The Menu

With The Menu, director Mark Mylod serves up a searing, timely satire on classism, criticism, and capitalism. Led by Anya-Taylor Joy and Ralph Fiennes, the film centers around a luxury dining experience hosted by a renowned and obsessive chef, Julien Slowik (Fiennes), on his private island, Hawthorne. Reserved only for the rich and powerful, a young couple, Margot (Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), find themselves on this exclusive list. As the festivities begin, the group seems to be in for a standard affair of pretentious and stuffy fine dining but soon realizes the chef has other plans for the night’s five-course meal.

The Menu is a film that might not work for everyone. With its insanely dry humor and absurdly over-the-top moments, it certainly caters to a specific audience. But for those who find themselves in that target audience, The Menu will prove to be a great time at the theater despite it being a harsh mirror to our vapid culture and opens a surprisingly melancholic conversation on what it means to be an artist and expose yourself to the world. Given the film’s topics, it almost feels wrong to write a review on it. Seth Reiss and Will Tracy’s darkly comedic and tight screenplay tackles the concept of criticism and fan culture. While framed in the culinary world within the context of this film, the themes can be applied broadly to any art form. When do love and appreciation for art start to chip away at the essence of the art form itself and its contributors? What sets The Menu apart from other attempts at satirizing the rich (ahem Triangle of Sadness) is its complex and layered discussion of such themes as opposed to “rich people = bad.” It adds something new to the conversation and weaves its commentary into the plot in an engaging and purposeful manner that does not feel glaringly on the nose.

Chef Julien Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) casts his demeaning presence over his dining room but particularly towards a smarmy food connoisseur, Tyler (Nicholas Hoult).

As if she hasn’t already proved herself as a household name, Anya-Taylor Joy solidifies herself as a talent to be reckoned with yet again. Joy exudes the “it factor” in every scene she finds herself in, always commanding attention from the audience. She proves to be a more-than-worthy on-screen sparring partner for Fiennes’ seemingly unhinged chef Slowik. His performance and interpretation of the screenplay will have the audience wickedly sympathizing and understanding him by the end, regardless of his outlandish behavior. Hoult’s portrayal of the overly self-involved and pretentious Tyler functions as comedic relief and is evidently the vehicle for which the film explores fan culture. Out of the supporting cast of characters that consists of a pompous critic, a has-been actor, and a group of “finance bros”, it’s the hostess of Hawthorne, Elsa (Hong Chau) that steals the show. Oscillating between suspicious, unsettling, and tongue-in-cheek, Chau’s unpredictable and deadpan performance places the audience in a delightfully uncomfortable position and will have you asking yourself, “Should I be laughing at this?”

Mark Mylod’s direction reflects the nature of the film. Carefully curated shots, showcasing symmetry and highlighting the opulence of the setting mirror that of both the wealthy patrons’ willingness to keep up appearances as well as the chef’s desire to attain perfection with his creations. The stylization of the film, particularly shots showcasing each of the dishes a la Chef’s Table, adds to The Menu’s niche and self-aware aura. Colin Stetson’s score blends into the film, maybe too well as it never stood out aside from the film’s disturbing yet cheeky climax. Like his work in Hereditary, Stetson’s ability to pair macabre visuals with a heavenly auditory experience during a film’s climax is astonishing. It’s a shame the score was not as prominent as it was in the aforementioned film but that’s not to say that it was a negative aspect of The Menu at all.

The Menu’s ability to balance thrilling scenes with comedy and never once cut the tension is the film’s defining trait that ultimately makes it a personal favorite of the year. From the film’s stacked cast (both familiar faces and new), its layered commentary, and stark, clean visuals,  The Menu dishes out an exhilarating feast for the senses that is sure to have me coming back for seconds.

Verdict: For being a cutting satire that doesn’t take itself seriously with performances that understand the essence of Mylod’s sharp writing, The Menu is a Nick Pick.