Film Review: The Menu (2022)
- Very Average Joe
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
Title: The Menu
Director(s): Mark Mylod
Screenwriter(s): Seth Reiss & Will Tracy
Studio: Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions
Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 47m
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, John Leguizamo
The film opens with Tyler Ledford (Nicholas Hoult) and Margot Mills (Anya Taylor-Joy) waiting at the pier. They soon board a boat to an island for dinner by celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). At $1,250 per head and a maximum of twelve diners per night, it is an exclusive experience.
Margot turns out to be a replacement with the host Elsa (Hong Chau) accepting the last-minute change with some reluctance. So, almost immediately, the audience knows something is not right. That and it is set on an island, presumably an allusion to the likes of Epstein, where dodgy things will happen.
There are others attending, including a washed-out actor (John Leguizamo) and, of course, two famous food critics, amongst others. After a brief tour of the island, the group settles in for dinner.
Margot is the main viewpoint character, and the opening act may come across as slow if one is not into subtlety. Either way, it is nonetheless entertaining and intriguing as Slowik is revealed to be a threat and the tension builds.
The film obviously satirizes fine dining, particularly how it is presented in reality TV shows, and this is done in multiple ways. There are close-ups of the food preparation and of each course with the text on the screen, all of which are pretentious as it is comical.
The whole menu is meant to be a “concept” in which Chef Slowik tells a story, and Ralph Fiennes gives an excellent performance talking rubbish in deadpan for the comedy but also being that scary authority figure for the horror.
And, of course, there are the patrons, ranging from the snobby critics to those who just don’t respect the effort. Tyler is closer to the former as a pathetic fanboy of Slowik. Nicholas Hoult does a good job of being that annoyingly pretentious idiot who is on his own planet. He takes photos of the food despite instructions not to.
Margot doesn’t buy any of it and refuses to eat some of the food, and this is one source of tension between her and Slowik. Anya Taylor-Joy plays it pretty straightforward, which is presumably the point, as her character is the most “normal” out of the entire cast.
Despite being set mostly in the dining area, the narrative does not feel static. There is always some signposting or some exposition or action that moves the plot. For example, consistent to the horror genre, Slowik is the “all-seeing” villain who, directly or indirectly, reveals something about his customers that one does not normally expect him to know, and this is used to good effect. On balance, the pacing is measured and well-managed.
In case one is wondering, this is not some B-grade horror in which Slowik and his staff kill a customer on a regular basis and use them as an ingredient for dinner. There is motivation for his threats, a realistic and understandable one, and this is apparent enough quite early on.
The design of the set and the food and dishes are fitting, particularly with the corresponding lighting necessary in a fine-dining set that is not bright and during what is supposed to be evening. The colors are nice in that there is quite a bit of variation as well as richness. It is not as saturated as some K-drama series are but there is a hint of that.
There are not as many tight one-shots as one may think given the type of drama. Whether it is a one-shot or two-shot, there are quite a few wider shots that are also held a little longer. Apart from the obvious cooking satire, it is not heavily stylized; if anything, it could go further. And on that note, the music composed by Colin Stetson complements the satire nicely.
Overall, it is an excellent black comedy with a solid script, good performances and production. It is not necessary to have experience in the hospitality industry to appreciate the humor but those who do may appreciate it more. It is not laugh-out-loud from start to finish, and it is presumably not meant to be. It starts relatively subtly, the black comedy becoming more overt as the plot progresses. Given all the elements in play, it is somewhat predictable but one is still intrigued and wants to see how it plays out specifically.
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