The Menu must have been a nightmare to market. It’s a satire, horror-thriller, and comedy all in one with dramatic turns that can’t be spoiled. I saw the trailer and was intrigued by the ensemble cast, but I was too busy to really see any new releases this fall. Now it’s streaming on HBO Max, and it looks like it’s finally finding its audience as more people, myself included, are watching it at home. The director Mark Mylod is no stranger to HBO either, having directed episodes of Game of Thrones and Succession.
The main story sees food enthusiast Nicholas Hoult and his uninvited guest Anya Taylor-Joy being invited to an island where only the richest are invited to dine with a master chef, played by Ralph Fiennes. Other guests include a washed-up actor clinging onto any ounce of relevance he has left, played by John Leguizamo, food critics, and other wealthy persons of the ass-hole variety.
Part of the fun of The Menu is in not knowing the surprises, so I will say this: once the assortment of wealthy people reaches the island, they get a tour and notice certain things that appear to be slightly off (vague enough?). The use of the cutthroat food service industry is a perfect backdrop for this type of movie because it is so strict and competitive that a lot of the red flags get swept under the rug as doing whatever it takes for the customer. This is embodied by Hong Chau’s delightful performance as the hostess and tour guide, but also by the assortment of chefs preparing the food that line up together and answer everything with “yes, Chef!” like they’re in a kitchen army.
Hong Chau’s unfazed “customer-service voice” made for some of the funniest moments in the film. “They’re tor-tillas.”
Ralph Fiennes—who absolutely chews up all of his scenes as the head chef from Hell’s actual kitchen—starts his presentation of courses, usually accompanied by a speech about what message he is trying to say with the dish. Hoult is enthralled at just being able to be sitting among and taste the food of his idol. The food critics offer up their analysis of what the food is saying with conversations that sound like mini-reviews, offering up a meta-critique of critics in general and how they consume art.
There really isn’t a clear protagonist or direction or sense of where the movie is going, but once the stakes get raised, and the dinner party turns into a game of survival, it makes for an unpredictably fun time. Taylor-Joy and Hoult have a good dynamic where you get the sense that Hoult only invited her because he needed a plus one. In fact, early on, it’s revealed she wasn’t his original guest, which makes sense seeing as she doesn’t fit in with this group of people and the cult around this exclusive food that is so symbolic of status in many ways.
The writing by avoids becoming preachy or overbearing with its satire and manages to be a thrilling genre movie at the same time; movies like Parasite or Glass Onion would make a good double feature with this one. The direction and production design are shot with clear precision, reflecting the strict nature of this level of food preparation. The closeups of each dish are served up with title cards with the list of ingredients along with the name of the dish that begins to get funnier as the movie goes along and you begin to expect those breaks of tension in the story.
Once details are revealed, the third act kind of unravels under the pressure cooker that the plot created up until that point, but the ride is still unique and enjoyable. Some may not have the stomach for the places that The Menu goes, but sickos, like me, will be asking for seconds once the credits roll.
Final Rating:
‘The Menu’ is streaming now on HBO Max.
Rated R.
(Photos: Searchlight Pictures)
