Horror Movie Review: The Menu (2022)

 The Menu is a 2022 American black comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod, written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, based on an original story created by Tracy.

Foodie Tyler Ledford and his date, Margot Mills, travel by boat to Hawthorn. Hawthorn is an exclusive restaurant owned and operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik, located on a private island. The other guests attending the dinner are Lillian Bloom, a food critic. Her editor Ted. Wealthy regulars Richard and Anne Leibrandt. Washed-up movie star George Diaz and his personal assistant Felicity Lynn. Business partners Soren, Dave, and Bryce. And Slowik’s alcoholic mother, Linda. The group is given a tour of the island by the restaurant maître d’hôtel, Elsa. She notes that Margot was not Tyler’s designated guest for the evening.

Dinner begins, and Chef Slowik introduces a series of courses, delivering increasingly unsettling monologues about each dish. For the third course, uncomfortable truths about each guest ranging from affairs to embezzlement are exposed via laser-printed images on tortillas. During the fourth course, Jeremy, a sous-chef, kills himself, causing a panic amongst the guests, except for Tyler. When Richard tries to leave, the staff cut off his ring finger. For the fifth course, which begins with Slowik allowing himself to be stabbed by Katherine, a female employee whom he sexually harassed, the female guests dine with Katherine while the male guests are given the chance to escape the island, but Slowik’s staff catch all of them.

Slowik explains each guest was invited because they either contributed to him losing his passion for his craft. Or because they make a living off exploiting the work of artisans and workers like him and his team. He announces that everyone present will be dead by the end of the night. Since Margot’s presence was unplanned, Slowik privately gives her the choice of dying either with the staff or the guests.

Which will Margot choose? Can anyone make it off this island alive? Watch and find out.

What can I say about The Menu. If you’ve ever doubted Ralph Fiennes as a strong actor then look no further than this movie. A stellar performance, that elevates the film. And he’s not the only one. The Menu is filled with a rounded cast of highly talented actors, flowing nicely as the compelling mystery continues to unfold. Fiennes and Taylor-Joy have great chemistry and I very much enjoyed their back and forth scenes.

On paper you may think that The Menu isn’t for you but you’d be wrong. It’s an engrossing tale with no dull moments. The momentum and pacing don’t let up until the credits roll. A fun movie to dissect and analyse. And one that I feel everyone can have an opinion on. We’ve all watched a cooking show or visited a restaurant and had a criticism. I found Nicholas Hoult’s character very relatable for the common cooking show watcher. How often have we shouted through the screen at the members of the Hell Kitchen’s line up about their scallops? How many times have we criticized the techniques on MasterChef? But when push comes to shove, knowledge is not skill and skill is not easily gained.

Every actor was on the same page for this film but if I had one negative, it would be that the characters could have been more fleshed out. I didn’t really care if any of them lived or died. Perhaps they could have shown us more instead of simply telling us how awful they all were.

Overall, The Menu is a dark movie that’s for sure, but it definitely has a comedic edge somewhere amongst the sinister nature. An interesting movie to discuss and one that will live long in the memory, along with that thunderous clap. Yes, Chef!