“The Menu” (2022)
“We’re all going to die tonight”.
“We’re all going to die tonight”.
Better known perhaps for directing TV series, and from the current behemoth Succession right the way back to 1995 and a particular favourite show of mine at the time Shooting Stars, this is director Mark Mylod’s fourth outing on the cinema screen in the past two decades since his directorial debut with Ali G Indahouse in 2002. His latest offering from The Menu is eerily similar to last year’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in so much as a cast of wealthy individuals all convene dockside for a short cruise to a private island and rather than a Billionaire awaiting them in the inferior Knives Out sequel, we have a master Chef dishing up culinary delights that are not to be eaten but to be “cherished”, “absorbed” and “savoured” and whilst our chef is producing food that is “art on the edge of the abyss”, the film rather falls straight into it!
Midway through this banquet for the beautiful “Tyler” (Nicholas Hoult), an excitable and devoted super fan of “Chef Slowik” (Ralph Fiennes) exclaims excitedly “I didn’t see that coming!”. But I did. Perhaps you will too, and maybe you’ll also see that there’s a limp story being told here or in fact, heresy as it may sound, there’s no real story here at all.
If you’ve seen the trailer you’ll be aware that such fine dining and an “exclusive agreement” quickly turns grisly and then, in the trailer again, you’ll see a manhunt of wannabe escape artists from a remote island that is self sustaining and self contained in every possible way. It’s just the film has nowhere to go after the events alluded to mainly in the trailer. Had the film ended after the event that Tyler didn’t see coming, it would have been a tight, short film with a real twist and a thought provoking ending. In fact, put Tyler at the centre of the event that he doesn’t see coming and then you have a damn good short film!
But rather, the bickering couples, film stars, food critics, wealthy money men and the holy rollers of society remain trapped on Hawthorn Island amidst a seven course meal (plus supplemental extras) of extravagant dishes entitled “The Island”, “The Mess” and “Man’s Folly” and the intriguing short film becomes an elongated macabre mess and a ridiculously uninteresting story.
The exception to all of this rare, for me, criticism, is the wonderful Anya Taylor-Joy as “Margot”, date of foodie super fan who “didn’t see that coming!” Tyler. Taylor-Joy’s performance is a favourite of mine whereby I was constantly drawn to her eyes as hers became the film’s initial storyteller. They are wary, defiant, incredulous, note taking, anxious, before reverting back to defiant again, and all before her date hasn’t seen what’s coming!
All I took from The Menu was the rich eating the rich again and an ecological commentary from a private island housing a dozen people. This is neither a horror nor a black comedy and there is only an intriguing short story rather than an uninteresting longer film.
It’s not as bad as White Noise, the current badge holder of the worst film I’ve seen this year. The Menu doesn’t even run it close!
But it’s a dreadful film nonetheless.
“It’s not as bad as White Noise” — Put that on the promotional posters!
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 200 blog articles (with 400+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
“Gravity” (2013)
Alfonso Cuaron’s multi Oscar winning space opera.medium.com
“Batman” (1989)
The Best of Tim Burton — Vol 3.medium.com
“There Will Be Blood” (2007)
“We have a sinner with us here who wishes for salvation!”medium.com