The celebrity chef is an interesting sub-section in the world of fame. If we look back, they have always been around in talk show appearances and cooking programs, but when 'MasterChef' was the biggest thing in the world, they were on the map more than ever before. There is this interesting fine line between art and food, and how pretentious one can be with something that is consumed and the hubris, and in turn ego that comes with that. Chefs have a unique position with their platform and how that brings exclusivity; to be served a meal directly by a particular chef is a million-dollar subset of the hospitality industry, unlike movies or even fashion to be in that restaurant consuming that meal can cost thousands of dollars and because of that is a highly exclusive experience. So how far would you go for a good feed?
'The Menu' sees a group of high-end customers aboard a boat to remote island to eat at Hawthorn, an extremely exclusive restaurant from celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes, 'The King's Man', 'No Time to Die'). Dining we have Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy, 'Last Night in Soho', 'The Northman') and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult, 'Those Who Wish Me Dead', 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'), a new couple, and Tyler is a die-hard fan of Slowik. There's also a has-been celebrity (John Leguizamo, 'Encanto', 'Playing with Fire') and his young lover Felicity (Aimee Carrero, 'Holidate', TV's 'Elena of Avalor'), food critic Lillian (Janet McTeer, 'Me Before You', 'Allegiant') and assistant Ted (Paul Adelstein, TV's 'Prison Break', 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever'), Anne (Judith Light, 'Tick, Tick... Boom!', TV's 'The Politician') and her shady husband Richard (Reed Birney, 'The Hunt', 'Uptown Girls') and Soren (Arturo Castro, 'The Broken Hearts Gallery', 'Yes Day'), Bryce (Rob Yang, 'Glass', 'The Kitchen') and Dave (Mark St Cyr, TV's 'High School Musical: The Musical – The Series', 'Marshall'), who work for a company filled with secrets. Tonight's menu is an exclusive one-off specially designed menu that might have a course these guests weren't expecting as the true intent of the dinner comes to light.
'THE MENU' TRAILER
'The Menu' is an absolute feast. It's everything you could want from a horror comedy; you'll just eat it all up. The film has so many twists and turns that are just as juicy as the last and constantly throw you around from laughing to gagging. Fiennes and Taylor-Joy continue to be absolute forces and once again knock it out of the park. The whole package does a great job of balancing the horror and the comedy and never overstays its welcome.
It's everything you could want from a horror comedy; you'll just eat it all up.
'The Menu' is a delicious dinner that will leave you wanting many more courses. It's one to go in knowing as little as possible; the trailer is one of the few these days that does a good job of teasing just enough to get you hooked but leaves the meat for the film. If you're a fan of 'Ready or Not' or 'Fresh', while this film is tamer, you won't want to miss out on getting a taste of this menu.