A dollop of cheekiness and a dash of horror trappings punctuate the sweet taste of The Menu, a rich and flavorful creation offering up equal amounts mystery and intrigue laced impressively with the horror/comedy genre framing it’s billed as being. Brought to us alive with impressive performances from the small-ish cast, crafty production design and food creations, wrapped in an air of a film that knows what it is, enjoys having fun with it, and knows exactly where it’s going. Those with a taste for dark comedy artfully presented will gladly wait in line for what’s on offer in this entertaining experience.
The Production: 4/5
“You will eat less than you desire and more than you deserve.”
An evening at a prestigious restaurant, the Hawthorne, situated on an exclusive island awaits a small, curated collection of diners, for whom their ultra-wealthy status helped them secure the limited spots. The Hawthorn is run by the legendary gourmet chef, Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and his team to ruthlessly committed kitchen and wait staff. The foody-wannabes and fine-dining-obsessed collection of diners are in for more than they bargain for when Chef Slowik’s themed, multi-course meal experience is revealed.
The Menu is exquisitely crafted horror comedy that delightfully taps into the obsession millions have with the making and baking machinations of celebrated and aspiring chefs. It moves the pretensions of food as fleeting, artistic creations presented to people who will judge them. And it tinkers with the pretentious critics who labor to invent new ways to describe the presentation and taste of food creations, all while layering something ominous as the film begins to unfold. And it’s wickedly entertaining. Director Mark Mylod is a man with strong comedic television pedigree, who, working from Will Tracy’s clever script, conjures up a tightly wound film rife with intrigue and curiosity, fanciful flights into danger and horror, topped with a cheeky spirit about the whole thing.
We’re lured in with seamless ease, dropped right into the edge of the events with little detail, elevating curiosity and playfully winding up the intrigue before releasing the tension in a series of escalating food courses. It’s utter fun. Early on we center on the contrast between Nicholas Hoult’s Tyler character’s eagerness and condescension and Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot’s befuddlement and general disinterest at the pomp and circumstance around the food experience. The disconnect between their experiences persist for a good portion of the film and it’s a testament to their performances that you are riveted by not only the ‘why?’ of it all, but the ‘what now?’ anticipation. Delightfully, it only gets entertainingly weirder, wilder, and wittier.
The Menu layers in delightfully bitter and sweet flavors courtesy its strong cast. Ralph Fiennes is sumptuous and brilliantly controlled as Chef Slowik. His scenes with Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot are richly and intelligently performed. Nicholas Hoult’s Tyler is fascinatingly self-absorbed and self-important. But Hoult also demonstrates skill as the pathetically needy starstruck pawn balancing awe and compulsion to be liked by the toweringly brilliant Chef Slowik. The entire supporting staff stands out, but Hong Chau’s Elsa, with her unflinching commitment and sly skill at looking down on the guests as she pretends to be looking up. Two other notable performances come in the form of the duo of John Leguizamo’s “movie star” and his subordinate, Felicity played by Aimee Carrero, absorbed in their own facades and low-lying revelations to each other. They’re enormously fun to watch get lost in the chaos of the night’s increasing bizarre violence and madness.
Films like The Menu are a delicious find, impressively weaving tangy thrills and horror herbs with blackened comedy (and I think I’ll leave the plays on food there), portrayed by a fine cast clearly having fun and giving it their all.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
The Menu is a good-looking Blu-ray. Framed at 2.35:1, The Menu enjoys and is filled with close-frame shots of actors and food, showing of a range of beautiful colors and strong contrasts. Black levels are very good, details equally good, and while the film excels under the daylight sun and the comfortably lit restaurant as the sun falls to night, even the scenes outside the central restaurant interior location do well. iMDB lists a 4K digital intermediate and watching the film you can see the potential for what HDR grading could offer in the colors from the wider color gamut and the black levels. Still, this 1080p Blu-ray is still a winner.
Audio: 4/5
The 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio on The Menu works well for almost the entire film, but in the early scenes the dialogue in the center channel was too low suggesting an error in the mix. This is noticeable as the guests arrive on the island and hold their pre-restaurant conversations, but this oddity abates quickly and once it does the balance for dialogue is good. The light string-heavy score by Colin Stetson plucks and adds tension with the sharp bow on violin and itself has a sense of humor. The chef clap, louder and unsettling by design, carries around the speakers, and the surrounds do well when they are asked to. It all works, but the low dialogue in those handful of early moments may have you temporarily turning on the closed captions.
Special Features: 2.5/5
What’s here for special features are good enough, but they are not enough and running around 23 minutes.
- 3-part featurette taking a look at various aspects of production (served in courses), featuring interviews with Mark Mylod and members of the cast, production design, renowned chef food creations (and guidance), costumes and more
- Three deleted scenes
Overall: 4/5
A dollop of cheekiness and a dash of horror trappings punctuate the sweet taste of The Menu, a rich and flavorful creation offering up equal amounts mystery and intrigue laced impressively with the horror/comedy genre framing it’s billed as being. Brought to us alive with impressive performances from the small-ish cast, crafty production design and food creations, wrapped in an air of a film that knows what it is, enjoys having fun with it, and knows exactly where it’s going. Those with a taste for dark comedy artfully presented will gladly wait in line for what’s on offer in this entertaining experience.
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Walter Kittel
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In terms of acting, I thought everyone was fine, but particularly enjoyed the performances from Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Hong Chau.
It was a very entertaining film. Interestingly enough we have three recent films dealing with the subject of the financially elite confronting adversity. The Menu, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Triangle of Sadness. I have not seen the Triangle feature yet, but probably will complete the trifecta at some point (as Reggie W called it in an earlier post.)
If you haven't seen the film then please do not read the spoilers...
Spoiler #1 :
Spoiler #2;
- Walter.
Will Krupp
Reggie W
Typically, no you would not. However, hamburger can be and is sometimes made of different cuts of beef ground and combined, so, Walter's theory could be correct.
Walter Kittel
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Pretty much what Reggie said, but I'll also add that I thought that Elsa indicated ALL of the meat on the island was prepared in the smokehouse. I should watch that scene again to see precisely what Elsa communicated to the patrons.
- Walter.
Reggie W
My feeling is:
Yeah, I'm purchasing the 4K digital once it drops in price and will watch the movie again.
Noel Aguirre
John Sparks
Reggie W
You do get extra points for being concise.
Being concise, unlike some other people.
Reggie W
Unlike some other people.
I have a rare condition that the medical field has been studying that involves the loss of control of my hands and fingers once I start typing and before I can stop there are just hundreds of words on the page. You can tell when I have taken my medication because I am able to limit myself to under 100 words.
