Searchlight Pictures gave their darkly comedic psychological thriller The Menu a theatrical release last month (you can read our review HERE and watch our interview with stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult HERE), and it has been more successful than I would have expected it to be. It has earned more than $59 million at the worldwide box office. And next month, it’s heading into viewers’ homes. The Menu will be receiving a digital release on January 3rd, with a Blu-ray release to follow on January 17th.
Scripted by Will Tracy (Last Week with John Oliver) and Seth Reiss (Late Night with Seth Meyers), The Menu is set
in the world of eccentric culinary culture, centering on a young couple who visit an exclusive restaurant on a remote island where an acclaimed chef has prepared a lavish tasting menu, with some shocking surprises.
Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) are joined in the cast by Ralph Fiennes (Skyfall), Hong Chau (Downsizing), Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds), John Leguizamo (George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead), Judith Light (Who’s the Boss?), Aimee Carrero (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Reed Birney (The Hunt), Paul Adelstein (Intolerable Cruelty), Rob Yang (Succession), Arturo Castro (Mr. Corman), Mark St. Cyr (High School Musical: The Series), Rebecca Koon (Sharp Objects), Peter Grosz (At Home with Amy Sedaris), and Christina Brucato (Orange Is the New Black).
Taylor-Joy and Hoult play a couple named Margot and Tyler, while Fiennes’ character is Chef Slowik. Chau plays Elsa, McTeer is food critic Lillian Bloom, Leguizamo’s character is called Movie Star, Light is Anne, Carrero is Felicity, Birney is Richard, Yang is Bryce, Castro is Soren, St. Cyr is Dave, Koon is Linda, and Grosz is the Sommelier. Adelstein is “Lillian’s editor, who has accompanied her on this culinary experience; agreeing with anything and everything she says.” Brucato’s character is “Katherine, who is the direct and politely outspoken sous chef working for Chef Slowik.”
Chef Slowik is a “globally-celebrated chef” who has developed this “eccentric culinary event” and “has added a few secret, and potentially nefarious, ingredients to his extravagant menu.” Three-time Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn was the film’s Chief Technical Consultant, helping the crafts team create the on-screen cuisine.
The Menu was produced by Adam McKay and Betsy Koch through their company Hyperobject Industries. Searchlight’s SVP Production DanTram Nguyen and director of production Zahra Phillips oversaw the project for the studio.
The bonus features on the home video version of The Menu will include:
Open Kitchen: A Look Inside The Menu – Feast on the special ingredients of The Menu to see how director Mark Mylod and his formidable cast, the biting script and renowned chef consultants concocted the perfect recipe to bring authenticity and dark humor to the film’s high-end culinary world.
First Course: Take a seat at the table as director Mark Mylod delves into some of the key ingredients that went into crafting The Menu. Meet the renowned chefs and food stylist who brought their culinary expertise to the set.
Second Course: Savor the world-building of Hawthorn, from kitchen “boot camp,” to the meticulous details of the production design. Hear from the cast and writers about the director’s naturalistic approach to capturing the nuances of the performances.
Dessert: Dig into the creation of the s’mores sequence as costume designer Amy Westcott explains the painstaking process of sewing ponchos made of actual marshmallows. The cast discusses chocolate hats and the absurd predicament of their characters.
And for a mignardise, enjoy THREE DELETED SCENES.
Are you looking forward to watching The Menu in the comfort of your own home? Let us know by leaving a comment below. And if you’ve already seen the movie on the big screen, let us know what you thought of it!