Review - The Menu
Directed by: Mark Mylod
Written by: Seth Reiss, Will Tracy
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, John Leguizamo,
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rating: 4.5/5
Do not eat. Taste.
Have you ever spent an absurd amount of money on a tasting experience? Yes, not a dinner at your ordinary restaurant. A tasting experience? Maybe Japanese omakase? Or the speciality of the evening?
How about a $1250 per person for an exclusive getaway to a discreet island to have an experience that you won’t forget?
Mark Mylod’s The Menu invites the audience to partake in such spectacle; a delightfully twisted journey disguised through the art and precision of culinary mastery. Twelve unsuspecting guests make their way into a modern day “Gosford Park” - Hawthorne, a dining establishment curated by Executive Chef, Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) a man driven by obsession, perfection and absolute control. Anya-Taylor Joy leads the ensemble as Margot, the new beau of Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) the jittery, over-excited teacher’s pet of all things culinary and food.
“The Menu carefully crafts a foundation for its stunning ensemble cast to fire on all cylinders, delightfully plating a final product that is, without a doubt, absolutely (sinfully) delicious. ”
The film unravels, like its namesake, a menu; moving fast through its multitude of courses from fresh appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, to palette cleansers and second and third courses - all progressively building in tension, complexity and an abundance in shock and awe. A thriller stewing in waves of satirical horror and dark comedy; the screenplay and thunderous sound design and score all lay the foundation for a journey that is twisted, terrifying and somewhat belly-laugh inducing. The dialogue is absolute spitfire - from deadpan deliveries to frantic jabs left and right from the battling guests; the characters live and breathe like 12 Angry Men rewritten in the vein of Jesse Armstrong’s Succession. Mylod pulls apart the proverbial onion; layers upon layers of the dark depths of society’s obsession for culinary perfection (and pretentiousness) cultural and societal stature and the push and pulls of the toxicity of social media culture. You think you know what this film is about? As Chef Slowik says; you are not here to eat. You are here to taste. Savour the moment. Savour the flavours. It is all part of the journey.
To say that Anya Taylor-Joy’s star is rising is an understatement; her performance is powerful, stunning and speaks volumes across her frame. To me though, it is an absolute travesty that Ralph Fiennes has NOT YET won an Oscar for his body of work - he is vicarious, intimidating and manipulative, his body language speaks volumes and his slight crack of a smile would terrify even the most high strung Gordon Ramsay. Hong Chau and Nicholas Hault also lead a wondrous supporting cast.
To say the least, this film is best served cold - blind and unknowing to all flavors and textures in this dining journey. The Menu carefully crafts a foundation for its stunning ensemble cast to fire on all cylinders, delightfully plating a final product that is, without a doubt, absolutely (sinfully) delicious.
