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The Menu
With the director of the HBO series Succession behind the camera and a screenplay influenced by Stephen King and Agatha Christie, the 2022 thriller The Menu is a spine-tingling roller coaster ride that despite some story inconsistencies, found this reviewer riveted to the screen for the entire running time. Will attempt to review this film without spoilers.
A young couple named Tyler and Margot are among a very select group of guests who have paid $1250 a plate to take a boat to a remote island that is the location of a very special restaurant called Hawthorne. They are joined there by an arrogant food critic and the editor of the magazine she writes for, an unhappily married couple named Richard and Anne, a cocky movie star and his personal assistant, and three young crooked businessmen. It's not long after the first couple of courses that these people find they are in store for a lot more than a gourmet meal.
Screenwriters Seth Reiss and Will Tracy have given us a complex and sometimes confusing story that unfolds very slowly, offering tiny hints to what's going on without giving everything away all at once. Our first clue that all is not as it appears is that Tyler has been living for this event and date Margot is less than thrilled. Then we learn that Margot was not Tyler's original date for this event. Then during the third course of the meal, the diners are served tortillas that have events from the guests' lives sculpted on them. Loved the way each course was written on the screen for the viewer like a movie card in a Woody Allen movie. The Chef's staff was beyond creepy, almost like soldiers or robots, for which little backstory is provided, but how they got where they are becomes irrelevant.
Director Mark Mylod, who directed most of the HBO series Succession, is to be applauded for his meticulous mounting of this suspenseful and creepy movie that made the hair on the back of neck stand up. The film is beautifully photographed featuring Oscar-worthy cinematography and film editing. The editing really shines whenever the camera is focused on the courses being prepared. Mylod's attention to the preparation of the food in this movie makes cooking seem like a religion that not all can be a part of. However, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that Tyler wants to be a part of this religion, but it is never to be. As it becomes clear what's happening here, we are saddened as the rest of the principals quietly accept it too.
Mylod gathers an interesting ensemble cast to bring his vision to life. headed by Ralph Fiennes in an absolutely bone-chilling turn as Chef that should, but won't, earn him an Oscar nomination. Anya Taylor-Joy's gutsy Margot demands attention as does Nicholas Hoult's almost child-like Tyler. Also loved Janet McTeer as the food critic and John Leguizamo as the movie star. Influence from other classic films is evident here, but this is an original work that grips the viewer, even if all the questions posed aren't answered.
With the director of the HBO series Succession behind the camera and a screenplay influenced by Stephen King and Agatha Christie, the 2022 thriller The Menu is a spine-tingling roller coaster ride that despite some story inconsistencies, found this reviewer riveted to the screen for the entire running time. Will attempt to review this film without spoilers.
A young couple named Tyler and Margot are among a very select group of guests who have paid $1250 a plate to take a boat to a remote island that is the location of a very special restaurant called Hawthorne. They are joined there by an arrogant food critic and the editor of the magazine she writes for, an unhappily married couple named Richard and Anne, a cocky movie star and his personal assistant, and three young crooked businessmen. It's not long after the first couple of courses that these people find they are in store for a lot more than a gourmet meal.
Screenwriters Seth Reiss and Will Tracy have given us a complex and sometimes confusing story that unfolds very slowly, offering tiny hints to what's going on without giving everything away all at once. Our first clue that all is not as it appears is that Tyler has been living for this event and date Margot is less than thrilled. Then we learn that Margot was not Tyler's original date for this event. Then during the third course of the meal, the diners are served tortillas that have events from the guests' lives sculpted on them. Loved the way each course was written on the screen for the viewer like a movie card in a Woody Allen movie. The Chef's staff was beyond creepy, almost like soldiers or robots, for which little backstory is provided, but how they got where they are becomes irrelevant.
Director Mark Mylod, who directed most of the HBO series Succession, is to be applauded for his meticulous mounting of this suspenseful and creepy movie that made the hair on the back of neck stand up. The film is beautifully photographed featuring Oscar-worthy cinematography and film editing. The editing really shines whenever the camera is focused on the courses being prepared. Mylod's attention to the preparation of the food in this movie makes cooking seem like a religion that not all can be a part of. However, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that Tyler wants to be a part of this religion, but it is never to be. As it becomes clear what's happening here, we are saddened as the rest of the principals quietly accept it too.
Mylod gathers an interesting ensemble cast to bring his vision to life. headed by Ralph Fiennes in an absolutely bone-chilling turn as Chef that should, but won't, earn him an Oscar nomination. Anya Taylor-Joy's gutsy Margot demands attention as does Nicholas Hoult's almost child-like Tyler. Also loved Janet McTeer as the food critic and John Leguizamo as the movie star. Influence from other classic films is evident here, but this is an original work that grips the viewer, even if all the questions posed aren't answered.