Arch-foodie Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his girlfriend Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) are off to dine in a restaurant without parallel. Based on an island of just twelve acres, they join a collection of wealthy and influential people for what has been defined as experience to die for! Upon arrival, we discover that Margot was not the originally intended guest of her companion - so first question... Who is she? Next question - why does it seem to matter so much to the fastidious and frankly rather menacing chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and his assistant Elsa (Hong Chau) who looks like she used Rosa Klebb as a role model? As the dinner progresses it becomes quite clear that the menu is not just about the exquisitely prepared and presented food, but is also about an appraisal of the individually selected - and none too savoury - staff and clientele, none of who are quite what they seem! This has something of Agatha Christies Ten Little Indians to it, and it quite effectively pokes fun at the supercilious and frequently rather pompous attitude of both those cooking and those eating (or experiencing) fine foam dining. That humour is dark and potent, too. Fiennes is entirely convincing and Hoult, as well as Janet McTeer as the self-important food critic Lillian and Paul Adelstein as her suitably obsequious companion Ted contribute well as the sense of the ridiculous evolves into one considerably more perilous. It could have evolved just a bit more quickly for me - there are certainly enough get on with it moments and though ATJs character is feisty, it doesnt quite work and ultimately served to illustrate the increasing implausibility of the story and unlikely servility of the diners as we head towards an almost Vernean denouement. It is quirkily entertaining this - a well presented, multi-layered, attack on our own senses that is better second time around. Not perfect, but I suspect Michelin would love it.
**The Menu began with a tone and tension that made me want more but ultimately ended with confusion and disappointment.** The hype for The Menu intrigued me. The reviews celebrated its genius. So I had to see it. And when I sat in the theater and the credits began to roll, all o could say was, Huh? The Menu starts with Ready or Not vibes with a fish-out-of-water real-world character who ends up at a fancy dinner with a collection of high society foodies and critics. The trailer gave me expectations of cannibalism cult or Most Dangerous Game-type plots, but instead, nothing really happened. I think I understood what The Menu was trying to convey with its deeper meaning, but I still came up disappointed. Anya Taylor-Joy and the rest of the cast gave great performances, but there was little that really brought the movie together. Maybe the subversion of the cannibal or hunting expectation was the movies brilliance? The Menu definitely tried to be clever, but whether it was or not might be open to interpretation. Ironically, I sat through the whole movie and left wanting more… left hungry.
_The Menu_ was one of the most unique thriller experiences of the year! The setup is fantastic, and the story gives you just enough information to intrigue even though the story path is somewhat generic. It is dark, honest, and quite hilarious. This unique blend created a thriller like no other. The performances were great. Anya Taylor-Joy was brilliant and is cementing herself as one of the best actresses of the decade. Nicholas Hoult was hilarious in such a subtle way that never takes away from the tense scenes at play. Ralph Fiennes is haunting but also sympathetic, making him a very interesting and genuine antagonist. This was such an amazing film and another smash entry into horror palooza that is 2022. **Score** _86%_ | **Verdict** _Excellent_
Pretty good but Im also a little disappointed by it. I really liked the cast and the acting (Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Fiennes were especially good). The story was entertaining enough but I didnt quite buy into it all. Its not as sharp or smart as it could be. It may be that I recently watched Triangle of Sadness and really enjoyed the humour and observations on the rich in that film and The Menu doesnt quite reach these heights in my opinion. Its still worth watching, with some good reveals and surprises throughout.
You, Margot from Nebraska (Anya Taylor-Joy), youve betrayed our sacred bond of trust. And youve shown your craft to be careless. I was wrong. Youre an eater. Youre a taker. Youre very hard to look at. And youre no Julia Roberts.
**Jim Jones; Executive Chef** Going to a once-in-a-lifetime tasting at a restaurant headed by one of (if not _the_) most renowned chefs in the world sounds like a dream come true to any foodie. (Myself included, albeit vicariously via the Food Network) Two of these lucky guests are Tyler (played by **Nicholas Hoult**), and Margot (played by **Anya Taylor-Joy**). The issue is, something is already not right. No, its not obvious; at least not to normal people like you and me. Elsa (played by **Hong Chau**) picked up on it, but she isnt like us. As more and more guest arrive, someone isnt supposed to be there... Ah, dont worry, the feeling will pass. After all, the tasting is just about to start... This is when we meet the executive chef, Chef Slowik (brilliantly played by **Ralph Fiennes**). At first he is charismatic and prepares his guest for each tasting with stories. But this little cult like bigrade eventually let on that they know more about their guests than anyone should... That is except for one. As someone who is enamored with the food world, seeing The Menu satire some of my favorite shows * Netflixs Chefs Table with the course spotlight cinematography and ingredients cards. * Any Celebrity Chef (i.e. Chef Slowik calling someone a donkey, clearly a reference to Gordon Ramsey). ...I was delighted that this film leaned into the dark end of how service work can feel sometimes. This film feels cathartic having lived the life of a service worker, and I feel others who have had that experience should be able to connect to the darker parts of the film as well. The plot culminate in a theme that I think despite what mild morbidity was displayed, most watchers can relate; Be it societys expectations or our own, the more we push toward perceived greatness we run away from that childhood excitement that set up on the path to begin with. The Menu as a whole, is, well... Something you might hear at an actual tasting A story of life, its memories (good and bad) told in 5 courses. If youre part of the menu, you deserve to stay until the end... That is, unless your not supposed to be here; perhaps life hasnt beaten you down enough yet... In-any-case, there is always the _cool aid_.
The Menu is a film defined by one key ingredient, the performance of Ralph Fiennes. His cold, biting acerbic chef, whose every word and nuance expresses a certain irony and a gradually building threat, is compelling. Frankly, it was Fiennes lynch pin performance that kept me watching The Menu. Had it been a less actor, I might well have walked away. Which brings me to the script. A predictable idea, with a certain promise thats far too loosely executed. The result is a plot that has more than a few dead ends and lacks a certain consistency and credulity. Its not awful, not at all. That said, with a more consideration and tightening of plot elements, it could have been so much more. In summary, if The Menu is remembered for anything, to my mind, it will be the remarkable performance handed in by Ralph Fiennes. The bulk of my 7/10 rating is based on his remarkable work. Regrettably, in most other respects, this film is somewhat forgettable, horror fare.
This was my actual last straw with IMDb... I guess you have to like this one or else. And by that I mean they are purging all the bad reviews. So, this is a movie about pretentious people, for pretentious people, that are killed by pretentious people so they can walk away feeling deep. From the start you know what is going to happen, because its basically the same thing that always happens on ominous deserted islands... and the they eat the diners thing was removed because one of the couples were regular diners there. It sort of gives you only one plot direction made clear by the fanaticism of the cult of cooks. So there wasnt any guess work that needed to be done, and from the start you knew which character was going to live because the broadcast that with a giant arrow pointing down at them. But, hey, its the modern audiance, nothing can be subtle today.
The Menu” takes anti capitalism and serves it up with a sprinkle or two of violence delivered on a plate by a perfectionist, cult leading chef. Mark Mylod produces a horror comedy that takes shots at culinary snobbery as well as performance art. Margot ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) and her supposed boyfriend Tyler (Nicholas Hoult ) take a boat, along with a number of other diners, to a remote Restaurant called Hawthorn situated on a private Island. The restaurant’s avant garde head chef ( Ralph Fines ) sells both art and home grown, self produced food to a select group of high earning customers with quality and presentation far above any other culinary experience. As the guests arrive they are first subjected to a tour of the Island to see the produce used in Hawthorn being grown and sea food being gathered. Once seated in the restaurant the food begins to be served along with a story from head chef outlining the dish and its significance to the overall experience. Before the final course is served the stories become darker and more extreme culminating in the diners becoming fearful for their own lives. Before we reach the final course one sous chef announces that the menu requires an ending that ties everything together conceptually”. At this point in the proceedings it becomes clear that the restaurant staff are very much following the direction of their head chef without question, much in the way followers of any cult leader react. The Menu” is very unsettling and produces some uneasy, grimacing moments but balances them out well with enough humour and satire to make for a rather enjoyable experience.
This movie is not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Without giving anything away, the plot is a unique one and the main villains motivation is original, but the movie spoils everything by treating the audience like idiots. One example (and this _is_ a spoiler, albeit a small one, so skip this paragraph if you still want to watch the movie) is when one character gets his finger chopped off. This was because he told his wife he was going to handle the situation, and one of the baddies responded by asking with which hand? When he didnt reply, she said left hand, ring finger and one of the other baddies proceeded to chop said finger off. Now that all sounds very clever (handle/hand - what a pun!) if you dont think about it too much, but if you _do_, youll realize that the baddies had no way of knowing that that character was going to use the word handle, and yet removing his finger seemed to have been pre-planned. Were they going to do it anyway, and his use of the word was a lucky coincidence that allowed them to make a pun while doing it? Or in their meeting earlier, did they say at some point someone might use the word handle, at which point were going to remove part of their hand? I dont know, and some of you might say Im being pedantic, but this movie was _full_ of things like this. It really took me out of it. 3/10, wouldnt recommend.
Late to the party with this one! Probably a party to avoid anyway... emThe Menu/em is a film deserving of hype. Its very good, with some strong storytelling and excellent cast showings. Anya Taylor-Joy continues to be a very reliable actress, yet to dislike a performance from her. Ralph Fiennes, meanwhile, feels perfect for the role of Chef. Hong Chau sticks out too, while it was good to see Paul Adelstein act again - not seen him in anything since emPrison Break/em, well aside from a bit part in his (underrated) emImposters/em show. The movie sets an nice tone, it isnt all that unpredictable (though is in a few moments, tbf) but still manages to build good tension throughout. As someone who hadnt seen either but has now at least seen one of them, up until recently I thought this and emThe Bear/em were the same thing; based on a few glimpses I got of each poster. How interesting that they released so close to each other, even the (great) emBoiling Point/em feature film with Stephen Graham basically came out in 2022 too. Year of the kitchen.
The Menu starts with an intriguing idea, but dont get your hopes up—it becomes painfully predictable almost right out of the gate. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, and those so-called twists? Yeah, they land with all the excitement of a damp napkin. The only saving grace is the fantastic cast—Anna Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult—though even they seem to be phoning it in. Its honestly tragic how little theyre given to work with. The films popularity must be riding entirely on their star power, because of the plot? Lets just say it doesnt bring anything fresh to the table. Overall, its a real letdown, especially with wasted talent like that, leaving a disappointing impact.
The Menu starts with an intriguing idea, but dont get your hopes up—it becomes painfully predictable almost right out of the gate. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, and those so-called twists? Yeah, they land with all the excitement of a damp napkin. The only saving grace is the fantastic cast—Anna Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult—though even they seem to be phoning it in. Its honestly tragic how little theyre given to work with. The films popularity must be riding entirely on their star power, because of the plot? Lets just say it doesnt bring anything fresh to the table. Overall, its a real letdown, especially with wasted talent like that, leaving a disappointing impact.