\u201cDo not eat<\/em>,\u201d he commands his outrageously wealthy guests. \u201cTaste. Savor.\u201d But there\u2019s a strange energy between him and Margot, whom he immediately clocks as an outsider (\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here tonight\u201d) and chastises for not touching her plates. \u201cI guess I\u2019m not very hungry,\u201d she shrugs, but it\u2019s not that; she\u2019s cynical about all of this nonsense, and she has secrets of her own besides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Director Mark Mylod boasts a fairly dire filmography (Ali G Indahouse, The Big White, What\u2019s Your Number?<\/em>); he\u2019s spent the past decade acquitting himself quite nicely on television, where his credits have included Shameless <\/em>and Succession.<\/em> As such, it\u2019s not surprising that the most inspired moments of The Menu<\/em> are those skewering the rich, who eagerly lap up the \u201cbreadless bread plate\u201d and agree that you can catch a faint taste of \u201clonging and regret\u201d in the wine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to imagine more perfect casting for the role of Chef Slowik than Fiennes \u2013 it\u2019s frankly hard to imagine anyone else in it, who can so deftly mix stylish class with outright cruelty. It\u2019s like the character combines his performances in The Grand Budapest Hotel<\/em> and Schindler\u2019s List<\/em>. Taylor-Joy is terrific as well; it\u2019s a genuinely compelling character, and it\u2019s impossible to guess where she\u2019s going with it. But she has a long moment in close-up, late in the film, where you\u2019re just watching her think, and it\u2019s exhilarating<\/em>. The ensemble is solid, though the stand-out is Hong Chau, sharp-elbowed and stone-faced as Elsa, who runs the dining room with an iron fist and a taste for blood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mylod\u2019s direction is energetic \u2013 it moves at a good clip \u2013 and he builds the tension and discomfort well, while managing the rapid flip from class satire to straight-up horror with reasonable grace. The only problem is that it feels like Seth Reiss and Will Tracy\u2019s screenplay makes the flip too early in the picture; it\u2019s at its best before we know exactly what Chef is up to (any explanation for it is bound to disappoint), so letting the dread and uncertainty build longer might have yielded higher rewards. And its last scene is strangely unsatisfying. But for long stretches, The Menu<\/em> is quite an appetizing dish.\u00a0 “The Menu” is in theaters Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/menu2-1024x683.jpg\")
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Yet sinister undertones creep into the meal, and then things get really strange: Chef introduces his sous-chef Jeremy, who \u201caspires to greatness, but he\u2019ll never achieve it.\u201d Jeremy agrees, takes out a pistol, and blows his own brains out. The guests are panicked and confused – \u201cIs this real?\u201d \u201cThis is just theater, it\u2019s part of the menu\u201d \u2013 but Chef is clear. \u201cThis is what you\u2019re paying for,\u201d he says, with a knowing grin. \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crookedc-01.svg\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\nB-<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n