Rent The Menu (2022)

3.5 of 5 from 206 ratings
1h 47min
Rent The Menu Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
A young couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to an exclusive island restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a pricey, lavish menu. But it soon becomes clear that the dinner guests are about to be served some shocking surprices in this dark comedy...
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Jon Paul Allyn, ,
Directors:
Producers:
Will Ferrell, Betsy Koch, Adam McKay
Writers:
Seth Reiss, Will Tracy
Genres:
Comedy, Horror, Thrillers
BBFC:
Release Date:
Not released
Run Time:
107 minutes
BBFC:
Release Date:
Unknown
Run Time:
107 minutes
Languages:
English Audio Description Dolby Digital 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing, French, Spanish
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
(0) All
Bonus:
  • Open Kitchen: A Look Inside 'The Menu'
  • First Course
  • Second Course
  • Dessert
  • Take a seat at the table as the cast, filmmakers and culinary experts serve up key making-of ingredients
  • Deleted Scenes

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Reviews (3) of The Menu

Fiennes & Chau are perfection but despite initial promise, this sadly runs out of steam - The Menu review by TB

Spoiler Alert
09/06/2023

The Menu is such a frustrating film. Arriving with a lot of critical buzz, plus many word of mouth recommendations, it was a film I'd wanted to see. Ralph Fiennes is always excellent, plus after The Whale, I'll watch anything Hong Chau is in.

It starts promisingly, introducing us to all the different players, (a washed up actor and his pissed-off assistant, an older wealthy couple who look like they live in luxurious restaurants, 3 slimly Wall Street sellers ect,) who actually are interesting characters and people you want to learn more about. The "protagonists," in the most basic sense, are a couple played by Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy. Hoult's character is a devotee of the Chef's and has scored a nearly impossible reservation at this exclusive restaurant; Taylor-Joy is the last minute date stand-in who couldn't care less if they eat there or at the local greasy spoon.

The tension is masterfully & carefully ratched up: the guests are taken to the restaurant, which is on an island only accessible by boat & with no mobile signal. The MC is a frosty, blunt but unfailing polite lady played by Hong Chau, who never directly answers questions she doesn't want to. The waiting staff & cooks double as security and once the restaurant door closes, there's no getting out. Chef Slowik is then introduced & things really start to get interesting.

But then as the film progresses, something happens which, if Chef Slowik was in charge, he'd find completely unforgivable... The film totally runs out of steam and loses its way.

And what exacerbates this even more is how well the film sets itself up. You become horrifying hooked to watching how the atmosphere very slowly gets oppressive and threatening, plus there is a sick joy in watching it dawn on each of the characters as they realise the situation they've put themselves in. Anyone who has worked in a kitchen (which I have,) will love how well the tension of a high pressure service is carried over to the screen. But then having set this up flawlessly & perfectly, the film doesn't know where to go next. Script decisions are made which totally jar & make no sense, to the extent that the whole thrust & direction of the film gets thrown off course.

By the time we get to the ending, the film has then just dissolved into silliness & almost pastiche. I remember sitting there when the credits rolled, feeling half in awe at how wonderful the first half was, then really annoyed at how it was then squandered.

But I still absolutely recommend watching this. The two standouts are, as mentioned previously Fiennes and Chau. Both absolutely inhabit their roles and when they are on screen, you cannot take your eyes off them. The trauma which Fiennes only vaguely alludes to is also powerful, making you see how much the most successful chefs have to sacrifice of themselves to get to the top. Set design is also superb, as is lighting and sound.

There is much to love here, but for me the sadness is quite simply that, unlike the best dishes in the greatest restaurants, by the time the deserts come, you will feel short-changed and like the main event needed a bit more flavour.

3 out of 4 members found this review helpful.

Very watchable - The Menu review by SB

Spoiler Alert
02/07/2023

This is a difficult film to categorise, having elements of comedy, tragedy and meolodrama, so it's better not to try. It's certainly unusual and becomes fairly compulsive viewing after the first 20 minutes or so.

Ralph Fiennes has a role well suited to his persona, and Ms Taylor-Joy uses her beautiful eyes to good effect as usual as the two leads play off each other. Amongst the supporting cast Janet McTeer is good as a pretentious restaurant critic. The film has ambitions to be social commentary on luxury, fine dining, egotism, narcissism, etc but it's probably best to simply watch it for the events which unfold.

One negative about the blu-ray disc – the soundtrack is shockingly bad. My TV sound is usually set at 15-20; I had to turn it up to 50 to hear the dialogue on this disk.

3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

Leaves a Disappointing Taste - The Menu review by griggs

Spoiler Alert
01/10/2024

The Menu starts with an intriguing idea, but don't get your hopes up—it becomes painfully predictable almost right out of the gate. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, and those so-called "twists"? Yeah, they land with all the excitement of a damp napkin. The only saving grace is the fantastic cast—Anna Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult—though even they seem to be phoning it in. It's honestly tragic how little they're given to work with. The film's popularity must be riding entirely on their star power, because of the plot? Let's just say it doesn't bring anything fresh to the table. Overall, it's a real letdown, especially with wasted talent like that, leaving a disappointing impact.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Critic review

The Menu review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

The Menu is a film all about decadent food and how the stuffy elite who consume it get their just desserts in addition to actual desserts. It’s an immaculate display with a fantastic cast, vicious staging, and brilliant writing that makes this a complete meal. Having had so many of these eat-the-rich films pop up at the cinema in the last few years, it’s refreshing that this one holds itself to a higher standard.

The standard comes in the form of the bitter celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). He’s regarded as a big deal when it comes to wining and dining the wealthiest of clients. Those clients, however, have become snobs that Julian has grown weary of stuffing with meals they don’t consider beyond decadence. He plans on using his power of their wallets and stomachs to showcase the era of their ways in a manner that they’ll hopefully discover by the time dessert is served.

The guest list is a salvo of sinning socialites in need of a satirical jab. Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is the foodie fan gone overboard, becoming the most annoying dining companion for his date Margo (Ana Taylor-Joy). Lillian (Janet McTeer) is a food critic who has helped elevate Julian but also subjugated many chefs and their businesses with her scathing reviews. A trio of tech investors (Arturo Castro, Rob Yang, Mark St. Cyr) is such pompous bros that are just begging to get murdered with their cocky attitudes and scummy business deals.

Not all of them are as detrimental to society, considering the only reason the washed-up actor George (John Leguizamo) is targeted is that he was in a terrible movie. Look, Julian’s motives for revenge can’t be all that noble. Though I must admit it was funny to hear his reasoning for targeting George’s date when she explains she never had to take out any student loans for her university education: “Sorry, you’re dying tonight.”

Special credit needs to be given to Hong Chau in the role of Julian’s maitre Elsa. While the chef tends to his presentation, she does her best to keep the guests in line while also shielding them from the darker secrets. Her cold and chipper delivery perfectly embodies the desperation and darkness of the situation. At one point in the service, the guests are served tortillas with imprints of their secrets. When questioned about the prints, Elsa merely responds that these are tortillas. When asked again, she enunciates.

The film magnificently darts between dark comedy and even darker horror. As the dinner progresses at Julian’s secluded restaurant on a remote island, the courses become more brutal in their messaging, leading to shocking revelations and brutal tortures. It’s compelling to watch how slowly the customers come to realize they’ve fallen right into a trap, as Julian only slowly starts to inform everybody that this dinner will be their last. You can sense that’s where this whole evening is going but it’s still exciting to watch it unfold. This leads to some incredibly violent moments of gunshots, cut-off fingers, and knives in their throats. Though I dare not reveal the climax, let’s just say that Julian finds the best way to merge a mass slaughter and the final course of the dinner in a poetic manner.

Every actor is in top form for this production but special kudos need to be given to Fiennes and Taylor-Joy who have an amazing dynamic. Not counting on her attendance, Julian becomes intrigued but frustrated by Margot’s appearance, seeing right through her flashy dress to see the middle-class hooker who doesn’t deserve to be there. There’s a brutal honesty between them that isn’t present with others, where it feels like there’s a connection that is made. There’s also a fascinating development with how Margot will have to use her smarts and appeal to emotion and nostalgia to pull a portion of Julian’s humanity out of the bin if only to spare her life.

The Menu is a masterful dose of satire on the class divide. Armed with an impressive ensemble, a dark wit, and an elaborate presentation, it’s hard not to be enthralled by the intoxicating assembly of a film that takes wicked pleasure in humiliating the upper class. I can’t stop thinking about this picture and can’t wait to see it again.

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