What’s wrong with being passionate?

Comedy | Horror

The genre billing doesn’t help The Menu. Way too many men are afraid of horror.

If you’re one of the fraidy-cats, take a long look in the mirror. Alone. Fight past the terror. Because you sound like a sissy.

“Have you seen The Menu? Because I’ve heard good things,” I may suggest.
“I don’t like scary movies,” they reply, “I’m frightened and quake in the night.”

Like – that old escape hatch. What is like?

Anyway, don’t let a categorical error scare you away. Because look at where it ranks:

Best Films Released in 2022

1. The Batman
2. Avatar: The Way of Water
3. Top Gun: Maverick
4. The Menu
5. Everything Everywhere All At Once

Sharp, insightful and witty; The Menu is easily that year’s biggest oversight. Like a lot of great films, it stumbles into the surreal.

The talent is highly invested. All the actors, known and unknown, work their tails off here. Ralph Fiennes may be our finest working actor. John Leguizamo – who’s had a massive career of inspired performances – might just be our best working character actor. Nicholas Hoult, Anya Taylor-Joy… everyone comes to play.

ATJ

Taylor-Joy stands out as the unwilling participant. She strikes a delicate balance — cold, standoffish, unwilling to join in the sport of gobbling and gushing. That initial detachment feels wrong at first. But as the courses are served, our feelings toward her shift. She may not be likable — but she’s far more honest than everyone else at the table.

There’s a confidence to the film’s irregular structure. Tonally, it’s a balancing act: class satire meets food porn meets cult thriller. There are numerous laughs — a handful on the hardier side — and the violent moments (while infrequent) are handled tastefully. They serve the story rather than hijack it.

The editing deserves a nod. Creative audio transitions — the clap, sizzling meats, scraped spatulas — paired with title-card dishes mocking haute cuisine. Even the supporting players, like the sacrificial lamb and the sous chef, nail their marks with challenging dialogue and unflashy presence.

And no — The Menu isn’t all that profound. Its points about artistry, self-indulgence and critical reception don’t hit with revelation. But they do land. The film both celebrates the culinary and quietly reminds us not to oversell what art is supposed to do.

It’s a character study. A psychological farce. A dish best served weird.

Don’t lump it in with the unearned grotesquery of Nosferatu or The Substance.

The Menu is far more refined — and way more satisfying.

★★★ ★★★ ★★★

Short analyses available via IMDb and Letterboxd. Or read my review of Wicked.