The Menu

The Menu

A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 108 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Horror
  • Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, John Leguizamo, Judith Light, Rob Yang, Reed Birney, Janet McTeer, Aimee Carrero, Paul Adelstein, Mark St. Cyr, Rebecca Koon, Peter Grosz, Christina Brucato, Adam Aalderks
  • Director: Mark Mylod
 Comments
  • tamer_belal - 27 June 2024
    The chef and his menu
    Very good movie , very well written, it's very funny that some people think it's about food or about the people who are spoiled nowadays. It's way deeper then that. Ralph fiennes did a great as usual portraying God ( the chef ) nicolas hoult did a great job portraying the superficial believer. Anne did a nice job portraying the innocent guilty but the only character who suffered in her life (her meal) but still enjoyed it and even asked for more which satisfied the chef ,and finally he gave her pardon and chance to enjoy her low life ( her cheeseburger ) , great writing and directing and acting , (i think it deserved a better casting) , but i still feel that something was missing maybe needed more deep music and the set was very modern and very bright for that deep meaning. But it's really nice movie . But really if i had the choice i would never go to that restaurant, but it was not my choice .
  • grinningelvis - 17 May 2024
    Leftovers of 3 Star Meal
    The Menu isn't particularly good. Certain courses are lean and tasty, but as a whole, Mylod's film isn't much more than a reheated satire that shifts a little too quickly from icy comeuppance to a milquetoast lecture on class and capitalist culture. While The Menu flirts with self-awareness, it's also guilty of the same arrogant detachment it accuses its victims of embodying. The film suggests a body count but what's supposed to matter is the sense of dread that comes with each progressively clever course, a set-up that loses its irony as soon as we see our first drop of blood. Each of the diners at this exquisite charade is a broad type and a simplistic target. From philandering philanthropist to haughty restaurant critic to empty influencer, each represents a bare-bones assumption of corruption and delusion, but the screenplay can't be bothered to play by its own rules (John Leguizamo's gregarious actor's crime? Making a disappointing lowbrow movie - wink wink). Once the sacrifice begins, every single actor on screen becomes a concept the movie can't be bothered to serve. At a certain point, the line between dread and dark comedy doesn't blur exactly the way the filmmakers intend. Whereas, say, Rian Johnson's Knives Out (obviously an influence here) presented a wide array of types inside a theme and managed to deliver interesting wrinkles, everyone in The Menu is just waiting around to die. It's in the film's preachier moments that we realize that the offenders may not really be so bad as their supposed crimes. That makes Ralph Fiennes ennui-packed performance seem just a little less menacing. He's mugging afterall, just like Anna Taylor Joy's "Margot" is earmarked from the first scene as our inevitable Final Girl. The menu of The Menu isn't exclusive or refined, just expensive. And if you revel in its many carnal delights, there's a pretty good chance you'll feel full only to find yourself going through the drive-thru on your way home.

    I tried to cram in as many eye-rolling allusions as possible when writing this review. Unfortunately, that seems to be what Mylod's team did here as well.
  • mario-sbardella-4 - 28 March 2024
    Ostentatious Dinner Theatre At Its Finest
    Business Insider ranks Chef as #9 on their list of professions with the most psychopaths. The Menu is a brilliant little film that encapsulates that fact as its mission statement. The cinematography and attention to detail makes the whole movie beautiful to look at, and the actual restaurant menu itself is delightfully interesting.

    It's both funny and scary. There are some disturbing parts in this film as this is of course a literal take on the commonly known phrase: "Hell's Kitchen." This film provides an excellent idea for immersive dinner theatre and all of the actors pull it off wonderfully. Great writing, great twists, and a very fun watch.
  • LansTaylor - 13 January 2023
    Dark Satire at its Finest
    First off, "can we get some actual bread now"?!

    The pacing and tension throughout the film was impeccable. There wasn't a dull moment that I could think of. With every meal and every introduction, I constantly felt as if someone was gonna explode or something. The comedy was subtle but enough to give me a good laugh and allowed me to have a breather in-between all the tension. The menu, along with its description, that appears on the screen was a nice added touch. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each one.

    The relationship between the critic and the chef falls along a sensitive line. People obsessing over an art while not being able to participate in said art can irks the artist in the wrong way. It's hard to take criticism while also knowing that the critic could never recreate your craft to the same degree. Critics have power over how successful an artist can become, which is the overall theme of the movie.

    Overall, I really really enjoyed the film as it reminded me of what Ratatouille would look like if it was rated R. Chef Slowik's reaction to the cheeseburger was identical to Anton Ego's when he had his flashback.

    On a final note, is that not the tastiest looking cheeseburger ever shown in a movie?!
  • sameenuk - 12 January 2023
    Silly romp
    This is kind of a very dumb film, reminiscent of Beeetlejuice. But deliciously well acted. I appreciated the way the films first act introduced all the key players in particular the chef.

    I can't get Ralph Fiennes channelling Hannibal Lecter, Pope Benedict and Anton Bourdin out of my head. I admit by the end, I was rooting for Team Chef.

    The Bettlejuice analogy is quite good for this. It's a horror film but the horror isn't in the gore but in the characters who themselves become victims to their own avarices, notably the foodie superfan.

    I enjoyed the cinematography. Beautifully shot scenes. The script dialogue was a little empty, with some gaping plot holes. But I think this is one where you take as a comedy with a pinch of salt.
  • cknorton-82131 - 12 January 2023
    A gripping, intriguing, unique genre blend (Horror/Comedy/Thriller) carried by excellent lead performances. The tension builds with assertiveness...
    Overall: 8.2

    Summary: A gripping, intriguing, unique genre blend (Horror/Comedy/Thriller) carried by excellent lead performances. The tension builds with assertiveness as you wallow in dread and scramble to define meaning to what is happening and why. Well shot, well edited, with incredible performances by Ralph Fiennes as the chef and Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot. The supporting performances are equally as good. It's a bizarre feat, and tone, and ending but it's originality and execution make it a great achievement and will last with you after the credits roll.

    Setting, Conflict, Character, Dialogue, Theme, Plot, and Climax: B+

    Runtime: 1:47

    Audience Engagement (do you feel runtime): No

    Top Genres: Comedy, Horror, Thriller (Fiction)

    Genre(s) rating Comedy - 7 Horror - 7 Thriller - 8

    Genre Average Score: 7.33 Directing: 8 Cinematography/lighting: 8 Story/Narrative: 9 Structure: 7 Dialogue: 8 Score(music): 8 Editing: 9 Acting: 9 Characterization: 8 Mise en Scène/Visual Design: 9 Visual Effects: 8 Sound Design: 8 Costumes/Makeup: 8 Lasting Impact: 8 Originality: 9

    Overall: 8.2.
  • Makkers1 - 9 January 2023
    Too bizarre to be credible
    What starts off as a rich cast of characters lured to this exotic retreat to sample the legendary serving of a world class chef descends into a chaotic, nonsensical and truly inexplicable film.

    An array of diverse set of (wealthy) people cannot wait to attend a special dinner event at a hideaway restaurant run by the enigmatic

    Chef Slowic played by Ralph Fiennes.

    It focuses on a young couple (Nicholas Hoult and his escort) but then also brings in the other people. We learn they all have secrets and unsavoury backgrounds.

    So far, so normal. Then inexplicably the plot descends into a morbid spiral that also involves the other chefs, and even the owner. Everyone in the kitchen appears to be unhinged and that's where I threw the towel in.

    The film reminded me of the 70s Amicus/Tigon horror films where a host takes retribution on people who deserve it. This film however takes it a step further.

    The production and acting is terrific. The plot lets it down I'm afraid. Too far fetched for anyone to go along with it.
  • RussHog - 8 January 2023
    Not my taste.
    This was a weird film. It's sorta too artsy for me. But it was well filmed and had good acting. The premise is that a bunch of rich snobby people go to an island for a private dinner and the chef has a dark and sinister plan for them. I think this film might have worked better if some of the bad people had a shot at redemption or something - but whatever. The movie isn't really bad more than it just wasn't a film I liked. I can't write that it is an awful movie or anything...but I would not recommend it to anyone and I wish I had no watched it. In fact, I wish that I had watched anything else. Or done anything else.
  • chucksteel - 8 January 2023
    A nightmare is on The Menu
    The Menu starts out realistic, then gradually gets more absurd and macabre. I feel it's something like what Edgar Allen Poe might have written. This is a satire of the idle rich. I'm getting to the point where, if I see Anya Taylor-Joy in the credits, then I know it's gonna be good - I don't know why, but I just really like her. And John Leguizamo is one of those actors who makes a production better just by being part of it. I don't want to write anything more to give anything away, but I will say you need to expect the unexpected here - it starts out fairly normal, with the expectation this is gonna be a really interesting dinner party, but then it becomes increasingly a bizarre nightmare. Just go with it. Or stay safe.
  • Sniggih9000 - 8 January 2023
    Poor attempt at shock value
    As the title suggests it's just a poor attempt at a shocking horror movie. It's just really bad. I'm now going to keep writing characters to fulfill my review requirements. Did I mention it is just not that good? Where was I...I am glad I sat through the whole thing while nursing my wife after wisdom tooth surgery recovery because I was getting really bored and after the holidays I was binged out. Very poor villain and "hero" writing, awesome cast selection for a B movie so I should bump up a star just for the way the producers got to sign on to this project. This movie screams evidence that blackmail or hand washing definitely exists in Hollywood.