Want to watch a mystery/thriller with heavy culinary themes and an overarching menu? The Menu is just what you’re looking for. This film follows a group of people being invited to a very exclusive island restaurant run by an eccentric chief. With a story full of as many twists and turns as some Fusilli pasta! So, with that said let’s take a look at The Menu.
Details of The Menu
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Companies: Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions, TSG Entertainment
Director: Mark Mylod
Producers: Adam McKay, Betsy Koch, & Will Ferrell
Scriptwriters: Seth Reiss & Will Tracy
Main Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Anna Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, & John Leguizamo
Released: 18th November 2022
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Story of The Menu
The story of The Menu follows a group of people being invited to an island restaurant called . Tyler (Hoult) and Margot (Adams) are shown to be our way into this story as Blank explains the illusive chief and his restaurant to his date, . We are shown that very early on that the invited guests are all flawed in a very obvious way, all except Margot. Just as they were seated in the restaurant things quickly start to take a macabre approach as Chef Slowik prolongs into long drawn out, monologues about stabbing his father and then the amounting pressures of being a chef.
Analysis of The Menu
The cast of characters that inhabit the restaurant are all cleverly revealed to be majorly flawed in some way, with the chief inviting them for the sole reason to put on one final menu. One where everyone involved will truly be incorporated into the menu, but not the cliché cannibal approach. Instead, the film takes a creative approach to this just like many culinary workers take creative approaches to the food they make. You can see this sense of creative flair throughout the film. The nuances of a little look, a smirk held for a second too long, a waitress taking a bit too much of an attitude with someone who she just met, all these things seem like nothing on the surface but upon a rewatch can only be seen for what they are- warning signs of the true story of The Menu.
Score and Cinematography
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The score and cinematography pair perfectly together. The slow pans partnered with the suspenseful music will have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. The fluidity of the cinematography is really impressive. The switch from the slow drawn-out pans to a rapid change of angles depending on the need and tone of the scene. Rewatching The Menu holds a particular appeal due to this as you can rewatch to try and spot any warning signs or red flags that appear. One I spotted was the attitude towards Margot- this is revealed to be because she was not meant to be invited, another more greedy, ever-lusting, ever demanding, never satisfied person was.
Tyler was meant to bring his partner of the time, not her. He brought her knowing what he had brought her into, he was secretly the worst. All disguised by some eccentric behavior that can be seen as Autistic rather than abrasive and being portrayed by Nicholas Holt. Tyler’s unravelling is even better upon a rewatch.
Summary of The Menu
The overall tone and feeling you get as you watch each character unravel under the stress and macabre attitude of Chef Slowik makes this a really unique, enthralling movie. Nicholas Hoult once again puts on an amazing performance, but it simply outshone by Taylor-Joy and Fiennes. If you love your thrillers The Menu is a must watch for you! The pace builds up around half way through and just stays at this runner’s pace of action. Then subverts from what seemed to be cannibal story into something much more unique. S’mores anyone?
Overall Rating: 10 – Masterpiece!
You can watch The Menu on Disney+
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