The Menu (2022)

A foodie (Nicholas Hoult) and his date (Anya Taylor Joy) travel to an exclusive island restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a pricey, lavish menu. But it soon becomes clear that the dinner guests are about to be served some shocking surprises. Directed by Mark Mylod (THE BIG WHITE), this delicious black comedy is an audacious satire as it pokes fun at pretentious foodies, diners and chefs while slowly evolving into a horror movie! It avoids the obvious (no cannibalism, thank you) while it amazes you with its wickedly amusing shocks. I was worried that it wouldn't be able to sustain itself and peter out but it remains iniquitous to the very last shot. The acting is decent and in the case of the wonderful Anya Taylor Joy as our surrogate conscience, better than that. Perhaps not to everyone's palate but I loved it. With John Leguizamo Janet McTeer, Hong Chau, Judith Light and Paul Adelstein.