"Please don't smoke," Tyler told Nicholas Hoult at the opening night dinner for "The Menu," which hit theaters last week. "It will kill your taste buds."
Margot Anya Taylor-Joy didn't care, but reluctantly put out her cigarette.
Margot and the rest of the guests have more than their own tastes to add as "The Menu" slowly unfolds, a delicious satire on the world of high-end culinary tastes that combines elements of comedy and horror with the chefs. touch the secrets of Flavor and exciting surprises. .
Having secured a table for two at the exclusive and very expensive Hawthorn—an island restaurant on the Pacific Northwest coast where diners arrive by boat for a quirky multi-course experience—Tyler tells Margot that he loves other athletes and musicians, chefs. Culinary experts like Hawthorne executive chef Julian Slovic (Ralph Fiennes).
When they work within their artwork, they use elements of life itself, Tyler says.
"And death itself," he added.
to swallow
Other characters dining at Hawthorne tonight: technicians Bryce (Rob Young, "The Kitchen"), Soren (Arturo Castro, "Broad City") and Dave (Mark St. Cyr, "Marshall"); Anne (Judith Light, "Transparent") and Richard (Ridburny, "The Hunt"), a rich and orderly couple; a vague movie star who is never mentioned (John Leguizamo, “Moulin Rouge!”) and his sidekick Felicity (Aimee Carrero, “The Offer”); and acclaimed food critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer, “Ozark”)—credited with putting Julian on the map—and daring magazine editor Ted (Paul Adelstein, “Intolerable Cruelty”).
You'll be spoiled for choice with an oyster starter with seaweed in the bowl.
"Floating trash," Margot warns.
When Margot arrives at the restaurant, she is apparently stopped by the restaurant's head of staff, Elsa ("the wonderful Hong Chow from Slick"), who realizes that Tyler is bringing another woman.
After a tour of the island, Tyler savors the aroma of a dish's incoming ingredients, and guests tour the grill and nearby staff quarters (but are not allowed into the chef's cabin) and sit down.
With the help of highly trained staff, Slovic started the dinner, which began with elaborate entertainment. Tyler is in heaven, but he broke the no-photos-with-food rule.
Soon the cook was writing a thesis on the importance of bread, the staple food of the peasants; However, since the guests were not "ordinary", they received no bread, but "a plate of bread without bread" with "an incongruous exclusion".
As for Margot, Slovic insults his guest; For Tyler, it's a talent that weaves a compelling narrative.
The real fun starts with the midnight mess course. We won't say anything more about it.
The course titles and their corresponding descriptions, presented through photos of the dishes and on-screen captions, are a nice touch on the menu, one of many by director Mark Mild. He directed several episodes of Game of Thrones and more than a third of another hit HBO series, Legacy. It gives "The Menu" the right pace that many serious episodes of The Roy Family Fun Hour often lack.
The screenplay was written by Will Tracy ("Legacy") – whose story was inspired by a visit to a luxury restaurant on a private Norwegian island – and Tracy's longtime writing partner Seth Reiss ("Late Night with Seth Meyers"). They've done a great job of carefully pairing the descriptions of the food and wine, one of which has a bit of regret among other features.
However, they could only explain all, if not all, of the motives of those who served under Slovic. The chef explains in detail why he has carefully prepared this special menu for this special group of guests – minus one.
Of course, this is satire, so we need no explanation. We happily sat back and enjoyed Slovic's unique spin on Taco Tuesday with one of his classes. (You've never seen an omelette like this.)
When it comes to menu performance, it's definitely all about the combination, with plenty of good ingredients baked into this memorable stew.
While we would have liked a little more screen time from Holt – absolutely amazing on Hulu's hit series The Great – we can't complain that Taylor-Joy took the lead. Like the actress in countless films like 'The Queen's Gambit' and 'Emma' and 'Last Night in Soho', she commands your attention every time the camera is trained on her.
But veteran actor Fiennes ("The Grand Budapest Hotel," "The Dig") is such a powerhouse that you can imagine others doing a bit more with meaty roles.
The menu is tempting enough to keep you busy while you think about how it will work for customers and staff. Of course, we're not going to give it away, but it has to be said that it's a little disappointing that, often in stories about the dire consequences of serving gourmet food, the lunch is a lesson in eating a roast dinner. Something he would love to eat.
That's not what Slovic wants from his guests "when it comes to eating." He asked them to taste, to enjoy, to think – not to "eat".
Even if a dish or two is a little disappointing, the menu is a movie worth trying and enjoying, if you don't take everything too seriously.
Oh, and don't forget to leave room for dessert. What nonsense.
"The Menu" is rated R for intense/satisfying violence, strong language and some sexual innuendo. Duration: 1 hour, 47 minutes.
