Jump to content

The Menu (2022 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Age20035 (talk | contribs) at 21:45, 27 November 2022 (→Box office). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Menu
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Mylod
Written by
  • Seth Reiss
  • Will Tracy
Story byWill Tracy
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Deming
Edited byChristopher Tellefsen
Music byColin Stetson
Production
companies
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 10, 2022 (2022-09-10) (TIFF)
  • November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18) (United States)
Running time
106 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[2]
Box office$33.5 million[3][4]

The Menu is a 2022 American black comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod, written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, and produced by Adam McKay, Betsy Koch and Will Ferrell. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, and John Leguizamo.

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 received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised the screenplay, direction, production design, and cast performances.

Plot

Tyler and his companion Margot Mills travel by boat to Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant owned and operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik, located on a private island. The other guests attending the dinner are Lilian, a food critic; her editor Ted; wealthy couple Richard and Anne; George, a post-prime movie star and his personal assistant Felicity; and business partners Soren, Dave, and Bryce. The group are given a tour of the island by the restaurant maitre d', Elsa, who notes that Margot was not Tyler's designated guest for the evening.

The courses and Slowik's accompanying monologues gradually become more disquieting and violent. On Slowik's orders, one staff member kills himself and another cuts off a guest's finger. The restaurant's main investor is drowned in front of the guests, who later try to flee but are caught and returned by the staff. Slowik declares all the guests were selected because they either contributed to him losing his passion for his craft or because they make a living off exploiting the work of artisans like him, then announces that the night will end with everyone dead. Since Margot's presence was unplanned, Slowik gives her the choice of dying with either the staff or the guests.

Slowik turns on Tyler, revealing that he was invited personally and knew all along that the dinner would end with everyone's death, which enrages Margot. It is revealed that Margot is an escort named Erin whom Tyler has hired for the evening, knowing full well she would die. Slowik humiliates Tyler further by forcing him to cook in front of the guests and staff, then drives Tyler to commit suicide by hanging in a nearby storeroom. Slowik decides that Erin belongs with the staff and asks her to collect a barrel needed for dessert, claiming Elsa forgot it.

Erin sneaks into Slowik's house, which contains a replica of Hawthorne, only to be attacked by Elsa. Erin kills Elsa in self-defense by stabbing her in the neck. After seeing newspaper clippings of Slowik's past life in his sparsely decorated office, Erin finds a radio, calls for help, and returns to the restaurant. A Coast Guard officer arrives from his boat, bringing hope to the guests, holding Slowik at gunpoint. The officer then reveals himself to be a line cook in disguise and returns to the kitchen.

Due to Erin's betrayal, Slowik now declares that she belongs with the guests, but Erin mocks his dishes and complains that she is still hungry. Having previously seen a photo of a young, happy Slowik working at a fast-food restaurant, Erin asks him for a cheeseburger and fries. Moved by her simple request, Slowik prepares the meal to her specifications. Erin takes a bite and praises his food, then asks if she can get it "to go". Slowik packs the food for her and lets her leave. Erin finds a boat docked nearby and escapes the island.

To end the dinner, Slowik pays tribute to s'mores by covering the guests with coats made of marshmallows and hats made of chocolate. He then sets the whole restaurant ablaze, killing the guests, staff, and himself as Erin watches from the boat while finishing her dinner.

Cast

  • Ralph Fiennes as Julian Slowik, a celebrity chef and the owner of the Hawthorne restaurant, who has a ritualistic mentality and has lost his passion for his craft.
  • Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot Mills / Erin, an escort who accompanies Tyler to the meal and is the first to recognize the restaurant's twisted nature.
  • Nicholas Hoult as Tyler, Margot's snobby client and foodie fanboy of Slowik.
  • Hong Chau as Elsa, the restaurant maitre d’ and Julian's right-hand lady.
  • Janet McTeer as Lillian Bloom, a food critic who helped make Julian famous.
  • John Leguizamo as George Díaz, an arrogant post-prime actor whom Julian derides for being a sellout.
  • Reed Birney as Richard Liebbrandt, a businessman and frequent Hawthorne customer.
  • Judith Light as Anne Liebbrandt, Richard's wife who is also a frequent Hawthorne customer.
  • Paul Adelstein as Ted, Lillian's editor.
  • Aimee Carrero as Felicity, George's assistant and girlfriend.
  • Arturo Castro as Soren, a snarky tech business executive.
  • Rob Yang as Bryce, a tech business investor.
  • Mark St. Cyr as Dave, a tech business investor.
  • Rebecca Koon as Linda Slowik, Julian's alcoholic mother.
  • Christina Brucato as Katherine Keller, a Hawthorne sous-chef who originally proposed the "death" within "the menu".
  • Adam Aalderks as Jeremy Louden, a Hawthorne sous-chef who struggles to live up to his head chef.
  • Matthew Cornwell as Dale, the sous-chef who poses as a coast guard officer.
  • Peter Grosz as Hawthorne's sommelier.

Production

Will Tracy dined at Cornelius Sjømatrestaurant during a honeymoon and later suggested a story to Seth Reiss inspired by the experience.[5]

In April 2019, it was announced that Emma Stone and Ralph Fiennes would star in The Menu, with Alexander Payne attached to direct.[6][7] In December, the screenplay appeared on the annual Black List, a survey showcasing the most popular films still in development.[8] By May 2020, Searchlight Pictures held the distribution rights, and Payne and Stone had left the film due to scheduling conflicts, with Mark Mylod replacing Payne as director.[9]

In June 2021, Fiennes rejoined the cast. Anya Taylor-Joy entered negotiations to replace Stone[10] (and was confirmed the next month), and Hong Chau and Nicholas Hoult joined the cast.[11][12] John Leguizamo,[13] Janet McTeer,[14] Judith Light,[15] Reed Birney,[16] Rob Yang,[17] and Aimee Carrero joined in September.[18] In October, Paul Adelstein, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rebecca Koon and Peter Grosz were confirmed as parts of the ensemble.[19]

Filming began on September 3, 2021, in Savannah, Georgia, with cinematographer Peter Deming.[20][19] Filming included the Jekyll Island shore.[21]

Several figures from the world of fine dining were brought on as consultants for the film, including food designer Dominique Crenn, who recreates several dishes from her San Francisco restaurant Atelier Crenn for the fictional restaurant Hawthorne, and second unit director David Gelb, who was brought on to recreate the filmmaking style from his Netflix docu-series Chef’s Table.[22]

Christopher Tellefsen is the film's editor.[19]

Release

The Menu premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022,[1] and also made its US premiere at Fantastic Fest that month.[23] It was released November 18, 2022 in the United States in 3,211 theaters, the widest release in Searchlight's history.[24]

Reception

Box office

As of November 27, 2022, The Menu has grossed $18.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $33.5 million.[3][4]

In the United States and Canada, The Menu was released alongside She Said, and was projected to gross $7–10 million from 3,211 theaters in its opening weekend, the widest release in Searchlight's history.[25][26] It made $3.6 million on its first day, including $1 million from Wednesday and Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $9 million, finishing second behind holdover Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.[2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 214 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "While its social commentary relies on basic ingredients, The Menu serves up black comedy with plenty of flavor."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[28] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and those at PostTrak gave the film a 78% overall positive score, with 52% saying they definitely would recommend it.[2]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result
Fantastic Fest[29] September 27, 2022 Audience Award The Menu Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards[30] November 16, 2022 Best Original Score in a Horror Film Colin Stetson Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b "The Menu". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 20, 2022). "'Wakanda Forever' Posts $67M Second Weekend; 'The Menu' Rises Over 'Chosen'; No Noise For 'She Said' – Sunday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "The Menu (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "The Menu (2022) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Late Night with Seth Meyers (November 16, 2022). "Seth Reiss and Will Tracy Share How Foodie Culture Inspired The Menu". YouTube. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 9, 2019). "Hot Project Du Jour: Emma Stone, Ralph Fiennes, Alexander Payne On The Menu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  7. ^ White, Abbey; White, Abbey (November 24, 2022). "How 'The Menu' Explores Ego and Exploitation in Fine Dining". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Ramos, Dino-Ray (December 16, 2019). "The Black List 2019 Screenplays Unveiled & Ranked: Ken Kobayashi's Frozen-Time Romance Move On Tops List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 28, 2020). "Searchlight and Adam McKay Tap Successions' Mark Mylod to Direct The Menu (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 7, 2021). "Anya Taylor-Joy And Ralph Fiennes To Headline Searchlight's The Menu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 19, 2021). "Hong Chau Joins Anya Taylor-Joy And Ralph Fiennes In Searchlight's The Menu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 29, 2021). "Nicholas Hoult To Co-Star Opposite Anya Taylor-Joy In Searchlight's The Menu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 19, 2021). "John Leguizamo Joins Anya Taylor-Joy & Ralph Fiennes In Searchlight's The Menu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Galuppo, Mia; Kit, Borys (August 24, 2021). "Janet McTeer Joins Anya Taylor-Joy in Searchlight Dark Comedy The Menu (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  15. ^ Donnelly, Matt (August 30, 2021). "Judith Light Joins Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes in Searchlight's The Menu (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Lang, Brent (September 1, 2021). "Reed Birney Joins Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes in Searchlight's The Menu (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  17. ^ Vlessing, Etan (September 1, 2021). "Rob Yang Joins Anya Taylor-Joy in Searchlight Dark Comedy The Menu (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Cordero, Rosy (September 2, 2021). "Aimee Carrero Boards Searchlight's The Menu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 5, 2021). "The Menu: Paul Adelstein, Rob Yang, Arturo Castro & Others Are Searchlight Pic's Final Ingredients". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "The Menu Core Extras". Project Casting. August 5, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Hornaday, Ann (November 16, 2022). "Review - 'The Menu': A stylish takedown of elitism and fetishized food culture". Washington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  22. ^ Moskin, Julia (November 17, 2022). "'The Menu' Serves Fine Dining on a Skewer". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  23. ^ Zilko, Christian (August 16, 2022). "Fantastic Fest Headlined by Bones and All, Triangle of Sadness, and a Park Chan-wook Tribute". IndieWire. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 19, 2022). "Searchlight Rolling Out The Menu Before Thanksgiving". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 16, 2022). "Wakanda Forever Clears $204M+, Eyes $70M+ 2nd Weekend As Counterprogramming Tries To Find Life – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 16, 2022). "Wakanda Forever to Dominate Box Office Again With $72 Million-Plus as Weinstein Drama She Said and The Menu Eye Slow Starts". Variety. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "The Menu". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 22, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  28. ^ "The Menu". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  29. ^ Taylor, Drew (September 27, 2022). "Fantastic Fest Awards Winners: Piggy, The Five Devils and The Menu Take Top Honors (Exclusive)". TheWrap.
  30. ^ Grein, Paul (November 3, 2022). "Rihanna, Lady Gaga & More Nominated for 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Menu_(2022_film)&oldid=1124212238"