The Menu

Far more comedic than its horror-leaning promotional material suggests, The Menu delivers delicious class-skewering commentary in line with Triangle of Sadness, but in a tighter, more entertaining package.

The latest feature from director Mark Mylod (Ali G Indahouse; Succession) chronicles a fateful supper at the exclusive island restaurant/commune Hawthorne, run by revered chef Julian Slowik. Ralph Fiennes plays the celebrity food artist in peak creepy form, calling to mind his “kindly” cruel performance in Schindler’s List and his outright diabolical turns in the Harry Potter films, but is far from the film’s lone standout performance.

As know-it-all foodie blogger Tyler, Nicholas Hoult delivers arguably his best work to date, perfectly capturing the egotism of a culinary star-fucker as well as the tics of someone overly eager to please and therefore struggling with deep-set insecurities. Janet McTeer exudes a similarly laughable supremacy as influential food critic Lilian, as do Paul Adelstein (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) as her editor Ted, a trio of wealth management hotshots, and other attendees.

Mylod and scribes Seth Reiss and Will Tracy — writing team colleagues from their Onion News Network days — expertly craft this troubling world of privilege and layer in a tense undercurrent that runs from Chef Julian and head waiter Elsa (Hong Chau, Watchmen) through their lock-step staff, resulting in a demented look at the already pretty wackadoo culture presented in The Bear.

It’s clear that all will not go well for these diners and the night’s other guests, but the outsider status of Tyler’s no-nonsense date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) offers intriguing insights into the mechanics at work as the evening turns increasingly violent and the attendees try to figure out what might next be served to them on plates and in other forms.

Those twists and turns deserve to be experienced, but trust me that they’re executed in intelligent, riveting ways that are sure to please anyone hungry for dark comedy infused with suspense. Like a more successfully executed version of Knives Out and Ready or Not, Mylod’s film gives viewers the payoffs they crave with plenty of, well, food for thought, serving up a fantasy wrapped in an entertaining package that won’t soon be forgotten.

Grade: A-minus. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Eric Zachanowich/Searchlight Pictures)