THE MENU

Cuisine is a weapon in this sharp as a butcher knife gourmet horror comedy.

You know you’re in for it when Lord Voldemort is your host. In The Menu the audience and the unassuming patrons of Hawthorn, the finest of fine dining restaurants, are treated to a haute cuisine meal that’s every course is filled with more and more shocking twists and turns. Luckily we are left far more satiated and satisfied than the ill tempered, ill fated on screen diners.

The Menu is one of the smartest thrillers of the past year and its exclusion from the awards rhetoric was a sin worthy of Chef Slowick’s harshest judgment. It’s extremely well written with an original, unpredictable plot and character driven dialogue the tells us exactly who these people are without the typical drudgery of boring exposition. It is perfectly paced, each development exquisitely presented and every surprise delighting the palette with its inventiveness.

The cast is full of incredible performances, most notably from lead Anya Taylor-Joy. She’s a gifted actress with the remarkable ability of making authenticity seem effortless and she’s at her relatable best here, serving as our non-foodie proxy just as confused by the reverence and adoration for the chef and for food in general as we are. Ralph Fiennes is magnetic and terrifying as Chef Slowick, a now iconic horror villain whose approach is one of apathetic malice and nuanced vengeance. The rage that bubbles under his blase, unaffected exterior is threating and entrancing at the same time. It’s a Hannibal Lector level performance and I again lament the indefensible snubs of the various awards shows.

The entire ensemble is wonderfully assholeish, giving us delicious satisfaction when each receives their comeuppance. As Slowick’s right hand woman Hoang Chau is enigmatic and cruel, ghoulish and frightening as she puts the doomed diners in their proverbial places. John Leguizamo is hilariously self parodying as a fading Hollywood star and Judith Light, an underrated actress, is a welcome presence but underused here. Nicholas Holt is supremely believable as the supremely douchey Tyler who’d rather put his meal on Instagram than in his belly.

There is much room for interpretation and analysis, making this a film that will keep you talking long after the credits have rolled. It’s themes and symbolism sticks with you like your favorite meal. I enthusiastically recommend The Menu. It is a unique and provocative story that is truly not to be missed.