The Menu (2022)

[Eric Quinn]

Discuss

[filmlover]

A delightfully nasty satire that's not nearly as insightful in its attempts at commentary aimed at the entitled 1% as it could've been. Could've fleshed out some of the ideas it had a little bit more. But it mixes dark humor and tension well, and the stellar cast is completely game for all of it. A calmly crazed Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy (as easily the least obnoxious member among the guests) are in typically excellent form, while highlights among the rest of the ensemble include Nicholas Hoult's smarmy food fanatic and a steely Hong Chau. It can't help but feel like a missed opportunity since it doesn't go nearly as nutty with the concept as it could have, but I enjoyed this and would recommend it nonetheless. B

[Webslinger]

A diabolical satire on elitism and extreme privilege, The Menu sinks its teeth in early and doesn’t relent until its darkly funny finale. Under the stellar direction of Mark Mylod, the filmmakers clearly have a blast skewering the unchecked privilege of their caricatured protagonists and making salient points about the callousness and pettiness of the de facto ruling class and the manner in which it has twisted – and in some cases, even broken – the people they see as mere servants. The humor is pitch-dark, but Mylod and the cast hit it just right and score plenty of well-earned laughs from their perverse subject matter. And though the film is not at all subtle about its themes, it does boast one narrative twist I didn’t see coming – though it makes perfect sense and effectively reframes the film’s already morbid setup in an even more sinister light. With such broad tonal strokes to play with, the cast is in fine form with deliciously exaggerated performances. Anya Taylor-Joy continues her run of varied and impressive genre work as enigmatic last-minute guest Margo, nailing her deer in the headlights moments and her more ferocious actions with equal effectiveness. Ralph Fiennes is also reliable as ever as the twisted Chef Slowik, delivering dark barbs with gusto and leveraging his intimidating presence to make the cult leader-like influence he holds over his cooks feel believable. The standout, though, is Nicholas Hoult in a gleefully over-the-top performance as an overeager, know-it-all foodie. Hoult leans all the way into his character’s most annoying, grating qualities, and he ends up wringing many laughs out of it. The Menu is dark and unconventional enough that it is bound to not play well with viewers expecting something more straightforward, but it’s a deliriously enjoyable slice of dark social satire for viewers who connect with it. 

 

B+

[SchumacherFTW]

This hit me very nicely. Very well acted, deliciously dark but also funny in places as well. Definitely not the story I expected it to tell, but so glad that it did.

 

4.5/5

[Killimano3]

Was fantastic, one of the best films of the year. The thing that most stood out to me that I enjoyed was how a lot of times with these movies, the trope is that although the villain is a violent sociopath it is always "justified" because he is only taking his anger out on the worst of the worst of society. This film however, had a lot to say in regards to priviledge and how the rich treat the poor, but it doesn't necessarily try to portray Ralph Fiennes as the "necessarily and justified evil", and sometimes he'll just be like "I hated you in this movie you made so I added you to my kill list"