Directed by:
Mark MylodCinematography:
Peter DemingComposer:
Colin StetsonCast:
Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, John Leguizamo, Paul Adelstein, Aimee Carrero (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Set in the world of high-end culinary culture, a young couple visits an exclusive destination restaurant on a remote island where the acclaimed chef has prepared a lavish tasting menu, along with some shocking surprises. (Searchlight Pictures US)
Videos (3)
Reviews (10)
A satire through the culinary arts (not original in that respect) that initially combines tension with humour while setting up the characters for a "breaking point" in an exemplary way. But everything it wants to say, it's said in the first half and... And then nothing. In the second half it's just gropes and somehow stumbles to the conclusion. Moreover, after the "break" it's downright woeful in the character work, which retroactively devalues the beginning. Everything is "aptly and sophisticatedly satirised" in the first half and the second half works just fine thanks to the actors, who do their best not to let it sink completely. It should have been a short instead of a feature film.
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A luxury restaurant and a film of similar nature must have a concept, but here, starting from about the fourth course, it began to fall apart in terms of credibility and ideas. Perhaps this is because the characters offer only caricatured traits for a run-of-the-mill satire (except for Hoult’s character, who, due to being deep in the chef's anus, somewhat fails to perceive what’s happening). I bet that if Fiennes took off his chef’s coat, we’d see a dragon tattoo covering his entire back. Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the fact that Mark Mylod should hand in his apron.
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An entertaining satire, only lightly tinged with horror, that sacrifices pure genre pleasure in the second half, which would have required at least a basic believability of the characters' behaviour to keep the concept going, and, as a result, it ironically becomes part of what it’s mocking. That said, the fun more or less doesn't let up, and the great actors pull it off.
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Original, fun, smart, chilling, disturbing, refreshing and very tasty. The Menu is a well-crafted psychological thriller/satire that I rank among the films of the year. Combining a foodie film with a thriller is a hit with me and the setting in a top gourmet restaurant is a delight. The film immediately caught my attention with its unconventional approach and great actors. Anya Taylor-Joy here confirms her position as the best young actress of the moment (again stealing the film for herself !!). Nicholas Hoult plays the least likeable character and a terrible loser, but he plays it convincingly, and the excellent Ralph Fiennes, who has quite possibly his most distinctive role since Voldemort, commands respect and is mysterious and sharp. I enjoyed the whole experimental running of the menu, which the maker play with a lot. For a foodie and culinary fan and viewer, it's a very charming and mature film with original ideas (Boiling Point may have delivered a one-shot from one hectic night, but The Menu pushes those boundaries even further and I haven't seen a better film on the subject). As soon as the first shocking twist occurs, it switches to a more serious mood, where the smile will disappear from your lips, the chills come and there is definitely no shortage of tension. I liked where this was going, though I could imagine the situation could have escalated more explicitly and been more off the rails, but given the premise I'm satisfied without that. The finale will show who is the only one who has grasped the rules and the essence of the Chef. Excellent, I look forward to seeing it again. 9/10.
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Another shallow satirical slurry built on prefabricated procedures and assiduous masking of fast-food ideas with a conceptual masquerade. It’s neither insightful, nor funny, nor shocking. It’s nothing. They invite you in for a refined dining experience and serve you something that looks fancy but tastes like a burger from the drive-through window. No compliments to the chef.
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Gallery (14)
Photo © Eric Zachanowich / 20th Century Studios
![The Menu - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/166/850/166850342_1ab15a.jpg)
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