The Menu review

THE MENU: 

AN OUTRAGEOUS NIGHT OF FINE DINING AND CARNAGE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult in The Menu

 

            Ever wanted to see Hannibal Lecter play The Soup Nazi? That’s basically what you’ll get in the new black-comedy thriller film, The Menu. The film is directed by Mark Mylod (Entourage, Shameless, Succession) and was originally intended to be directed by Sideways director Alexander Payne with Emma Stone in the lead role alongside Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, Harry Potter franchise, James Bond franchise), but both Payne and Stone dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and it ended up going to Mylod with Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, The Queen’s Gambit, Last Night in Soho) replacing Stone. 

            I was very intrigued when I first saw the trailer for this movie, it looked like the dinner equivalent of the horror-comedy film, Ready or Not, which I had no problems with as that was one of my favorite films of 2019. Not to mention, this was only a few weeks after I already witnessed the pure chaos of Triangle of Sadness, which too features an equally wild dinner sequence. 

            I have to say, in a year that also included the likes of Top Gun: Maverick, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and the MCU films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Menu is some of the most fun I’ve had all year. It’s a perfect blend of jaw-dropping suspense and outrageously funny dark humor, often simultaneously with interesting characters and a fascinating premise that keeps you guessing. 

            The film follows Margot (Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult-X-Men franchise, Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road), a couple who are cordially invited to eat at an exclusive restaurant on a coastal island owned and operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Fiennes) who has prepared a lavish menu for his guests. However, what starts off as a pleasant evening of fine dining suddenly turns into a nightmare when a string of terrifying events starts occurring in the restaurant, to which good old Slowik constantly reassures the guests that “It’s all part of the menu”. 

             The film also stars Hong Chau (Downsizing, Watchmen (2019), The Whale) as Elsa the restaurant captain, John Leguizamo (Super Mario Bros., Executive Decision, Violent Night) as post-prime actor George Diaz, Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds, Albert Nobbs, The Divergent Series) as food critic Lillian Bloom, Reed Birney (Changeling, Morning Glory, The Forty-Year-Old Version) and Judith Light (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ugly Betty, Tick, Tick… Boom!) as Richard and Anne Liebbrandt, Paul Adelstein (Prison Break, Scandal, Imposters) as Lillian’s editor Ted, Aimee Carrero (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Elena of Avalor, Level Up) as George’s assistant Felicity, Arturo Castro (Broad City, Narcos, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) as Soren, Rob Yang (Glass, The Kitchen, American Rust) as Bryce, and Mark St. Cyr (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) as Dave. 

            Overall, The Menu is a wildly entertaining experience with delicious looking food, death, and immensely funny dark satire. The film takes shots at themes like social class, the life as a chef, food critics, and the food industry in general which can lead to tons of interpretations and discussions what The Menu does on an intellectual level. 

            However, the film is also incredibly funny whether it’s witty character dialogue, a situation the characters get involved in, recipe descriptions and dish names, or just a simple gag. One of my favorite moments involves a character getting shot and killed in the restaurant, everyone starts panicking and freaking out, but Nicholas Hoult’s character is laughing while sitting at his table thinking it’s part of the show. 

I found myself laughing quite often during the film and watching it in a theater with a crowd really enhances the experience. I’m serious, the crowd I saw it with was having a ball and laughing hard at every joke or funny line of dialogue. 

Granted, the movie itself doesn’t really scream “Must be seen on the big screen” as you could still enjoy it at home, but something about seeing it in theaters with a large group of people laughing along and having a great time makes it feel very special. So, if you can see it in theaters with a crowd, definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

            I was engrossed in the storyline wondering where it was going, the film does an excellent job at building tension, keeping you on your toes, and the overall unpredictability of the circumstances. One minute, everyone will be sitting down and enjoying their meals when all of a sudden someone’s ring finger gets cut off or after the most dramatic cheeseburger order in motion picture history, you’re then in the middle of a dinner theater performance of Midsommar(Which is all I’ll say about that particular sequence, but you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen the film!). 

            The characters mostly consist of wealthy and extremely privileged rich people which is a popular group to take shots at in pop culture lately. While they are often egocentric and self-centered, it’s never to the point where the characters become unlikable, I was with this group of people for the entire ride wanting to see them prevail and was shocked whenever one of them was killed off. 

            The acting is stellar especially from Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy, Fiennes straight-up dominates every scene that he’s in and does an incredible job flip-flopping between being, charming, terrifying, and funny like if a somewhat charismatic serial killer operated a restaurant, you can tell he’s having a blast. Taylor-Joy is pretty much the straight man (or woman in this film’s case) who wants nothing to do with what’s going on with a dry, deadpan delivery and facial expression, she is also very funny with most of her comedy coming from double-takes and reactions to things occurring in the restaurant…need I mention the award-worthy cheeseburger order again? 

            The Menu is a feast of delicately crafted suspense, darkly comical laughs, and scene-stealing performances that’s definitely worth going back for seconds…or perhaps even thirds!