Continuing my catchup of 2022 films that were highly regarded, I decided the next picture would be Mark Mylod’s culinary thriller. The Menu was released in November 2022 and stars Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult.

The Menu opens with our major characters Tyler (Hoult) and Margot (Taylor-Joy) as they journey to a private island to eat at the famous Hawthorne restaurant. There they meet famous gourmet chef, Julian Slowik (Fiennes) and are served an elaborate meal with other high society patrons. However, the feast is certainly far from your typical five-star dining experience.

I enjoy cooking and have spent a fair bit of time watching cooking shows, so the concept of a thriller centered around cooking was quite appealing. While The Menu certainly prioritizes entertainment value over the food itself, there are certainly a few shots that will make you feel a little hungry. Above all, the standout aspect of this film is Ralph Fiennes and his performance.

He’s incredibly eerie throughout The Menu and his character rules the screen. Though he is the major antagonist he is also somewhat of a tragic villain. Anya Taylor-Joy is also in her element here with this type of film. She always brings a level of ambiguity to each role, often blurring the lines between hero and villain. Here, her character provides the sole voice of reason amongst the chaos and is a nice foil to Fiennes’ Chef Slowik. On the other hand, it is also apparent that her character shares a lot of aspects with Slowik and I could see many viewers sharing the belief that she is equally as villainous.

I really enjoy the commentary this film provides on media criticism and art itself. It pokes fun at a lot of current food trends and gourmet dining culture, while also delivering some social commentary on classism and how that can be illustrated through food. It is cleverly interwoven within the character interactions and events as well, which allows for some truly laugh-out-loud moments of dark comedy.

The structure of the film is very well done. Each course continually escalates tensions in a way that feels natural. I was always entertained throughout wondering just how our major characters would be tormented next.

Although I enjoyed the writing of this film quite a bit, there are a large number of plot holes in the script. I won’t get into them too much, but they are quite easily noticeable if you stop for a moment and think. As creative as this premise is, it’s the kind of thing that falls apart as soon as you start asking questions. Additionally, there are a few character motivations that feel slightly underdeveloped. As a result, some of their decisions seem a little extreme and a tad unrealistic.

Nonetheless, The Menu is a relentlessly entertaining movie. There is never a dull moment and the story is well-paced and shot. If you love trashy reality cooking shows like Master Chef or Hell’s Kitchen, I think you’ll enjoy this even more. The Menu is available to stream on HBO Max.

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The Menu

0.00

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Ralph Fiennes performance
• Creative concept
• Solid writing
• Thought provoking

Cons

• Plot holes are there
• Few underdeveloped characters