No industry is more ripe for a humiliating satire than the upscale restaurant industry. Like all artists catering to the super rich, the chefs and diners of these foods come off pretty high on their own supply, and could use a good and proper defanging. Well, props to Mark Mylod, Seth Reiss, and Will Tracy: The Menu goes after the whole industry, with delicious, and horrific aplomb. I think I’ll just be happy with my tacos and burgers for a while.
Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is giddy with anticipation. He’s bringing his new girlfriend Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) to Hawthorne Island, where world renowned chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) has offered him one of the 12 spots to dine at his prestigious restaurant. Even with ultra rich (Judith Light, Reed Birney), ultra famous (John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero), ultra powerful (Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein), and ultra connected (Mark St. Cyr, Arturo Castro, Rob Yang) people at this dinner, Tyler only has eyes for chef. However, Julian and his sous chef Elsa (Hong Chau) only have eyes for Margot, the interloper who doesn’t quite fit into the intricately designed menu Julian has planned for this specific audience.
For anyone who’s watched movies for the last 7ish years, “Produced by Adam McKay” is going to be a spoiler alert. McKay’s mission has been the exposure and take down of the ultra rich and powerful, via a hilarious and entertaining movie (some more successful than others). The Menu show’s his empire can expand without him directing and lose none of the bite he puts in his best work. The high end food industry is filled with people ready to skewer, with all the actors involved having a great time doing so. I particularly loved Janet McTeer and Paul Adelstein’s take on the food critic and her enabler: always looking for flaws because those reviews get the most viewership, causing all sorts of problems for those poor restaurants with negative reviews. Julian finds personal, sometimes shocking, ways to humiliate all these guests, going after the empty part of the diners’ personalities that drives them to become so powerful and hide their discontent. Thankfully, the writers are not content to just mock the diners. Julian and his staff get some overdue invasive introspection as well. Hawthorne runs like a soulless dictatorship, with Julian ordering his underlings around like an abuser in a relationship. Margot can see through a lot of Julian’s bullsh*t and calls him out on it, which takes the ordinarily powerful chef aback, surprised that someone might challenge his authority on his dining mastery. For anyone who’s ultra critical of the rich and powerful, The Menu will more than satiate your palate as you watch these people bargain with their status or $$$ and realize no one gives a sh*t at Hawthorne.
But the skewering only really lands if The Menu is hella entertaining. And whoo, boy, is it ever! Reiss and Tracy’s script walks this really tricky “horror thriller” line that’s nearly impossible to pull off. The Tyler/Margot pairing does that nicely, as the irritatingly inept Tyler obsesses over food, ignoring all the weird goings on Margot notices instantly on Hawthorne island. So does Hong Chau, who delivers cutting, deliciously cold evil dialogue with blunt force that generates laughs and scares in equal measure. With each new dish, we simultaneously get a beautifully set up ornate dining while Julian delivers a cruel rebuke of his guests via the dish’s origin, which NONE of them understand to the audience’s delight. Like all good meals and movies, The Menu escalates and swerves with every new plate, as new information is revealed as to Julian’s true intentions at Hawthorne tonight. Culminating in the final act. Now, it might not be for some, but I can definitely say if you’re on the Menu’s wavelength, about half of the audience will be horrified, and the other half will be on the floor dying with laughter because of the true insanity and commitment in everyone involved to commit to finishing their meal in an explosion of flavor, sugar, and terror.
And cheeseburgers with fries. I feel a bit ashamed to write a movie review about The Menu, as the movie clearly doesn’t take to kindly to hubris filled critics. But, another point the movie makes is to always remember why you love doing something. And I always write reviews to help people decide if they should see something or not, not make their mind up for them. So go see this movie, or don’t. But make sure if you do, it’s something that will make you happy. And afterwards, maybe skip the 9 course “food as an experience” event and opt for that tamale stand outside. Or else the chef’s gonna GET you, ha!