Eating Up "The Menu"

Mild spoilers ahead.

It's a nice surprise to walk into an innocuous looking horror film and find something more interesting going on.  "The Menu" features one really good idea, which is to take the theatricality and the pretensions of haute cuisine restaurant culture and take them to totally extreme, absurdist ends.  Written by Will Tracy, and directed by Mark Mylod (both "Succession" alums), there are thrills and chills aplenty to be found, but the joy of "The Menu" is in its pitch black humor and a very committed cast - starting with the insane celebrity chef played by Ralph Fiennes.

Julian Slowik strikes me as having more in common with Lydia Tár than Hannibal Lecter.  He's a passionate artist who has given over his whole life to his craft, and risen to the top of his field.  However, being forced to serve so many toxic "eaters" has soured him on his art.  He uses his chosen medium - an elaborate multi-course meal served at his remote island restaurant, priced in such a way that he can control the list of diners - to vent his frustrations.  The customers include a prominent food critic (Janet McTeer) and her toadying editor (Paul Adelstein), a movie star (John Leguizamo) and his assistant (Aimee Carrero), a trio of finance bros (Rob Yang, Arturo Castro, and Mark St. Cyr), and a wealthy couple (Reed Birney and Judith Light) celebrating their anniversary.  And then there's Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), a total newcomer to this scene, who isn't supposed to be there.  She's a last minute invite, whose seat is being paid for by Slowik fanboy Tyler (Nicolas Hoult).  

"The Menu" doesn't become a horror film for a long while, leaning into the dark comedy as the various characters are introduced and arrive at the restaurant.  Sure, Slowik's staff displays creepy, cult-like devotion to their jobs, and there's an uncomfortable amount of contempt coming across in the early courses, but this mirrors the often unbearably high concept fine dining experiences that cater to the privileged crowd in real life.  The critiques aren't especially deep, but I do appreciate how thorough they are.  Jabs are aimed at everything from the uber perfectionism of the food presentation, to the gleefully condescending service of the maitre d' Elsa (Hong Chau), to the smug course descriptions that serve as chapter breaks in the film.  Each of the customers stand in for various sins of the industry and its supporters, and Slowik doesn't leave himself out either, confessing to his own mistreatment of his workers at one point.  Horror aficionados might be disappointed that there's not much by way of blood and guts, but the foodies will surely recognize the skillfulness of the skewering.  

I was initially a little surprised at the high caliber of the cast for a film with such a pulpy premise.  However, "The Menu" is full of fun characters for the actors to sink their teeth into.  Ralph Fiennes is absolutely the MVP here, for playing Slowik with far more restraint than I was expecting.  Instead of an over the top lunatic, he comes across as a  deeply sad and damaged man whose brilliance has led him off the deep end.  There's some real pain in his rants that gives him some pathos.  Anya Taylor-Joy's Margot does nice work as the only really normal and sympathetic person in the story.  The rest are mostly comedic caricatures, but they're good ones.  Nicolas Hoult continues his excellent streak playing self-absorbed assholes. Hong Chau's microaggressions are priceless, especially her use of the word "tortillas."  And kudos to John Leguizamo for playing himself.

When it comes to depicting the dining experience, "The Menu" is no slouch, recruiting professional chefs and even the creator of "Chef's Table" to make the presentation of the food look perfect.  I admit that I left the film more curious about the fine dining experience than ever.  I suspect that the film will play best to those with more experience with fine dining, though it works just as well as a thriller, revenge film, and all-around takedown of the rich and insufferable.  The messages aren't subtle, but at the same time they're not obnoxious, never letting us forget that Slowik and his crew are all completely mental, and "The Menu" is totally contrived exercise.    It's a very entertaining and creative one, however,  and left me completely satisfied.

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