The Menu

**The Menu** is a 2022 American live-action film directed by Mark Mylod.

It focuses on a young couple who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and was released theatrically on November 18, 2022.

## Plot

Foodie Tyler Ledford and his date, Margot Mills, travel by boat to Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant owned and operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik, located on a private island. The other guests attending the dinner are Lillian Bloom, a food critic; 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 a tour of the island by the restaurant maître d'hôtel, Elsa, who notes that Margot was not Tyler's designated guest for the evening.

Dinner begins, and Chef Slowik introduces a series of courses, delivering increasingly unsettling monologues about each dish. For the third course, uncomfortable truths about each guest ranging from affairs to embezzlement are exposed via laser-printed images on tortillas. During the fourth course, sous-chef Jeremy kills himself, causing panic amongst the guests, except for Tyler. When Richard tries to leave, the staff cut off his ring finger. Hawthorn's angel investor Doug Verrick, to whom Slowik had to relinquish ownership of the restaurant to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, is then drowned. For the fifth course, which begins with Slowik allowing himself to be stabbed by Katherine, a female employee whom he sexually harassed, the female guests dine with Katherine while the male guests are given the chance to escape the island via a game of cat-and-mouse, but Slowik's staff catch all of them. Katherine reveals that she was the one to suggest that Slowik kill all of the guests and everyone on the island.

Slowik explains that each guest was invited because they either contributed to him losing his passion for his craft or because they make a living off exploiting the work of artisans and workers like him and his team. He announces that everyone present will be dead by the end of the night. Since Margot's presence was unplanned, Slowik privately gives her the choice of dying either with the staff or the guests, and when she hesitates, he chooses the former for her.

Margot is unmasked as an escort who has previously served Richard and whose real name is Erin. Slowik reveals that Tyler was invited to the dinner months in advance and informed that the guests would be killed. Despite this, Tyler was so zealous in his desire to participate in Slowik's craft that he kept it secret and hired Margot to replace his ex-girlfriend for the evening simply because Hawthorn did not offer to seat for parties of one. Slowik invites Tyler to cook then humiliates him in front of everyone by insulting his food. Slowik whispers in Tyler's ear and Tyler leaves the kitchen, downcast.

Slowik asks Margot to go to the smokehouse and collect a barrel needed for dessert. As she leaves the kitchen, she sees Tyler's body in a closet, after he has hanged himself. En route, Margot sneaks into Slowik's house, only to be attacked by a jealous Elsa, fearful that she would be replaced by Margot. After a scuffle, Margot accidently kills Elsa. After seeing a framed employee of the month award showing Slowik as a young and happy cook 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 from his boat, but after the guests are convinced they have been saved, he reveals himself to be a line cook in disguise and returns to the kitchen.

As dessert is being prepared, Margot mocks Slowik's dishes and "loveless" cooking and complains that she is still hungry. When Slowik asks what she would like to eat, Margot requests a cheeseburger and fries. Moved by her humble request, Slowik personally does so, finding joy in creating the dish, and after one bite, Margot requests to take it "to go". Slowik and the staff allow her to leave, with Anne silently encouraging her to do so. Margot takes the Coast Guard boat docked nearby and escapes the island.

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 from the island, Margot eats her cheeseburger in silence while watching the restaurant burn, using a copy of the menu to wipe her mouth.

## Cast and Characters

* 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 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 food designer 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

### Critical Response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 314 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5 out of 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 favourable reviews".

### Box Office

As of February 5, 2023, The Menu has 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. 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.