The Menu

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/other-films-watched-lff-2022 "The Menu is one of the biggest personal disappointments of the year. Mark Mylod's film boasts inspired performances by the entire cast - Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult stand out - and some clever satirical moments, but pretty much nothing else works. Humor falls completely flat - except for the sequences à la Masterchef Australia. Screenplay follows surprisingly generic paths, being a mystery without any minimally impactful shock. Characters lack depth, and the anti-elite message is …

CinemaSerf

2022-11-21

⭐ 7

Arch-foodie "Tyler" (Nicholas Hoult) and his girlfriend "Margot" (Anya Taylor-Joy) are off to dine in a restaurant without parallel. Based on an island of just twelve acres, they join a collection of wealthy and influential people for what has been defined as experience to die for! Upon arrival, we discover that "Margot" was not the originally intended guest of her companion - so first question... Who is she? Next question - why does it seem to matter so much to the fastidious and frankly rather menacing chef "Slowik" (Ralph Fiennes) and his assistant "Elsa" (Hong Chau) who looks like she used…

The Movie Mob

2022-11-22

⭐ 5

**The Menu began with a tone and tension that made me want more but ultimately ended with confusion and disappointment.** The hype for The Menu intrigued me. The reviews celebrated its genius. So I had to see it. And when I sat in the theater and the credits began to roll, all o could say was, "Huh?" The Menu starts with Ready or Not vibes with a fish-out-of-water real-world character who ends up at a fancy dinner with a collection of high society foodies and critics. The trailer gave me expectations of cannibalism cult or Most Dangerous Game-type plots, but instead, nothing really happened…

Nathan

2022-11-25

⭐ 9

_The Menu_ was one of the most unique thriller experiences of the year! The setup is fantastic, and the story gives you just enough information to intrigue even though the story path is somewhat generic. It is dark, honest, and quite hilarious. This unique blend created a thriller like no other. The performances were great. Anya Taylor-Joy was brilliant and is cementing herself as one of the best actresses of the decade. Nicholas Hoult was hilarious in such a subtle way that never takes away from the tense scenes at play. Ralph Fiennes is haunting but also sympathetic, making him a very int…

Pretty good but I'm also a little disappointed by it. I really liked the cast and the acting (Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Fiennes were especially good). The story was entertaining enough but I didn't quite buy into it all. It's not as sharp or smart as it could be. It may be that I recently watched "Triangle of Sadness" and really enjoyed the humour and observations on the rich in that film and "The Menu" doesn't quite reach these heights in my opinion. It's still worth watching, with some good reveals and surprises throughout.

5rJoud

2023-01-06

⭐ 5

"You, Margot from Nebraska (Anya Taylor-Joy), you've betrayed our sacred bond of trust. And you've shown your craft to be careless. I was wrong. You're an eater. You're a taker. You're very hard to look at. And you're no Julia Roberts."

Nate Richardson

2023-01-09

⭐ 9

> **Jim Jones; Executive Chef** Going to a once-in-a-lifetime tasting at a restaurant headed by one of (if not _the_) most renowned chefs in the world sounds like a dream come true to any foodie. (Myself included, albeit vicariously via the Food Network) Two of these lucky guests are Tyler (played by **Nicholas Hoult**), and Margot (played by **Anya Taylor-Joy**). The issue is, something is already not right. No, it's not obvious; at least not to normal people like you and me. Elsa (played by **Hong Chau**) picked up on it, but she isn't like us. As more and more guest arrive, someone …

The Menu is a film defined by one key ingredient, the performance of Ralph Fiennes. His cold, biting acerbic chef, whose every word and nuance expresses a certain irony and a gradually building threat, is compelling. Frankly, it was Fiennes lynch pin performance that kept me watching The Menu. Had it been a less actor, I might well have walked away. Which brings me to the script. A predictable idea, with a certain promise that's far too loosely executed. The result is a plot that has more than a few dead ends and lacks a certain consistency and credulity. Its not awful, not at all. That sa…

GenerationofSwine

2023-01-14

⭐ 1

This was my actual last straw with IMDb... I guess you have to like this one or else. And by that I mean they are purging all the bad reviews. So, this is a movie about pretentious people, for pretentious people, that are killed by pretentious people so they can walk away feeling deep. From the start you know what is going to happen, because it's basically the same thing that always happens on ominous deserted islands... and the "they eat the diners" thing was removed because one of the couples were regular diners there. It sort of gives you only one plot direction made clear by the …

“The Menu” takes anti capitalism and serves it up with a sprinkle or two of violence delivered on a plate by a perfectionist, cult leading chef. Mark Mylod produces a horror comedy that takes shots at culinary snobbery as well as performance art.  Margot ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) and her supposed boyfriend Tyler (Nicholas Hoult ) take a boat, along with a number of other diners, to a remote Restaurant called Hawthorn situated on a private Island. The restaurant’s avant garde head chef ( Ralph Fines ) sells both art and home grown, self produced food to a select group of high earning customers wit…

This movie is not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Without giving anything away, the plot is a unique one and the main villain's motivation is original, but the movie spoils everything by treating the audience like idiots. One example (and this _is_ a spoiler, albeit a small one, so skip this paragraph if you still want to watch the movie) is when one character gets his finger chopped off. This was because he told his wife he was going to 'handle' the situation, and one of the baddies responded by asking 'with which hand?' When he didn't reply, she said 'left hand, ring finger' and one …

r96sk

2024-08-15

⭐ 8

Late to the party with this one! Probably a party to avoid anyway... <em>'The Menu'</em> is a film deserving of hype. It's very good, with some strong storytelling and excellent cast showings. Anya Taylor-Joy continues to be a very reliable actress, yet to dislike a performance from her. Ralph Fiennes, meanwhile, feels perfect for the role of Chef. Hong Chau sticks out too, while it was good to see Paul Adelstein act again - not seen him in anything since <em>'Prison Break'</em>, well aside from a bit part in his (underrated) <em>'Imposters'</em> show. The movie sets an nice tone, it isn…

griggs79

2024-10-01

⭐ 5

The Menu starts with an intriguing idea, but don't get your hopes up—it becomes painfully predictable almost right out of the gate. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, and those so-called "twists"? Yeah, they land with all the excitement of a damp napkin. The only saving grace is the fantastic cast—Anna Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult—though even they seem to be phoning it in. It's honestly tragic how little they're given to work with. The film's popularity must be riding entirely on their star power, because of the plot? Let's just say it doesn't bring anything fresh…

The Menu is a sharp, darkly satirical thriller that blends psychological tension with biting humor. The story follows a group of privileged diners who visit an exclusive restaurant on a secluded island, only to find that the experience is far more intense than they anticipated. The plot is well-paced, keeping the mystery alive while gradually increasing the unease. It balances its social commentary with an engaging, almost theatrical structure that makes every course feel like a performance in itself. The direction by Mark Mylod is precise, with every scene meticulously crafted to build ten…