From Mike Mylod comes something a little different I wanted to check out—combining black comedy horror with social satire spanning class, influencer culture, and pretentious high cuisine, here’s The Menu.
Our viewpoint character here is Anna Taylor Joy as Margot, roped along with a seeming boyfriend (Nicholas Hoult) to a very exclusive island restaurant overseen by intense and legendary chef Slowik. The latter’s played by Ralph Fiennes in a very enjoyable performance that captures both pretentiousness and an almost Bond villain like mania—but that’s after we get to the other guests, who range from snobbish food critics to twenty-thirtysomething techbros. There’s even John Leguizamo as a washed-up actor, in a perhaps overly self-panning role.
Naturally, the film’s take on all this is as blunt as a hammer, with Margot being the only level-headed one among a cadre of privileged idiots who, as it turns out, have the restaurant experience catered to them in more ways than one. It’s a little like a Twilight Zone morality play, as Hoult’s chef it turns out as a bone to pick with almost everyone involved, and not even his staff (like the maitre’d, played by Hong Chau) might be exempt.
Fortunately, as someone you might be thinking, the twist isn’t something to do with cannibalism. Though there’s a couple of decently bloody moments…
While the script and characters aren’t exactly subtle, the performances are certainly enjoyable, and the film does make its tone upfront as we witness the various courses that come as clockwork even as the drama ramps up, including breadless bread, or scallop served on actual sea rocks. It is well shot enough—including a lavish look later on at a cheeseburger of all things—that yes, you might just feel a little hungry despite everything.
The ending might feel a little easily resolved—there were apparently some parts of the script trimmed down—but if you don’t mind the film wearing contempt for its targets very much on the floor, there is some sardonic fun to be chewed on here. As things go on, so things become more surreal and the performances more extravagant—so if that kind of entertainment sounds like your taste, give the Menu a try.
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