Riot’s Movie Reviews: The Menu
There’s a lot of risk when it comes to checking out a film solely on the basis of its preview, especially when it’s profiled in a genre you’re not particularly interested in. I think thriller/horror films often end up falling into the pass or fail mentality, either you really enjoy it or you really don’t. Obviously, I’d prefer to thoroughly enjoy every film I pay for but that’s an unattainable expectation. Committing to viewing a film just by watching a single preview only exacerbates this problem for me, which is how I angrily ended up having to write about a garbage heap of a film like Don’t Worry Darling. Happily, I can report experiencing the inverse of this having watched Ralph Fiennes masterfully take the reins in the intriguingly haunting, The Menu. Directed by Mark Mylod, this deep-dive into the often absurd elements of fine dining and the wealthy snobs/patrons of these high-class establishments left me hungry for more.
The biggest obstacle of writing this review is going to be avoiding spoilers and I will certainly do my best not to ruin any of the major plot lines. Unlucky for me, the plot lines were by far my biggest (and really only) gripe of the film. I will keep my thoughts as vague as possible here, but feel free to skip to the next paragraph if needed. The Menu’s biggest problem lies in the logistics and motivations behind Chef Slowik (Fiennes) and the staff of the island/restaurant named Hawthorne. The overarching theme (the perfection/obsession with art) that ties the entire fine dining event together (and by transience, the entire crew of the restaurant), while believable emotionally, isn’t remotely grounded in reality. Sure, there is a cultish vibe to the group, which could explain the motivations behind maybe 1-5 people in the room, but definitely not a massive troupe of background chefs. Slowik’s right hand woman, Elsa, is even given a subplot that makes absolutely no sense and only served the purpose of injecting a little more action/suspense into a scene that was maybe losing pace with the rest of the film. The only other segment that competes in its obsolescence is a brief and fairly pointless chase scene that does nearly nothing for the progression of the film.
With those brief points out of the way, why should you see The Menu? In a few words, this movie is visually and emotionally haunting. The audience is cued in on something being amiss with the entire situation from the onset of the film and are then uncomfortably (in a good way) perched on the edge of their seats for the rest of the madness. The tension is absolutely palpable throughout and it’s accomplished masterfully without the overuse of the tropes of the genre. The cinematographer, Peter Deming, deserves to be lavished in praises. Since the perfection/obsession of art is the prominent theme of the film, it makes sense that damn near each frame of the movie would be the “chef’s kiss” of cinema. I’m honestly at a loss for words for how amazing the shots were for each course and each plate of the dinner. The breathtaking setting (filmed in Tybee Island, Georgia) helped drive the ominous tones and enhanced the isolating feeling that plagued the various dinner guests. The Menu’s second biggest strength is in the performances of only three characters: Slowik (Fiennes), Morgot (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult). This is certainly not a negative commentary on the rest of the expansive cast, but merely to say that the three performances drove nearly every moment of the movie and were so compelling, you couldn’t tear your eyes away. Hoult, in particular, was so convincing that he was able to stand out in a room full of insufferable characters and make you hate him even more than the rest. But at the end of the day, I pursued this film to watch Ralph Fiennes be the master that he is and holy moly, he did not disappoint. The man was absolutely terrifying. He has the audience sitting on a knife’s edge, fully encapsulating the feeling of a powder keg that nobody knows when it will blow. His character vacillates between being socially awkward and an authoritarian cult leader that answers to nobody. It really was something special to behold.
Riot’s Rating: 8.0/10: I would absolutely recommend watching this picture. Had it not been for the spotty plot points, I would argue The Menu could have easily been the best film of 2022. Because of the nature of the characters involved, there will be those out there that will try to impose ideals of class warfare messaging into the movie. While I admit it’s certainly a factor, I’d caution against falling into that trap. If anything, there is a nihilistic overtone about the messaging that I would argue is pretty dangerous to fall into, especially in regards to its ending. But for the most part, I’d say just go enjoy this visually stunning and brutally haunting film.
P.S. Director’s should really stop using the title card format. It was quirky at first (I think of Bullet Train here) but it has gotten old very quickly. It made sense for this film (first course, second, etc.) and was a source of intriguing dark comedy, but was it necessary? Not at all.
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