MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Dark Comedy-Horror/Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, John Leguizamo, Reed Birney, Paul Adelstein, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rob Yang, Rebecca Koon, Peter Grosz/Runtime: 106 minutes
Wow. Well, that was a thing I just watched. Now normally dear reader whenever you read or hear those words, I have no doubt that the first thing that pops up in your mind is a bit of worry that whatever slice of cinema you are about to hear or read about wasn’t one that, in that particular person’s opinion, turned out to be very good. However, I would urge you to fear not because there are times where that phrase can also be used for a slice of cinema that turned out to be quite the delightful surprise. Case in point the new release this weekend, and film I am reviewing for you today, The Menu. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that when I first saw the trailer for it I must confess that I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to get walking in, but I definitely knew that I would be walking in. Not just because it genuinely did intrigue me (a true rarity at that), but the talent involved was certainly no group of acting slouches by any stretch of the imagination. Thankfully, unlike another recent movie that had both of those elements in play that I “tragically” missed out on seeing (cough Amsterdam cough cough), this one actually has the goods to back up what its trailer had sold me on in the first place. Indeed, the performances by the incredibly well-chosen cast of players are terrific, the turns this slice of cinema takes are quite twistedly satisfying, the blending of genres is extremely well-done, and the work behind the camera is equally as first-rate. Yet if there is one thing that I can definitely say that this slice of cinema does amazingly well it’s the fact that no matter what is going on in the film it is one that will keep you hooked right from the word go and even make you actually believe that there are a number of different ways this particular scenario could play out. Suffice it to say then that yes it may have a few hiccups here and there, but otherwise this is one slice of cinematic pie that is good right down the very last bite and will definitely be one that you want to go to the store and buy the moment it’s over so that way you can enjoy seconds and thirds and fourths and…..well you get the idea….
The plot is as follows: The Menu gets its cinematic dishes cooking as we witness as a fairly well-off yet slightly vain and eccentric member of that eclectic community in the world around us known as food obsessives, or foodies for short, by the name of Tyler is in the process of waiting with his date Margot at their local dock to head out on a boat voyage to a place called Hawthorne. A place that, in addition to running them a cool 1250 (that’s $1,250 incidentally not $12.50. Nice try though) each, happens to be an extremely ritzy restaurant on an island in the middle of nowhere that serves a one-in-a-million style feast by an enigmatic yet iconic chef by the name of Gordon Ramsey ehhh Julian Slowik and his army of drones ehhh kitchen staff. Yet upon arriving we see that Hawthorne is quite the ominous locale as not only does the exterior of the island make the place seem unwelcoming, but the restaurant’s staff seem less like cooks and more like long-lost members of Jim Jones’ cult who didn’t drink the Kool-Aid and just found a new persuasive personality to latch onto. Yet to the visitors who have been assembled including a trinity of bros who represent the restaurant’s financial backer, a well-off older couple, an esteemed food reviewer and her boss, and an iconic actor and his long-suffering assistant, this is all just viewed as either delightfully artistic or absolutely necessary to ensure that the staff gives them the best quality product for their money possible. Of course, while our group believes that they are about to get a meal like no other I think it is no surprise to learn that what they will receive instead is something quite distinct. You see dear reader it seems our top chef has been planning this evening for awhile for this special group and now that the table has been set and the guests have arrived it is time for a dinner that I promise by the end of the movie neither they nor you will ever forget…..
Now right off the bat, I would just like to say that if that plot synopsis seemed perhaps a wee bit on the vague side for you then ten points to your respective Hogwarts House because that was exactly what I was aiming for here. Indeed, more than that, I am willing to go so far as to say that the synopsis I gave you should definitely be the exact amount you should know about this slice of cinematic pie before sitting down to devour it since it is best left going in as blind as possible. With that in mind though, I will also say that although the reveals that this slice of cinema hurtles your way won’t really be a test for your imagination, they are still extremely well-designed, rooted, and quite enjoyable to behold. With that out of the way, I will say that the work done behind the camera on this film truly is quite delectable. This starts with the fact that this slice of cinema does an ingenious job in utilizing the dinner courses as a framework for the narrative to operate in since each course brings something riveting, engaging, or just plain ominous to the table (pun intended) that manages to both elevate the narrative whilst also upping the ante for our cast of players. Not only that, but it is through this novel framework that this slice of cinema is able to both make the most of its cast and also find wonderful ways to construct them as individuals whilst also providing pieces to the overall puzzle at the heart of the film. Along with that, it should also be noted that this slice of cinema is brilliantly constructed in certain ways to be able to inflict the viewer with a level of unease all on its own. Perhaps the key example of this is a series of loud claps engaged in by Chef Julian at certain points in the movie that not only get the customers to focus on him, but also showcase the ironclad level of devotion that his staff possess in him as it is their cue to drop whatever it is they are working on and also listen to him. Suffice it to say that it is this expressible level of command and formality that also manages to make its way into the work done in the sound editing department with a string of tense and loud “yes chefs” given in response to various commands and questions asked of the staff that manage to raise the tension in the room quite significantly. Finally, I also feel that it should be noted that the production design team for this film did a wonderful job at making this restaurant and the rest of the facilities on the island look both elegant yet unsullied and then being completely onboard with letting this pristine landscape just gets delightfully messier and messier as the film goes along.
Of course, it should also be noted that whilst there really truly is not a single weak performance to be found amidst the relatively contained cast of players in this slice of cinema right down to John Leguizamo who I’m just delighted to see pop up in a live action cinematic effort again and NOT an animated one where he plays an annoying sloth named Sid, it should also not exactly come as a shock to learn that the standout performances are the ones that you may or may not have anticipated. This starts with Anya Taylor-Joy who once again manages to offer us definitive proof to validate her claim as one of the best actresses in her generation of her talent as she gives a seemingly effortless convincing and magnetic performance in the role of Margot. Indeed, despite being surrounded by all the entitlement, awe, and/or just plain snobbery displayed by the rest of the guests who have been assembled for this *ahem* “magical evening” at Hawthorne, Taylor-Joy does a wonderful job at giving the audience a significantly more down to earth let alone immensely skeptical as well as guarded point of view that not only overshadows what the antagonist is trying to achieve here at points, but also gives this dark comedy the teeth it so desperately needs to work on the level that it is aspiring to achieve. Suffice it to say it is one heck of a performance from an actress who has become known for almost always bringing her A-game to any project she is a part of. Just as fantastic as Taylor-Joy, albeit for not entirely the same reasons, is Nicholas Hoult in the role of Margot’s giddy almost childlike at times dinner date Tyler. Indeed, this is a character that if I had to think of a way in which to describe him I would say that he is very much a stereotype of the type of foodie who is such a fanatic of food that they will literally take pictures before even imagining eating their food so as if to preserve the memory of it in both their minds and their tastebuds equally. Thankfully, this slice of cinema never really makes it feel like this character is meant to be a parody since the plain absurdity showcased by Tyler as the film goes on does provide a delightful degree of humor that Hoult sells perfectly. Equally as impressive as that however is the fact that Hoult also does just as well with the character when the film provides him with his own rather tense moments as well especially in one key scene late in the movie that will certainly leave you on the edge of your seat in a fantastic concoction of unease and fear with a bit of curiosity as to just how in the world this particular scene is going to play out for us on top for good measure. Finally, I would be totally amiss if I didn’t take time to point out the wonderful work done here by the iconic Ralph Fiennes in the role of the film’s mysterious antagonist Chef Julian Slowik. A brilliant mixture of Gordon Ramsey, Charles Manson, and even a dash of Hannibal Lecter’s sociopathic tendencies thrown in for good measure, Fiennes is terrific as a man who, from the moment he first appears on screen, hooks you in and doesn’t really let go especially with his dagger-like stare, his gentle passive-aggressive manner toward his guests, and the almost rhythmic intensity that he manages to acquire through a series of loud claps that snap the cooks under him to attention as if they are recruits in Full Metal Jacket rather than cooks in a kitchen. At the same time though, Fiennes also proves to be a twistedly amusing verbal sparring partner for Taylor-Joy in this since, without going into spoilers, he knows that Margot is out of place in some way yet for the life of him he has no idea on how to handle it. Suffice it to say that it is another wonderful performance from a talent who has certainly given us more than his fair share of those.
All in all I can safely say beyond a doubt in my mind that the slice of cinema that is The Menu really is a difficult one to really put a toothpick in and explain. Indeed its atmosphere is overwhelmed with enigma since you are continuously trying to get to the chewy middle of the Tootsie Roll-style narrative where we see little by little more and more is revealed to you. On top of that, the surprises that it manages to conjure up to say nothing of the slowly rising dread and unease felt by most of the characters in it are elements that are very much right at home in the distinct genre of movie magic that is horror. Yet, as if those two components weren’t filling in their own right, we see that this slice of cinematic pie is then finished off with a delightful dollop of a distinct wry sense of humor that is reinforced significantly by some sneakily insightful analysis that it helps to show off which, due to being able to get some insidious gallows humor-style laughs out of you, is enough to warrant this slice of cinematic pie in potentially being viewed as a dark comedy. Yet Alan you may be saying, this is all well and good, but what exactly am I dealing with here? Well the truth is that it is very much both of those genres mixed together so well that neither overpowers the other. As a result, what we are left with is a slice of cinematic pie that is comedic, spooky, and riveting, but also without question engaging and quite pointed to boot. On top of that, it has a fantastic cast of characters that I promise you will adore getting permission to utterly despise, it takes a seriously welcome stab at pretentiousness with some wonderful poking and prodding at the idea of classes in society, and it even has a phenomenal yet tidy layout about it that both wonderfully strengthens the overall mood and also should get a more than passing grade from even the most remotely passionate about their job member of your local health department. Jokes aside though, there is no denying that the slice of cinema that is The Menu is definitely one intriguing cinematic dish that you owe it to yourself to try at the very least once before anyone else comes along and decides to ruin the experience for you. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Menu “2022” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
