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- “Painstakingly prepared. Brilliant execution.”
- ―Tagline
The Menu is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod and produced by Adam McKay and Betsy Koch through their production banner Hyperobject Industries.
Synopsis[]
A couple Margot and Tyler travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where Chef Slowik has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
Plot[]
Foodie Tyler Ledford and his date, Margot Mills, travel by boat to Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant on a private island owned by celebrity chef Julian Slowik. The other guests are Lillian Bloom, a food critic; her editor Ted; wealthy regulars Richard and Anne Leibrandt; a washed-up movie star and his personal assistant Felicity Lynn; business partners Soren, Dave, and Bryce; and Slowik's alcoholic mother Linda. The group is given an island tour by maître d'hôtel Elsa, who notes that Margot is not Tyler's designated guest.
Dinner begins, and Slowik introduces a series of courses, during which he delivers increasingly unsettling monologues. For the third course, uncomfortable truths about each guest are exposed via images laser-printed on tortillas. During the fourth course, sous-chef Jeremy kills himself. When Richard tries to leave, the staff cuts off his left ring finger as a warning to stay. Hawthorn's angel investor Doug Verrick, to whom Slowik relinquished ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic, is drowned in front of the guests. For the fifth course, which begins with Slowik allowing himself to be stabbed by Katherine, an employee he sexually harassed, the female guests dine with Katherine while the men are given the chance to escape the island via a game of cat-and-mouse, but Slowik's staff catch them all. When Lillian attempts to gain Katherine's favor by offering assistance in starting her own restaurant, Katherine reveals that she was the one who suggested Slowik kill the guests and staff.
Slowik explains that each guest was invited because they contributed to him losing his passion for his craft or because they make a living by exploiting the work of food artisans like him. He announces that everyone will be dead by the end of the night. Since Margot's presence was unplanned, Slowik privately gives her the choice of dying with the staff or the guests. When she hesitates, he chooses the staff.
Margot is unmasked as an escort named Erin, whose clients included Richard, whom she stopped meeting because he hired her to pretend to be his daughter. Slowik reveals that Tyler was informed the guests would be killed. Despite this, he was so zealous to participate in Slowik's craft that he kept it secret and hired Margot to replace his ex-girlfriend because Hawthorn does not seat lone diners. Slowik invites Tyler to cook, and Tyler's performance in the kitchen fails to live up to his pretensions. Slowik humiliates him by detailing his culinary mistakes, then whispers in his ear, and a deflated Tyler leaves the kitchen.
Slowik asks Margot to go to the smokehouse and collect a barrel needed for dessert. As she leaves the kitchen, she sees that Tyler has hanged himself in a closet. En route, Margot sneaks into Slowik's house, where she is attacked by a jealous Elsa. After a scuffle, Margot fatally stabs Elsa. After seeing a framed employee of the month award showing Slowik as a young and happy cook preparing hamburgers at a greasy spoon diner, Margot finds a radio, calls for help and returns to the restaurant with the barrel. A Coast Guard officer named Dale arrives. After the guests are convinced they have been saved, Dale reveals himself to be a line cook in disguise and returns to the kitchen.
As dessert is being prepared, Margot confronts Slowik for his "loveless" cooking and complains that she is still hungry. When he asks what she would like, Margot requests a cheeseburger and French fries prepared without the pretentiousness of fine dining. Moved by her request, Slowik personally does so, and finds joy in preparing it. After one bite, Margot praises the food, then requests to take it "to go". Slowik allows her to leave, and Margot escapes on the Coast Guard boat docked nearby.
The dessert is an elevated s'mores dish—the staff cover the floor with crushed graham crackers and adorn the guests with stoles made of marshmallows and hats made of chocolate. Slowik then sets the restaurant ablaze, detonating the barrel and killing the guests, staff, and himself. Safely away, Margot eats her cheeseburger in silence while watching the restaurant burn, and uses a copy of the menu to wipe her mouth.
Cast[]
- Ralph Fiennes as Chef Slowik
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot
- Nicholas Hoult as Tyler
- Hong Chau as Elsa
- Janet McTeer as Lillian
- Paul Adelstein as Ted
- John Leguizamo as a movie star
- Aimee Carrero as Felicity
- Reed Birney as Richard
- Judith Light as Anne
- Rob Yang as Bryce
- Arturo Castro as Soren
- Mark St. Cyr as Dave
- Rebecca Koon as Lina
- Peter Grosz as sommelier
- Christina Brucato as Katherine
- Adam Aalderks as Jeremy
Production[]
By May 2020, Searchlight Pictures held the distribution rights, and Alexander Payne and Emma Stone had left the film due to scheduling conflicts, with Mark Mylod replacing Payne as director.[1]
In June 2021, Ralph Fiennes rejoined the cast, with Anya Taylor-Joy in negotiations to star to replace Stone. She would be confirmed the next month, in addition to Hong Chau and Nicholas Hoult joining the cast. John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, Reed Birney, Rob Yang, and Aimee Carrero would join in September. In October, Paul Adelstein, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rebecca Koon, and Peter Grosz were confirmed as part of the ensemble cast.[2]
Filming began on September 3, 2021.[3]
Videos[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 28, 2020). "Searchlight and Adam McKay Tap ‘Succession’s’ Mark Mylod to Direct ‘The Menu’ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 5, 2021). "‘The Menu’: Paul Adelstein, Rob Yang, Arturo Castro & Others Are Searchlight Pic’s Final Ingredients". Deadline.
- ↑ "The Menu Core Extras". Project Casting.
