The Menu (2022) Movie Review

The super-rich are having a tough time at the movies recently, with filmmakers taking aim at their excesses. In "Triangle of Sadness," director Ruben Östlund made them vomit all over each other aboard a luxury yacht. Meanwhile, in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," director Rian Johnson sends them to a private Greek island to figure out which one of them is a murderer. This week, they get skewered and grilled in "The Menu," a satirical take on the gourmet food world from director Mark Mylod.

The film skewers a specific kind of elitism that permeates the world of high-end dining. At the restaurant on the secluded island of Hawthorne, macho tech bros, snobby culture journalists, washed-up celebrities, and self-professed foodies all believe they are as knowledgeable as the master chef himself. Watching them preen and one-up each other provides much of the enjoyment in the film's sharp script from Seth Reiss and Will Tracy.

The story follows an eclectic mix of people who board a ferry to the exclusive restaurant. Chef Slowik's fine-tuned, multi-course dinners are legendary, but they come at an exorbitant cost of $1,250 per person. Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), a cynical young woman, quips to her date Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), a self-proclaimed culinary connoisseur, "What, are we eating a Rolex?" They're just two of the characters that make up the film's ensemble cast, which also includes a once-popular actor (John Leguizamo) and his beleaguered assistant (Aimee Carrero), three obnoxious tech bros (Rob Yang, Arturo Castro, and Mark St. Cyr), a wealthy older couple (Reed Birney and Judith Light), and a prestigious food critic (Janet McTeer) and her editor (Paul Adelstein).

Despite the star-studded cast, the characters are not equally developed. Birney and Light's characters, in particular, are underutilised, with Light playing a dutiful wife who stands by her man regardless of the evening's disturbing revelations. Conversely, Hong Chau shines as Elsa, Chef Slowik's right-hand woman, who briskly and efficiently provides the guests with a tour of the island's operations before judging them from afar.

At first, the personalised treatment each guest receives seems thoughtful and pampering, but the specifically tailored dishes take on a sinister and violent tone. The service remains rigid and precise, even as the mood gets messier. The film's message about the corrupting influence of mind-boggling wealth is heavy-handed and obvious, as seen in other recent movies that criticise the ultra-rich.

However, "The Menu" remains consistently dazzling as a feast for the eyes and ears. Dreamy cinematography from Peter Deming makes the island look impossibly idyllic, while the sleek and chic production design from Ethan Tobman sets the mood of understated luxury. Mylod's inventive direction explores the space in creative ways, with overhead shots of both the food and the restaurant floor itself. The Altmanesque sound design puts viewers right in the mix with overlapping snippets of conversation, while the taunting and playful score from Colin Stetson enhances the film's rhythm and ratchets up the tension.

In conclusion, "The Menu" offers a satirical take on the world of high-end dining and the excessive wealth that fuels it. While the messaging can be heavy-handed at times, the film's dazzling visuals, sharp script, and outstanding performances make it an enjoyable cinematic experience.