island and the killing begins…but with a ton of humor.  You have a wide variety of supporting characters from pretentious actors, critics, sports celebrities, and food snobs.  It is kind of a toxic muck…and as an outsider, Margot is a nice and relatable, but through her, you also start to not see Chef Slowik as a monster.  It is a nice blend of wry and dark comedy.

The cast is good.  Anya Taylor-Joy continues to develop her craft and play different characters.  Ralph Fiennes is always a nice edition to a movie.  Nicholas Hoult starts out nice but does a nasty turn as Tyler (who is ultimately shamed).  John Leguizamo plays the vain actor while Judith Light and Reed Birney play the bitter wealthy married couple.  Janet McTeer is fun as the food critic who takes a long time to determine the food and death isn’t a show.  I also like the assistant Elsa played by Hong Chau who fears Margot is moving in on her turf.

Who wants S’mores?

The movie also looks great.  It has almost a bit of a Wes Anderson style at points (without the delivery) as title cards pop up for each course with commentary.  The movie is rather limited in space but does a great job in confinement.  I could actually see this as a stage play as well just in dialogue, characters, and look.

The Menu is a fun movie.  It is a plot with lots of layers and a thoughtful script, the movie has you thinking about class, food, and what it all means…in a non-pretentious way.  It is a movie that can be enjoyed on the basic level or the different level.  The menu might not have anything on it that you want to eat…but don’t send The Menu back.