“The Menu” Review: Deliciously dark with a side of satire and humor
Very Asian Rating: 3.5 / 5
Eleven exclusive guests travel to a posh restaurant on a secluded island in the Pacific Northwest where celebrity-chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish multiple-course menu with more than the guests have bargained for. The restaurant, Hawthorn, caters to the 1% — dining there requires boat transportation and costs $1,250 a head.
The guest list mirrors one you might expect of a MICHELIN Star restaurant. A couple, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) — she wasn’t actually part of the chef’s carefully curated guest list and wonders why they’re spending so much money on one meal while Tyler relishes every moment, making sure his phone eats first. Joining the couple are three entitled new-money tech bros, Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St. Cyr); an older wealthy couple and regular diners, Anne and Richard (Judith Light and Reed Birney); renowned restaurant critic Lillian Bloom who seems to be her own biggest fan (Janet McTeer), accompanied by her submissive magazine editor Ted (Paul Adelstein); and a famous but fading middle-aged movie star (John Leguizamo) with his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero).
Upon disembarking the boat it takes to get to the island, the excited guests are greeted by Elsa (Hong Chau) who acts as the restaurant's face, the hostess, the maître d', and the master of ceremonies for the night. Elsa’s character is understated yet chic, humorous yet intimidating. She’s rigid, authoritative, brisk, no-nonsense, and someone you don’t want to cross. Although Taylor-Joy and Fiennes receive top billing in the film, make no mistake, Chau brilliantly sets the tone and delivers most of the hauntingly humorous lines for The Menu. In a world where Asian women are stereotypically cast as submissive and hyper-sexualized, Elsa’s character is refreshing and welcomed.
During what should have been a bread course, the chef decides to serve no bread. He says, “Bread is for the common man, and you are not common.” To the perturbed tech-bros who insist on having bread, Elsa says, “You’ll eat less than you desire and more than you deserve.” This single sentence warrants reflection from the audience — do I eat more than I deserve, do I give more than I take?
As the meal continues, secrets and character flaws are revealed about each guest, and every course becomes more delicious and deadly than the one before it. The chef begins to reveal more about himself, ultimately disclosing why the guests were chosen for the fateful night.
Can’t afford to eat at Hawthorn? Thank your lucky stars.
The Menu is now playing only in theaters (Distributed by Searchlight Pictures).
Rating: R (violence)
Running time: 107 minutes
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, Paul Adelstein, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Rob Yang, Mark St. Cyr, and John Leguizamo
Directed by: Mark Mylod
Written by: Seth Reiss & Will Tracy
Produced by: Adam McKay, p.g.a., Betsy Koch, p.g.a., Will Ferrell
Executive Producers: Michael Sledd, Seth Reiss, Will Tracy
Director of Photography: Peter Deming, ASC
Production Designer: Ethan Tobman
Edited by: Christopher Tellefsen, ACE
Music by: Colin Stetson
Costume Designer: Amy Westcott
Casting by: Mary Vernieu, CSA, Bret Howe, CSA
