New out of this world movie The Menu leaves you hungry for more
Serving up ‘chef art’ is just the beginning in Mark Mylod’s (Succession) new horror-comedy The Menu, produced by Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up) and the iconic Will Ferrell.
The film opens with a group of rich socialites and tag-along guest Margot (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), boarding a boat to the small and exclusive Hawthorne Island.
Headed by ruthless and fiery head chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), the restaurant boasts a reputation for serving the best food in the world and is run with military precision by a small and dedicated group of cooks and sous chefs with recipes containing only the most sustainable and naturally occurring local ingredients.
Everything is grown, slaughtered, fermented and marinated on the island.
The plot thickens when everyone is seated and Slowik outlines the eventful program for the evening.
“We are not here to eat the food,” he announces, “we are here to feel it”.
True to expectations, the guests are served a five-course meal in the most salubrious surroundings and with every need met, at least at the beginning.
But when the bread course arrives minus the bread, and Slowik gives a long and convoluted explanation of how it is the dips and sauces that accompany the bread that really matter, there is some discontent.
Unsurprisingly, some of the more assertive guests rail against this idea and question the head chef’s logic.
Not to be put off, Slowik reiterates his monologue by pointing out the reason this restaurant is so good and has earned such a great reputation over the years, is its ability to do things a bit differently.
One of Slowik’s few admirers is Tyler (Nicholas Hault) who puts in a great performance as a budding gourmet.
As the evening progresses and the courses get more bizarre, the reason this film is called a ‘horror comedy’ becomes clearer.
Chef Slowik’s commands to his guests also become more outlandish and the film’s satirical side comes to the fore as the film’s writers take swipes at the high-end pomposity of some food critics.
This is especially poignant considering one of America’s foremost food critics (played by Janet McTeer) is in attendance, and some of her descriptive commentary while tasting the food is totally nonsensical.
The film’s finale is jaw-dropping and everything we could have hoped for: a fitting end to a movie containing some of the best performances on screen that I have seen for quite some time.
The Menu is showing at Luna Leederville and Luna SX from November 24, 2022.
By Mike Peeters Media