Rent The Menu (2022)

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

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.

Very watchable - The Menu review by SB

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.

Leaves a Disappointing Taste - The Menu review by griggs

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.