Directed by Mark Mylod from a screenplay by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, The Menu is a dark, twisted satire that will leave one’s palette satisfied. Filled with ambitious twists and turns that the audience will not see coming, The Menu is a dish best served with a side of intensity and anticipation. With a solid, if disturbing, performance by Ralph Fiennes, the dark horror comedy takes a stab at exploring class, the service industry, and the ways in which the wealthy ruin just about everything.
The Menu opens with Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) boarding a boat to an island where the five-star restaurant Hawthorne, run by Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and his second-in-command Elsa (Hong Chau), is located. They — along with a snobby movie star (John Leguizamo) and his assistant (Aimee Carrero), rich finance bros (Arturo Castro, Rob Yang, Mark St. Cyr), Hawthorne’s loyal customers (Judith Light, Reed Birney), and food critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) and her editor (Paul Adelstein) — are in for the night of their lives. What begins as an evening of fine dining and food as conceptual art becomes a strange and terrifying ordeal.
Expect the unexpected in The Menu. The film surprises at every turn, so much so that one begins to suspect the story could go in a number of directions and still make sense. As a biting social commentary about the wealthy elite and their need to consume and take everything for themselves — no matter what it is, including the livelihoods and joy of service workers — the film could have gone deeper. However, there is still plenty of dark humor and horror involved to get its point across without being too heavy handed. Power and wealth have an effect on art, and Slowik comments on the history of food and how it shows the discrepancy between classes. Now a well-respected chef, Slowik had humble beginnings. But it wasn’t until he was charging thousands of dollars for a dining experience that he was celebrated as one of the greats in the food industry. The rich can make or break art while simultaneously sucking the life out of the artist, and Slowik knows this first-hand. The film cleverly points to all this through the stories Slowik tells ahead of each course.
Beyond the commentary on wealth and art, The Menu also critiques foodies, who have, as Slowik states, ruined what he does. The chef is not above making an example of Tyler in what he deems a mockery to his job. Mylod infuses the film with a lot of style and, though the film rarely moves from its central location, remains engaging as the audience waits with bated breath to discover what happens next. The production design and set decoration by Ethan Tobman and Gretchen Gattuso, respectively, are impeccable, showcasing the sanitized lavishness of the fine dining experience while simultaneously creating a menacing feel to it. The musical score by Colin Stetson is eerie, which adds to the unsettling environment and the unease the characters are feeling throughout. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, however, and it’s filled with quite a few darkly funny moments. To that end, The Menu enthralls through its satirical humor and horrifies all at once.
Fiennes is terrifying as Chef Slowik, stern, unyielding and humorous. As Slowik, the actor maintains control over his facial expressions, only allowing his character to give a facial twitch when speaking with Taylor-Joy’s Margot, someone he knows doesn’t belong at Hawthorne like the others. Fiennes is rigid throughout, but relaxes when Slowik finds a sense of joy in making a specific dish later on in the film. Taylor-Joy is equally good. She imbues Margot with a sense of heightened awareness, her character’s background allowing her to understand how ridiculous the experience is, as well as Slowik’s mindset. Nicholas Hoult as Tyler is blissfully unaware and pompous, seemingly a “nice,” if over-excited, foodie, until he reveals who he really is, and Hoult walks that fine line very well.
The rest of the supporting cast is fantastic as well, playing off of each other marvelously, though Hong Chau as Elsa is a standout among them. She has a commanding presence and the audience, through Chau’s fabulous performance, quickly understand what motivates Elsa. With an overall strong script, an exceptional cast, and a solid directorial effort from Mylod, The Menu is just itching to be devoured. Audiences may not have much of an appetite after watching the film, but the experience, like Slowik’s promise to his own guests, will be one they won’t soon forget.
The Menu premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10. The film releases in theaters on November 18. It is 106 minutes long and is rated R for strong/disturbing violent content, language throughout and some sexual references.