Fantastically skilled in the kitchen, Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) creates only the most delectable haute cuisine. Because he moved his restaurant to a private island and only invited a restricted clientele, only the wealthy and powerful are able to dine there. Slowik has prepared the most impressive meal of his career, but it also includes a few startling twists that diners won’t see coming.
The young couple Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) are among the exclusive guests invited to Slowik’s for a special dinner.
Tyler rapidly develops a crush on the chef, who he greatly admires. Margot, on the other hand, can tell that something is very wrong with the chef, the kitchen, and the meal he prepared.
Some people see food as nothing more than fuel, while others appreciate it for the artistry and science that goes into creating it. Margot and Tyler play a crucial role in The Menu in conveying this difference.
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Since he considers eating to be a near-sacred ritual, he is offended by her carefree attitude toward the subject. The other diners make an appearance in the script by Reiss and Tracy, but they are more caricatures of affluent people than actual people.
The elite diners and the servants who serve them are clearly differentiated in this scene. From the staff’s perspective, Chef Slowik mediates between them while keeping an air of forceful professionalism. Elsa (Hong Chau) hosts the party and keeps an eye on the visitors the whole night, listening in on their talks and watching them like a hawk.
The restaurant, like its surroundings, exudes a mystical charm. Elsa gives a quick tour of the facility, showing visitors where the various protein preparations are kept and where the staff sleeps.
While his staff members are welcome to use the hotel facilities, Chef Slowik has his own private quarters. Respect and fascination with cuisine that borders on cult status are not limited to the upper echelons of the fine dining scene.
Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle of Sadness, set on a luxury cruise in the year 2022, is only one of several works of satire on the privileged class that populate the year. At the same time, The Menu offers its own satirical take on the wealthy.
This time, it’s aimed squarely at the high-end restaurant business, with all the petty politics and inflated egos that go along with it. This satire is quite funny since it is sharp and insightful.
Mylod has assembled a fantastic group that delivers engaging and lively performances. Fiennes is flawless, constantly making the audience laugh with his antics involving their physicality and the way he pronounces words. Although, he never lets it detract from Chef Slowik’s authoritative demeanor.
Hoult, meanwhile, is fantastic as a supporting character that makes a big impression. To sum it all up, Chau is the show stopper of The Menu. She, like Fiennes, teeters on the brink of intimidating and hilarious, but she always steals the show.
The screenplay by Reiss and Tracy combines elements of humor, horror, and thriller to tell a story about the political and economic power of food.
In its ultimate stages, when all of its secrets are revealed, it begins to lose steam. In place of satisfying storytelling, we are left with messages that have nothing to do with the characters or what drives them.
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The Menu isn’t without its problems, but it’s nevertheless a hilarious comedy that successfully mocks the pretentious fine dining industry. Mylod’s humor is equally blunt as that of Triangle of Sadness, with no opportunity for nuance.
Chef Slowik tells his affluent clients that they should only sample his creations rather than gorge on themselves. When it comes to The Menu, simplicity isn’t as important as the overwhelming volume of chuckles and tension it provides.
FAQs
Where Does the Movie the Menu Take an Unexpected Turn?
You have no idea how this dinner will end for two whole hours. At times, you almost think that Margot, who turns out to be a sex worker instead of a rich person like the rest of the diners, might be the hero and figure out how to save everyone.
What is the Storyline of the Menu?
The story of the movie, which was written by Will Tracy and Seth Reiss, is about a young couple that goes to a fancy restaurant on a remote island where a famous chef has prepared a fancy tasting menu and a shocking surprise.
Deadline says, “Fiennes plays the world-class chef who puts everything together and adds some unexpected things to the menu.” The story focuses on one A-list couple who is involved. I heard that Stone will play one of those two roles.
Is the Movie the Menu Based on a Real Event?
Tracy says that the movie was based on a real meal. At an island restaurant off the coast of Norway that was a lot like The Menu’s Hawthorn (but not Faviken, as Tracy is quick to point out), he felt very cramped. “All of these tasting menus seem to go on and on,” he says.
How Terrifying is the Movie the Menu?
Is the movie “The Menu” scary? Google puts The Menu in the horror/comedy genre, but IMDb puts it in the comedy/horror/thriller genre. The Menu has a lot in common with comedies like The Hunt and Fresh, both of which come out in 2020 and 2022. It is not meant to scare you to death.