# The Menu (2022 film)

The Menu is a 2022 American black comedy horror film written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, and John Leguizamo. It follows a foodie and his date traveling to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu but reveals shocking surprises throughout the meal.
The film had its world premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 18, 2022, by Searchlight Pictures. It grossed $79.6 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the screenplay and performances of the cast. At the 80th Golden Globe Awards, Fiennes and Taylor-Joy were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy, respectively. The film earned five nominations, including Best Thriller Film, at the 51st Saturn Awards.

## Plot

Foodie Tyler Ledford and his date Margot Mills travel by boat to Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant on a private island operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik. The other guests are food critic Lillian Bloom and her editor Ted; wealthy regulars Richard and Anne Leibrandt; washed-up movie star George Diaz 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'hotel 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. Unhappy with angel investor Doug Verrick's attempts to involve himself in Hawthorn's management, Slowik arranges for him to be drowned in front of the guests. The fifth course commences with Slowik allowing himself to be stabbed by Katherine, an employee whom he had 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 catches 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 killing 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 reveals she is 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 his performance 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 retrieve a barrel needed for dessert. As she leaves the kitchen, she discovers 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 her. 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.
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. Slowik finds joy in personally attending to her meal. 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 for which the staff decorates the restaurant with sauces and crushed graham crackers, then dresses the guests in marshmallow stoles and chocolate fezzes. Slowik sets the restaurant ablaze, detonating the barrel and killing the guests, staff, and himself. Margot watches the fire from the boat, eats her cheeseburger, and wipes her mouth with a copy of the menu.

## Cast

* Ralph Fiennes as Chef Julian Slowik
* Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot
* Nicholas Hoult as Tyler Ledford
* Hong Chau as Elsa
* Janet McTeer as Lillian Bloom
* Paul Adelstein as Ted Feldman
* John Leguizamo as a movie star
* Aimee Carrero as Felicity Lynn
* Reed Birney as Richard Liebbrandt
* Judith Light as Anne Liebbrandt
* Rebecca Koon as Linda Slowik
* Rob Yang as Bryce
* Arturo Castro as Soren
* Mark St. Cyr as Dave Lorimer
* Peter Grosz as sommelier
* Christina Brucato as Katherine Keller
* Adam Aalderks as Jeremy Louden
* Jon Paul Allyn as a boat waiter
* Mel Fair as a boatman
* Cristian Gonzales as Server #1
* Matthew Cornwell as Dale
* John Wilkins as Server #2

## Production
### Development

Will Tracy dined at Cornelius Sjømatrestaurant, an island restaurant outside Bergen, Norway, during a honeymoon and later suggested a story to Seth Reiss inspired by the experience. Several figures from the world of fine dining were brought on as consultants for the film, including chef Dominique Crenn, who recreated several dishes from her San Francisco restaurant Atelier Crenn for the fictional restaurant Hawthorn, and second unit director David Gelb, who was brought on to recreate the filmmaking style from his Netflix docuseries Chef's Table.
It was announced in April 2019 that Alexander Payne was attached to direct. In December 2019, the screenplay appeared on the annual Black List, a survey showcasing the most popular films still in development. By May 2020, Searchlight Pictures held the distribution rights, and Payne had left the film due to scheduling conflicts, with Mark Mylod replacing Payne as director.

### Casting

In April 2019, it was announced that Emma Stone and Ralph Fiennes would star in The Menu.
In June 2021, Anya Taylor-Joy entered negotiations and was confirmed in July to replace Stone, who had left due to commitments to other projects; Hong Chau and Nicholas Hoult joined the cast the same month. John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, Reed Birney, Rob Yang, and Aimee Carrero joined in September. In October, Paul Adelstein, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rebecca Koon and Peter Grosz were confirmed as parts of the ensemble.

### Filming

Filming began on September 3, 2021, in Savannah, Georgia, with cinematographer Peter Deming and film editor Christopher Tellefsen. Film locations include the Jekyll Island shore.

### Music

Colin Stetson composed the musical score, released by Milan Records on November 18, coinciding with the film's release.

## Release

The Menu premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and also made its US premiere at Fantastic Fest that month. It was released on November 18, 2022, in the United States in 3,211 theaters, the widest release in Searchlight's history.
The film was released to digital platforms on January 3, 2023, with a Blu-ray and DVD release by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on January 17, 2023.

## Reception
### Box office

The Menu grossed $38.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $41.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $79.6 million.
In the United States and Canada, The Menu was released alongside She Said, and was projected to gross $7–10 million from 3,100 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $3.6 million on its first day, including $1 million from Wednesday and Thursday night previews. The film went on to debut to $9 million, finishing second behind holdover Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Over its second weekend, The Menu made $5.5 million (and a total of $7.6 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), finishing fifth. During its third weekend, the film made $3.5 million, finishing fourth.

### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 334 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "While its social commentary relies on basic ingredients, The Menu serves up black comedy with plenty of flavor." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 78% positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| American Cinema Editors | March 5, 2023 | Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Christopher Tellefsen | Nominated | |
| Artios Awards | March 9, 2023 | Big Budget – Comedy | Mary Vernieu, Bret Howe, Lisa Mae Fincannon, Kimberly Wistedt & Becca Burgess | Nominated | [36] [37] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Best Film | The Menu | 9th place | [38] [39] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Best Lead Performance | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | [38] [39] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Actor Of The Year (For An Exemplary Body Of Work) | Hong Chau (for The Menu & The Whale) | Runner-up | [38] [39] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Actor Of The Year (For An Exemplary Body Of Work) | Anya Taylor-Joy (for Amsterdam, The Menu & The Northman) | Nominated | [38] [39] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Breakthrough Film Artist | Hong Chau (The Menu & The Whale: for acting) | Nominated | [38] [39] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | [38] [39] |
| Columbus Film Critics Association | January 5, 2023 | Frank Gabrenya Award for Best Comedy | The Menu | Nominated | [38] [39] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 16, 2023 | Best Actor in a Horror Movie | Ralph Fiennes | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | February 23, 2023 | Unsung Film of the Year | The Menu | Nominated | [41] [42] |
| Eddie Awards | March 5, 2023 | Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy, Theatrical) | Christopher Tellefsen | Nominated | [43] [44] |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | May 21, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | |
| Fantastic Fest | September 27, 2022 | Audience Award | The Menu | Won | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 13, 2023 | Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema | Mark Mylod, Seth Reiss, Will Tracy | Runner-up | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 10, 2023 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | [48] [49] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 10, 2023 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Anya Taylor-Joy | Nominated | [48] [49] |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | January 13, 2023 | Best Picture | The Menu | Nominated | [50] [51] [52] |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | January 13, 2023 | Best Actor | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | [50] [51] [52] |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | January 13, 2023 | Best Actress | Anya Taylor-Joy | Nominated | [50] [51] [52] |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society | January 13, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | [50] [51] [52] |
| Hollywood Critics Association | February 24, 2023 | Best Comedy | The Menu | Nominated | [53] [54] |
| Hollywood Critics Association | February 24, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | [53] [54] |
| Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts Awards | February 24, 2023 | Best Casting Director | Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe | Nominated | [55] [56] [57] |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2022 | Best Original Score in a Horror Film | Colin Stetson | Nominated | |
| IFMCA Awards | February 23, 2023 | Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film | Colin Stetson | Nominated | [59] [60] [61] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 19, 2022 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | [62] [63] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 19, 2022 | Best Supporting Performance | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | [62] [63] |
| London Film Critics' Circle | February 5, 2023 | British/Irish Actor of the Year (for body of work) | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild | February 11, 2023 | Best Contemporary Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture | Deborah LaMia Denaver, Mazena Puksto, Donna Cicatelli, Deb Rutherford | Nominated | |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild | February 11, 2023 | Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture | Adruitha Lee, Monique Hyman, Kate Loftis, Barbara Sanders | Nominated | |
| Online Association of Female Film Critics | December 20, 2022 | Best Acting Ensemble | The Menu | Nominated | [66] [67] |
| Portland Critics Association | January 16, 2023 | Best Ensemble Cast | The Menu | Nominated | [69] [70] [71] |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 6, 2023 | Best Actor | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 6, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 6, 2023 | Best Ensemble | The Menu | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | March 3, 2023 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | February 4, 2024 | Best Thriller Film | The Menu | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | February 4, 2024 | Best Film Direction | Mark Mylod | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | February 4, 2024 | Best Film Writing | Seth Reiss and Will Tracy | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | February 4, 2024 | Best Actor in a Film | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | February 4, 2024 | Best Actress in a Film | Anya Taylor-Joy | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 18, 2022 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | |
| Sunset Circle Awards | November 29, 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Hong Chau (for The Menu & The Whale) | Nominated | [78] [79] [80] |
| Sunset Circle Awards | November 29, 2022 | Best Film | The Menu | Nominated | [78] [79] [80] |
| Sunset Circle Awards | November 29, 2022 | Best Ensemble | The Menu | Nominated | [78] [79] [80] |
| Sunset Circle Awards | November 29, 2022 | Best Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Runner-up | [78] [79] [80] |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | March 5, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Seth Reiss & Will Tracy | Nominated | |