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The Menu

The Menu is a great satire on the haves and the have-nots, set in an exclusive island restaurant called Hawthorne. Ralph Fiennes is the chef, Slowik, who at first, seems like a snobby, arrogant kitchen-maestro, but has deeper...issues. He's, as always, excellent, giving us more to chew on than pure sociopathy. Nicholas Hoult plays Tyler, a foodie twat, seemingly oblivious to the creeping danse macabre taking place. But it's ultimately Anya Taylor-Joy's film. She's Margot, Tyler's date for this once in a lifetime culinary event, though she appears to have her reservations (I promise that's the first and last food or restaurant pun in this write-up. My apologies.) Margot is the audience conduit and Taylor-Joy brings the gusto and a feisty 'no-shit-taken' attitude.

John Leguizamo is spot-on casting as the actor to whom Fiennes says something like, "Your face has irritated me for a long time" regarding a terrible film he was in. It's the perfect role for one of my least liked actors (in fairness, he's pretty good in this). And hello to Angela from Who's the Boss (Judith Light) in an uncomfortable 80s flashback.

I'm deliberately not mentioning the story as it's best to go in cold (not a pun) to this - I'll only say that it's rare for a film with this standing (budget, cast, producers of note, etc.) to actually follow through on its initial promise. Kudos to writers Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, as well as director Mark Mylod, for having the courage of their convictions, and Searchlight Pictures for allowing it to happen. Mylod has had quite a varied career in TV direction - from Vic and Bob to Game of Thrones and his hand is steady on the material. I found this to be a darkly funny kick in the nuts. But not in a bad way.

The Menu opens at many cinemas, including the Luna and Palace on Nov 24th.

See also:

Michael Sarnoski's Pig (2021) runs another chef through the wringer, and Peter Richardson's Eat the Rich (1987) is a manic antecedent.

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