The Menu

Director: Mark Mylod
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein, John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero, Reed Birney, Judith Light, Rebecca Koon, Rob Yang, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr
Running Time: 106 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

There's a character in the horror-comedy film The Menu who comments that they're starving after multiple courses of food have already been served. And we're inclined to believe it, since mouse-sized portions are common when eating at an exclusive restaurant like the one depicted here. It's also easy to lose your appetite if the evening's meal is unexpectedly derailed by murder, suicide, torture and a side order of psychotic ramblings. But what matters most is the preparation and presentation of the food, along with the fact you're dining at an important establishment that others of prominent social standing frequent. If the reward is often just being seen there, you have to appreciate how screenwriters Seth Reis and Will Tracy acknowledge that bread crumbs rarely do the trick, no matter how nice it looks on the plate. 

While the carefully selected dinner guests in this film probably don't mind paying a pricey bill, they won't even get their bread crumbs, nor will they be allowed to leave. Held hostage by an obsessive chef who favors "tasting" over "eating," he's determined to deliver a message that's uncomfortably hilarious, violent and offensively truthful. And if the conceit seems crazy, it's at least tightly constructed chaos, immersing us in the thrill of  two top class actors facing off against the backdrop of high cuisine. Surviving each course may be an endurance test for the patrons, but watching it all unfold is a twisted delight, entertaining and suspenseful enough to return for seconds.

Enthusiastic foodie Tyler Ledford (Nicholas Hoult) and his date Margot Mills (Anya Taylor-Joy) are traveling by boat to Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant that's operated by renowned celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and located on a remote island. Other guests are food critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) and her editor Ted (Paul Adelstein), wealthy couple Richard (Reed Birney) and Anne Leibrandt (Judith Light), washed-up movie star George (John Leguizamo) and his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero), business partners Soren (Arturo Castro), Dave (Mark St. Cyr), and Bryce (Rob Yang) and Slowik's unresponsive alcoholic mother Linda (Rebecca Coon). 

Following a tour of the island's facilities by dutiful maître d' Elsa (a perfectly deadpan Hong Chau), dinner begins with Slowik introducing a series of bizarre entrées with a theme, often punctuated by some uncomfortable monologues and personal anecdotes related to each course. But when things take a drastically dark turn and the guests' secret wrongdoings are exposed, it becomes clear the host and his militant staff aren't about to let anyone exit on their own accord. As Tyler remains blindly loyal to his favorite chef, Margot's had enough, looking for ways to outsmart Slowik at his own game before their last dish is served.

Slickly Directed by Mark Mylod (who's helmed multiple episodes of of TV's Succession), much of the premise's fun comes in an inability to predict what this sadistic chef will say or do next. There's a slow building sense of tension as these self absorbed patrons swoon in anticipation of each course, blissfully unaware what's ahead, or the dastardly purpose of Slowik's menu. The film also makes hilarious use of title cards, flashing the name and ingredients of the meal on screen, with pithy comments reflecting the chef's sarcastic displeasure. It's a great touch, allowing us to go along for the ride with these unsuspecting guests as their dinner goes from bad to worse. 

Slowik's deadpan humor and stringent demands only grow more unsettling and confrontational, underlined by some really disturbing stories, including a gem involving his dysfunctional childhood that informs a chicken dish in all the wrong ways. Then comes the point of no return, as this perverse dinner theater crosses the line and the true motivation behind these invites surface. The reason for Margot's presence is a little murkier, which bothers Slowik, who has very specific plans for the evening's menu. And she wasn't factored in.

Fiennes channels an outwardly calmer, more calculating version of Gordon Ramsay in a performance that's undeniably the picture's biggest highlight, holding court with his brutal treatment of these customers, who dread the mayhem following each menu reveal. Taylor-Joy is captivating even in silence, but when Margot proves to be the only one willing to challenge Slowik, her performance really soars. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Margot's an outsider who understands his psychology better than most, looking for a weak spot to exploit in order to stay alive. In doing so, she briefly resurrects a piece of him he thought was long gone, as the screenplay makes a great philosophical point about people slowly falling out of love with their jobs, drowning in the miserable minutiae of it all. 

Hoult's Tyler wastes little time throwing his date under the bus when given a chance to sit under the learning tree of his culinary idol. Revealing himself to be more of a narcissistic weasel with each embarrassing outburst, he only generates further sympathy for Margot's plight. The rest of the cast deliver in their roles, with John Leguizamo standing out in the film's funniest scene opposite Fiennes, as we discover the real reason the chef's so repulsed by him.

With an intriguing concept likely to draw comparisons to recent pop culture satires of the rich like Glass Onion and The White Lotus, this has more than a few flourishes that set it apart, like characters who would still be equally unlikable in a lower income bracket. And it turns out recognizing the difference between a expensive dish and a high quality one comes in handy. The filmmakers at least know that nothing beats a really good cheeseburger, giving hungry viewers incentive not to think too hard about The Menu and just savor the meal.