The Menu (2022 film)

The Menu
The Menu
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mark Mylod
Written by	Seth Reiss; Will Tracy;
Story by	Will Tracy
Produced by	Adam McKay; Betsy Koch; Will Ferrell;
Starring	Ralph Fiennes; Anya Taylor-Joy; Nicholas Hoult; Hong Chau; Janet McTeer; Reed Birney; Judith Light; John Leguizamo;
Cinematography	Peter Deming
Edited by	Christopher Tellefsen
Music by	Colin Stetson
Production; companies	Hyperobject Industries; Gary Sanchez Productions; TSG Entertainment;
Distributed by	Searchlight Pictures
Release dates	September 10, 2022 (TIFF); November 18, 2022 (United States);
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$79.3 million

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way

The Menu is a 2022 American black comedy horror film^[4]^[5] directed by Mark Mylod, written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, based on an original story created by Tracy, and produced by Adam McKay, Betsy Koch and Will Ferrell. It features an ensemble cast that includes Ralph Fiennes as a celebrity chef with Hong Chau playing his assistant and Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, 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 on a budget of $30 million and received positive reviews from critics.

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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, Jeremy, a sous-chef, kills himself, causing a 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, but Slowik's staff catch all of them.

Slowik explains 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 she chooses the former.

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 the guests would be killed. Despite this, Tyler was so zealous in his desire to participate in Slowik's craft that he kept the secret and hired Margot to replace his ex-girlfriend for the evening because Hawthorn did not offer seating for parties of one. Slowik humiliates Tyler by forcing him to cook in front of everyone and insulting his food, then orders Tyler to hang himself.

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. 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 accidentally 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, she requests to take it "to go". Slowik and the staff allow her to leave. 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.

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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 movie star
Aimee Carrero as Felicity
Reed Birney as Richard
Judith Light as Anne
Rebecca Koon as Linda
Rob Yang as Bryce
Arturo Castro as Soren
Mark St. Cyr as Dave
Peter Grosz as sommelier
Christina Brucato as Katherine
Adam Aalderks as Jeremy
Matthew Cornwell as Dale/Coast Guard officer

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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.^[6]^[7] 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.^[8]

It was announced in April 2019 that Alexander Payne was attached to direct.^[9] In December 2019, the screenplay appeared on the annual Black List, a survey showcasing the most popular films still in development.^[10] 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.^[11]

Casting

In April 2019, it was announced that Emma Stone and Ralph Fiennes would star in The Menu.^[9]^[12]

In June 2021, Fiennes joined the cast. Anya Taylor-Joy entered negotiations and was confirmed in July to replace Stone, who had left due to commitments to other projects;^[13]^[11] Hong Chau and Nicholas Hoult joined the cast the same month.^[14]^[15] John Leguizamo,^[16] Janet McTeer,^[17] Judith Light,^[18] Reed Birney,^[19] Rob Yang,^[20] and Aimee Carrero joined in September.^[21] In October, Paul Adelstein, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rebecca Koon and Peter Grosz were confirmed as parts of the ensemble.^[22]

Filming and post-production

Filming began on September 3, 2021, in Savannah, Georgia, with cinematographer Peter Deming.^[23] and film editor Christopher Tellefsen.^[22] Film locations include the Jekyll Island shore.^[24]

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.^[25]

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Release

The Menu premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022,^[26] and also made its US premiere at Fantastic Fest that month.^[27] It was released November 18, 2022 in the United States in 3,211 theaters, the widest release in Searchlight's history.^[28]

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.^[29]

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Reception

Box office

As of January 29, 2023^[update], The Menu has grossed $38.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $40.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $79.3 million.^[2]^[3]

In the United States and Canada, The Menu was released alongside She Said.^[30]^[31] 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.^[1] 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.^[32] During its third weekend, the film made $3.5 million, finishing fourth.^[33]

Critical response

Fiennes' performance as Chef Slowik was praised by critics

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 305 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."^[34] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[35]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Fantastic Fest	September 27, 2022	Audience Award	The Menu	Won	^[36]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	November 16, 2022	Best Original Score in a Horror Film	Colin Stetson	Nominated	^[37]
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association	December 18, 2022	Best Original Screenplay	Seth Reiss and Will Tracy	Nominated	^[38]
San Diego Film Critics Society	January 6, 2023	Best Actor	Ralph Fiennes	Nominated	^[39]
		Best Original Screenplay	Seth Reiss and Will Tracy	Nominated	^[39]
		Best Ensemble	The Menu	Nominated	^[39]
Golden Globe Awards	January 10, 2023	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Ralph Fiennes	Nominated	^[40]
Golden Globe Awards	January 10, 2023	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Anya Taylor-Joy	Nominated	^[40]
Georgia Film Critics Association	January 13, 2023	Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema	Mark Mylod, Seth Reiss, Will Tracy	Runner-up	^[41]
London Film Critics' Circle	February 5, 2023	British/Irish Actor of the Year (for body of work)	Ralph Fiennes	Pending	^[42]
Satellite Awards	February 11, 2023	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical	Ralph Fiennes	Pending	^[43]
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	Pending	^[44]
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	Pending	^[44]
Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts Awards	February 17, 2023	Best Casting Director	Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe	Pending	^[45]
Hollywood Critics Association Awards	February 24, 2023	Best Comedy	The Menu	Pending	^[46]
Hollywood Critics Association Awards	February 24, 2023	Best Original Screenplay	Seth Reiss and Will Tracy	Pending	^[46]