Ralph Fiennes’ dark new comedy The Menu has sparked a frenzy of excitement among food and film fans – with some hailing it the ‘most interesting movie ever made’… despite the fact that it’s left audiences gagging over its graphic content.
The culinary horror film, which premiered on November 18, takes place in a fancy restaurant called Hawthorne, where guests must pay $1,250 per meal and take a boat to get to the eatery, which is located on its own private island.
In the flick, acclaimed celebrity chef Julian Slowik, played by Fiennes, has prepared a lavish, multiple-course meal for 12 exclusive dinner guests.
However, the diners soon find themselves fighting for their lives when the luxury restaurant turns into a waking nightmare – as it’s revealed that the entire dinner was all a ploy for sinister Chef Slowik to get revenge on the people who he believes have contributed to him losing his passion for cooking.
‘Satirical masterpiece’: Many people are raving over Ralph Fiennes’ dark new comedy, The Menu, which has left viewers laughing, crying, gagging… and craving a cheeseburger
The culinary horror film, which premiered on November 18, takes place in a fancy restaurant called Hawthorne, which is located on its own private island and costs $1,250 per meal
Not what it seems… Acclaimed celebrity chef Julian Slowik (played by Fiennes) has prepared what appears to be a lavish, multiple course meal for 12 exclusive dinner guests
But the diners soon find themselves fighting for their lives – after it’s revealed that it was all a ploy for Slowik to get revenge on people who contributed to him losing his love of cooking
The guests soon start getting killed off one by one in a gruesome but hilarious chain of events – leaving the audience on the edge of their seats for practically the whole flick.
Among the guests is a young couple named Margot and Tyler – portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult.
Margot, who wasn’t originally supposed to come to the restaurant but joined her foodie boyfriend last minute, is far from impressed by the pretentiousness of the food – or the violence that follows it.
And because Margot’s presence at the dinner was unplanned, Chef Slowik gives her the choice of dying with the rest of the guests or joining him and his staff – making for a dramatic twist ending, which resulted in viewers raving over the ‘satirical masterpiece.’
People quickly flocked to Twitter to share their thoughts on the exciting film, with one person writing that they were ‘gripping’ their partner ‘in suspense’ the entire time, while another said the film resulted in them not wanting to ‘attend fancy restaurants any time soon.’
‘Revolting against the uber wealthy, a time-tested plot but with enough absurdity and freshness to keep you hooked,’ one person wrote on Twitter.
Buckle up: The guests soon start getting killed off one by one in a gruesome but hilarious chain of events – leaving the audience on the edge of their seats for practically the whole flick
Among the guests is a young couple named Margot and Tyler – portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult
Slowik gives Margot the choice of dying with the rest of the guests or joining him and his staff – making for a twist ending, which resulted in viewers raving over the ‘satirical masterpiece’
‘The Menu was incredible and funny and smart,’ gushed someone else. ‘It added a whole new layer of foodie culture satire to think about.’
‘The Menu is the best movie of the year, it’s absolutely insane,’ read a third tweet, while a fourth user agreed, ‘The number of times my jaw dropped… Best movie of 2022.’
‘The concept of The Menu is just mind blowing, what a movie,’ added another viewer.
‘In a world of so many predictable movies, The Menu was one breath of fresh air,’ raved someone else. ‘Definitely unique and quite enjoyable. Go check it out.’
A different person said: ‘God The Menu was so f**king good, holy s**t, I need to re-watch it again. It was literally everything a movie should be.’
In one climactic moment of the film, Chef Slowik cooks up a delicious-looking burger for Margot – and the scene resulted in many people leaving the theater craving one of their own.
People quickly flocked to Twitter to share their thoughts on the exciting film, with one person bringing it as ‘the best movie of 2022,’ while another called it ‘a chilling cinematic experience’
‘I don’t even eat cheeseburgers but d**n, that cheeseburger in The Menu made me want to eat a cheeseburger,’ joked one Twitter user.
‘Just saw The Menu, which was excellent, and had to get a cheeseburger immediately after,’ said someone else.
‘We need more movies like The Menu. What a chilling cinematic experience. Made me think about fine dining food experiences and made me crave a good old cheeseburger,’ added another person.
‘Was anyone else craving a cheeseburger more than they ever have in their entire lives after seeing The Menu? Because I could seriously kill for one right now,’ read a different tweet.
It turns out, Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn and the creator of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, David Gelb, actually worked with the movie’s cast and production team to help create the yummy food that’s featured in the flick.
In one climactic moment of the film, Chef Slowik cooks up a delicious-looking burger for Margot – and the scene resulted in many people leaving the theater craving one of their own
Chef John Benhase created the burger, and he told Buzzfeed that all that you need to make it is butter, ground beef, cheese, salt, pickle chips, onion, a bun, and a sauce of your choice
In addition, Fiennes said Dominique ‘guided’ him on ‘the demeanor of the master chef.’
‘She said, you don’t need to yell or scream. When you say something to one of your chefs, you create an atmosphere of calm but everyone is aware of the power you have,’ the actor previously told AP on the red carpet of the movie’s premiere.
Buzzfeed also reported that Savannah, Georgia-based chef John Benhase was behind the tasty burger at the end of the movie, and he told the outlet that all you need to re-create it yourself is butter, ground beef, yellow American cheese, salt, pickle chips, thinly-shaved yellow onion, a sesame seed bun, and a sauce of your choice.
While cooking the patty, the chef said the key is to place the onions on top of the meat – that way, when you flip the burger over, ‘the shaved onions will get trapped under the patties and start to steam and cook in the beef fat.’
In addition, when adding the cheese, Benhase said you should make sure the four corners are hanging off the sides of each patty so it gives you those ‘fried edges.’
Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn and the creator of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, David Gelb, also worked with the movie’s cast and production team to create the food featured in the flick
Directed by Succession’s Mark Mylod, the movie also starred Hong Chau, Janet McTeer (left), Paul Adelstein, John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero (right), Reed Birney, and Judith Light
Directed by Mark Mylod, who was behind episodes of Game of Thrones and Succession, the movie also starred Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein, John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero, Reed Birney, and Judith Light.
The horror-comedy was also popular among reviewers, and currently boasts a strong rating of 89 per cent from critics and 77 per cent from audience on Rotten Tomatoes
The horror-comedy was also popular among reviewers, and currently boasts a strong rating of 89 per cent from critics and 77 per cent from audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Marketed as an upscale spin on horror, The Menu interrogates a culture that has taken the chef from faceless grunt to something of a cult leader,’ Alison Herman, from The Ringer, wrote in her review on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Subtle it’s not, but it’s maliciously entertaining. It turns out that revenge on the ultra-wealthy is a dish best seared over a naked flame,’ Wendy Ide from the Observer added.
David Sims, from The Atlantic, said: ‘More food for thought than your average glossy fall thriller tends to offer.’
‘The Menu serves up a lot of expected jokes and twists, but does so in a fun and engaging package,’ The Film Experience’s Christopher James gushed.
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