The Menu Review
Delectable satire melds the salivating cinematography of Chef’s Table with the thrill of Midsommar and the satirical comedy stylings of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.
Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is a food snob, who takes Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) to a super exclusive restaurant on an island. The degustation experience doesn’t appeal to Margot, but it does to the chef-obsessed Tyler, along with the array of wealthy diners along with them - food critic Lillian (Janet McTeer), a fading movie star (John Leguizamo), wealthy older couple Richard (Reed Birney) and Anne (Judith Light) and finance bro trio Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St. Cyr). They are excited to be entertained culinarily by famed Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), but the Chef has something else in mind for the group. That is, at least, until he discovers that Margot was never meant to be there - a spanner in his otherwise flawless plans for the murderous evening.
Directed by Mark Mylod (of Succession fame), The Menu is a beautifully poised, perfectly positioned piece of satire for the Chef’s Table generation. It’s an eviscerating, eat-the-rich take on haute cuisine, that also frequently lambasts social media, cuisine and tech bro culture. Frequently laugh out loud funny, but also shocking, surprising, beautifully performed, action-filled and thrilling, this plays as the perfect combination of a disparate array of ingredients that have so often been put together with less efficacy and taste in recent years. The movie frequently has you howling with laughter - not just from the impossibly good dialogue, but even from the spot on menu descriptions on screen, or the sheer ludicrousness of it all.
On a performance level, we’re looking at a Michelin star treat here. Anya-Taylor Joy is absolutely fantastic as the main protagonist, and her dining and acting partner Nicholas Hoult is pitch perfect as the whiny, chef-obsessed social media hound. Ralph Fiennes, however, steals the show with a truly wonderful performance. His slightest nuanced gesture or facial tick conveys so much, and he seems to be having an absolute blast with this slightly absurdist role.
The film chugs along nicely at a well paced 1 hour and 47 minutes. There isn’t an ounce of this movie that you would drop without losing something fun, witty, shocking or essential. There are a few plot threads that perhaps are dropped, or at least don’t make complete sense. But this is absurdist satire, couched in a gorgeous meal and stunning food cinematography - the odd narrative misstep has to be forgiven.
At the end of the day, The Menu is a fully satisfying dish from a satirical messaging perspective, from a comedy perspective, and most importantly from an entertainment perspective. You’ll have a lot of fun, while also being gripped by the gorgeous cinematography, fantastic performances and pitch perfect script on display.
