The Menu

 The Menu is an agreeably mean-spirited satire with some very easy targets: foodies, high cuisine, and rich people - it could be subtitled The Service Industry Strikes Back. It spreads the bile around, though, by making the avenging chef (Ralph Fiennes) and his cultish staff into absolute nutters; not to mention their restaurant charges more than fifteen hundred dollars for dinner. Fuck those assholes.

 The dinner in question is an exclusive affair where a bunch of rich people are ferried over to an island restaurant for an evening of fine dining. Among the  cast are a has-been actor (John Leguizamo) and his assistant (Aimee Carrero), a couple of food critics (Janet McTeer and Paul Adelstein), some random finance bros and rich people (one of them played by Reed Birney, who reminded me a lot of Dan O'Herlihy; I kept waiting for him to say "Chef, you're fired!"). Most importantly, there's also a rich young foodie douchebag played by Nicholas Hoult (I did say this movie picks some very easy targets); He's only important because of his plus one, a last-minute replacement after he broke up with his girlfriend. Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) is the odd one out in the group in that she doesn't take any bullshit, notices all the stuff the others miss, and is generally the voice of reason. A great final girl, in other words.

 The first few plates go relatively smoothly, though there's already some slight trolling there - such as a course of breads where only the accompaniments are served (bread is poor man's food, you see) or the chef theatrically sending the food critic an oversized plate of poorly prepared/cracked emulsion (don't ask me). Then there's a death, and the evening's entertainments begin in earnest.

 The main fun in the movie is the suspense part - the premise is completely ridiculous, but putting aside a few jabs at the attendees and some fun stylistic choices, the film presents itself at all times as a serious thriller, with Margot trying to navigate both groups to try and avoid what's clearly going to be a massacre. Picking apart what's going on (and why) is also fun, though the revelations alternate between humorous and a bit underwhelming.
 Director Mark Mylod has a good handle on tone, with most of the jokes underplayed to fit the playful, murderous tenor of the the script. Things are kept relatively classy, with a couple of bloody highlights. As for the script (by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy - both veterans from The Onion*), it's pretty sharp and not afraid to get ridiculous. Any agenda or ideology is quickly smudged as sympathies shift; It's the better film for it.

 Fiennes plays a mean psychopath, both menacing and weirdly vulnerable; Anya Taylor Joy makes for an extremely relatable, likeable protagonist, and everyone else - especially Leguizamo, who gets a lot of sympathy playing a douchebag who knows full well how much of a douchebag he is - are great if a bit cartoony. Poor Nicholas Hoult gets saddled with the most exaggerated character, a sycophantic, shallow moron whose big moments sometimes ring a bit too shrill against the slightly more subdued characters others are playing. Then again, he gets one of the best visual gags in the movie. Swings and roundabouts.

Take my word for it, this is a very funny movie.

So... yeah. The Menu tempers its humor with a nicely evil edge, and its horror with a beyond silly premise, some fun asides, and pretty effective satire. And I'll stop now before I'm possessed to inject a culinary reference.
 You're welcome.

*: Will Tracy also wrote Save the Green Planet with Joon-Hwan Jang, which is a crazy thing to have on one's resumé. Much respect.