By: Kimberly Grant
Prepare yourself. What I’m about to share with you is a film that you will sink your teeth into. You will gobble this film up and be unable to swallow until the end. In a year filled with various types of movies, there is an upcoming film that will cleanse your pallet and prepare you for the awards season.
That film is The Menu, which will be in theaters on November 18.
Appetizer
This feast of a film is different, yet a lot like other films that have come before it. It’s like Clue in that there’s an ensemble cast of characters. The actors in this film are not just chewing scenery. They are embodying their characters so seamlessly, that knowing their names is not even important. However, because this is a K. A. Grant review, I’ll give you the menu of characters/actors and their descriptions:
- Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) – perfectionist chef and fearless leader of a cult of chefs
- Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) – bonus badass character
- Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) – uber foodie who worships Chef Slowik
- Elsa (Hong Chau) – hopelessly devoted dinner host
- Lilian (Janet McTeer) – super conceited food critic who can make or break any chef’s career
- Ted (Paul Adelstein) – Lilian’s loyal companion/hanger-on
- Movie Star (John Leguizamo) – the title says it all
- Felicity (Aimee Carrero) – the movie star’s unwilling assistant
- Richard (Reed Birney) – wealthy businessman with no taste
- Anne (Judith Light) – Richard’s oblivious wife; or is she?
- Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro), and Dave (Mark St. Cyr) – rich bros just celebrating a birthday
- Sommelier (Peter Grosz) – is as pretentious as his title
- Katherine (Christina Brucato) – somewhat angry chef
- Jeremy (Adam Aalderks) – hot, yet unfortunate sous chef
The Main Course
Yes, the above list of main characters is intense. But the film itself is intensely funny. Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, this story is about 12 people who visit a remote island where they are treated to an immersive culinary experience. It’s called an experience because Chef Slowik is a world-class, celebrated chef and the experience costs $1,250 per person. Once these 12 guests arrive to Hawthorne Island, they are treated to the type of dishes that can only be found in a five-star restaurant with a terrifying twist.
Make no mistake, this film is equal parts dark and funny. Directed by Mark Mylod, The Menu has the kind of sense of humor that makes you laugh, then feel bad about it later. It’s like Get Out for food snobs. It’s also a nod at how ostentatious and callous people can be based on their love of food and lack of emotional intelligence. Each character is a commentary that can be dissected in their own right and used to hold a mirror to the not-great parts of ourselves.
Just in case you were wondering about some of the major plot points, here you go. There are eight, non-traditional courses with unconventional dishes. To give you an example, one of the dishes is called “The Island”, which pays homage to Hawthorne Island and the fruits it provides from land and sea. But the dishes aren’t the only thing being served by Chef Slowik and his cult of chefs. Chef Slowik tells stories to introduce each dish. And each story gets darker as the courses continue to be served.
Dessert
Unlike most films and just like most restaurant experiences, The Menu gives away its ending in the middle of the film. You would think that ruining the ending early on would make the film boring. Only, it just enhances the flavor of the film. As one character puts it: “It ties everything together, conceptually.” Knowing the ending will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering and dreading what will happen next. Not trusting your own instincts, yet unwilling to look away.
Yet, I digress. If you like out-of-the-box movies, then The Menu is your film. It’s like the ultimate gourmet meal from hell; all for our viewing pleasure.
Interested in other films you can sink your teeth into? You can read more of my movie reviews here.
Know someone else with your same taste in films? Feel free to send this review to them. Sharing is entertainment. See below.
