Directed by:
Mark MylodCinematography:
Peter DemingComposer:
Colin StetsonCast:
Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, John Leguizamo, Paul Adelstein, Aimee Carrero (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Set in the world of high-end culinary culture, a young couple visits an exclusive destination restaurant on a remote island where the acclaimed chef has prepared a lavish tasting menu, along with some shocking surprises. (Searchlight Pictures US)
Videos (3)
Reviews (9)
SPOILERS! Such potential. And such a mediocre film. Instead of an intelligent sociological study of the conflict between social classes, The Menu turned out to be a bittersweet tale about an angry chef who punishes some for once criticizing his cooking and others for something else completely unrelated. And this tale is told in an unimaginative and, in places, even silly way (the theatrical punishment of the angel investor, without whom the chef wouldn’t even have had a restaurant). The main villain is worthy of zero respect. Even the character of the restaurant critic is not construed as a metaphor for the film reviewers who would like to rip this film. The main character (Anya Taylor-Joy) is the only one who makes sense with her perception of the situation and her reactions to it. She also gives the plot concept the only imaginative creative impetus by revealing her identity. A weak three stars.
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Mark Mylod brings a new, unique genre to the table and it's a blast. An original cocktail of suffocating, uncomfortable and chair-pinning psychological terror mixed with a light-hearted satirical side, all underscored by original and playful symbolism with excellent acting performances - what more could you ask for? A bunch of ungrateful guests are invited to an exclusive chef's menu on a remote island, but in time things start to happen. The cast is absolutely brilliant, Anya Taylor-Joy is great as always, but clearly the best performance here is given by Ralph Fiennes, I haven't seen such sharp mimicry and heartfelt acting in years, and he gave the character as compelling a personality as he did with Voldemort back then. The story is suspenseful from the start, forcing the viewer with bated breath to follow the unexpected developments of events that escalate to the absurd, there's gore and a surprisingly great and interesting culinary side to all the oddities on the plate. The symbolism comes in a rather large portion, is dispensed in a casual manner, and up until the last few minutes I felt I was shooting for a full five star. But the finale is so strange and odd that I have to take a moment to sort out in my head what they meant by that, and think about whether it's the element that knocks the fifth star off, or the one that makes it even more emphatic and makes me think about The Menu. For now, a strong four-star that will (maybe) morph into a score in time. EDIT: in retrospect, I'm realizing some of the film's flaws and starting to figure out things that were given a rough outline but not followed through or explained in a meaningful way, so I'm sticking with four
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Original, fun, smart, chilling, disturbing, refreshing and very tasty. The Menu is a well-crafted psychological thriller/satire that I rank among the films of the year. Combining a foodie film with a thriller is a hit with me and the setting in a top gourmet restaurant is a delight. The film immediately caught my attention with its unconventional approach and great actors. Anya Taylor-Joy here confirms her position as the best young actress of the moment (again stealing the film for herself !!). Nicholas Hoult plays the least likeable character and a terrible loser, but he plays it convincingly, and the excellent Ralph Fiennes, who has quite possibly his most distinctive role since Voldemort, commands respect and is mysterious and sharp. I enjoyed the whole experimental running of the menu, which the maker play with a lot. For a foodie and culinary fan and viewer, it's a very charming and mature film with original ideas (Boiling Point may have delivered a one-shot from one hectic night, but The Menu pushes those boundaries even further and I haven't seen a better film on the subject). As soon as the first shocking twist occurs, it switches to a more serious mood, where the smile will disappear from your lips, the chills come and there is definitely no shortage of tension. I liked where this was going, though I could imagine the situation could have escalated more explicitly and been more off the rails, but given the premise I'm satisfied without that. The finale will show who is the only one who has grasped the rules and the essence of the Chef. Excellent, I look forward to seeing it again. 9/10.
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Another shallow satirical slurry built on prefabricated procedures and assiduous masking of fast-food ideas with a conceptual masquerade. It’s neither insightful, nor funny, nor shocking. It’s nothing. They invite you in for a refined dining experience and serve you something that looks fancy but tastes like a burger from the drive-through window. No compliments to the chef.
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A satire through the culinary arts (not original in that respect) that initially combines tension with humour while setting up the characters for a "breaking point" in an exemplary way. But everything it wants to say, it's said in the first half and... And then nothing. In the second half it's just gropes and somehow stumbles to the conclusion. Moreover, after the "break" it's downright woeful in the character work, which retroactively devalues the beginning. Everything is "aptly and sophisticatedly satirised" in the first half and the second half works just fine thanks to the actors, who do their best not to let it sink completely. It should have been a short instead of a feature film.
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