The Menu (2022 film)

The Menu (2022 film)
The Menu is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod, written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, based on an original story created by Tracy, produced by Adam McKay, Betsy Koch and Will Ferrell. The film stars Ralph Fiennes as a celebrity chef with Hong Chau playing his assistant and Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, Aimee Carrero, and John Leguizamo playing diners who attend his exclusive restaurant.
The Menu had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and was released in the United States on November 18, 2022, by Searchlight Pictures. The film grossed over $79 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics.
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 food critic Lillian Bloom; 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 the maître d' 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. 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 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 his 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 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.
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 decorate the restaurant with crushed graham crackers and melted chocolate, then adorn the guests with stoles made of marshmallows and hats made of chocolate. Slowik sets the restaurant ablaze, detonating the barrel and killing the guests, staff, and himself. Safely away, Margot eats her cheeseburger as she watches 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 Linda
Peter Grosz as sommelier
Christina Brucato as Katherine
Adam Aalderks as Jeremy
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 and post-production
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.
Colin Stetson composed the musical score, released by Milan Records as The Menu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 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 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
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
References
Notes
External links
Official screenplay
2022 black comedy films
2022 comedy horror films
2022 thriller films
2022 films
2020s English-language films
2020s American films
American black comedy films
American comedy horror films
American comedy thriller films
American satirical films
Matricide in fiction
Films about chefs
Films directed by Mark Mylod
Films produced by Adam McKay
Films about food and drink
Films about mass murder
Murder–suicide in films
Films set in restaurants
Films set on islands
Films shot in Savannah, Georgia
Films scored by Colin Stetson
Gary Sanchez Productions films
Searchlight Pictures films
TSG Entertainment films