It’s Anya Taylor-Joy’s world. We are just living in it. Her latest film, The Gorge, recently became Apple TV+’s biggest launch. The streaming giant doesn’t normally disclose specific numbers, but exceptions tend to be made for Number 1, which was the case with the new flick. A recent report by Deadline reveals that the film has driven double-digit growth globally for the streaming service and boosted new viewership figures by over 80% since its debut on Friday, February 14. Impressive!

The Menu

Release Date

November 18, 2022

Runtime

106 minutes

Director

Mark Mylod

Writers

Seth Reiss, Will Tracy

Taylor-Joy has been on a roll in the 2020s, wowing fans with her performances in Peaky Blinders, The Northman, Amsterdam, Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. She also did excellent work on The Menu, a movie that continues to soar, two years after its release. In February, the black comedy horror hit Netflix’s Top 10 chart in U.S., proving that quality never goes out of fashion. However, Taylor-Joy — who was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes for her performance — almost missed out on the role to a more experienced Hollywood star.

The Menu makes you hate what you are currently eating and wish for superior bites. But don’t worry. No one has a pleasant dining experience in the movie. We first see Foodie Tyler Ledford and his date, Margot Mills (Taylor-Joy), traveling by boat to Hawthorne, an exclusive private island restaurant. The host is the celebrity chef, Julian Slowik (Ralph Fienness), whose professional success appears to have compensated for a less satisfying personal life.
The other invited guests are a food critic, her editor, two elite regulars, a washed-up movie star and his personal assistant, three entrepreneurs and Slowik’s alcoholic mother. During the island tour by the maître d’hotel, it is noted that Margot was a last-minute pick for Tyler after his designated guest couldn’t issue an RSVP. Much like behind-the-scenes?
When it’s time for dinner, Slowik presents a series of courses, followed by chilling philosophical monologues. What’s up with him? He isn’t the smiling chef everyone is used to seeing on TV and magazines. He is haunting, a figure of utter desolation, and something appears to have sealed his inward turn. But what could it be?

Related

If You Love ‘The Menu,’ You Need to Watch This Oscar-Nominated Satire

‘The Menu’ has recently topped Netflix’s streaming charts, but this Best Picture nominee from the same year is even better.

During the third course, dark truths about each guest are revealed via images laser-printed on tortillas. Soon after, a sous-chef kills himself and when one guest tries to leave, Slowik’s staff cut off his finger as a warning. Slowly, it dawns on the remaining guests that they have enmeshed themselves in a web of violence spun by Mr. Celebrity Chef himself.
We are into Agatha Christie territory as Slowik proceeds to explain that each guest was invited because they either played to him losing his passion for cooking or they make a living by exploiting the work of chefs like him. He then announces that everyone will be dead by the end of the night. But what about Margot, who had nothing to do with any of this? Keep an eye on her. Equipped with little more than her hands, quick feet and fearlessness, she does way more than your standard horror final girl.
Anya Taylor-Joy’s Role as Margot Was Initially Reserved for Emma Stone

Writer Will Tracy got the idea for The Menu while dining at an island restaurant outside Bergen, Norway, during his honeymoon. He later began writing a screenplay about his experience, and as he figured out a way to make it interesting, he wondered: why not a killer chef?
When Tracy learned that there were serious chances of the film being made, he consulted several figures from the world of fine dining, including chef Dominique Crenn (the first female American chef to attain three Michelin stars), who recreated several iconic dishes from her popular San Francisco restaurant. David Gelb was also hired to recreate the filmmaking style from his Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table.

Related

Fans of ‘The Menu’ Should Take a Bite Out of This Classic 1960s Satire

Fans of ‘The Menu’ owe it to themselves to seek out Jan Němec’s 1966 Czech political satire, ‘A Report on the Party and the Guests.’

In 2019, it was announced that Alexander Payne (better known for Sideways) would be directing and that Emma Stone and Ralph Fiennes would star. Unfortunately, in June 2021, Stone was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, allowing Anya Taylor-Joy to enter negotiations. The next month, it was confirmed that she would be replacing Stone.
Emma Stone appears to have dropped The Menu in favor of Poor Things, which began development at around the same time. Did she make the right choice? Absolutely! The period film was nominated for 11 Oscars and won four, including Best Actress for Stone. It was also a hit at the box office, so no regrets for the actress at all.
Anya Taylor-Joy Was Still the Perfect Choice, Given Her Style and Preferences

There is no doubt that Emma Stone would have delivered a powerful performance as Margot. However, Anya Taylor-Joy was a better fit. She excels, playing the character with just the right blend of poise, determination, and insecurity, and successfully downplaying her astounding physical beauty in the process.
Taylor-Joy is great, mostly because these are the kinds of projects she normally takes. The actress has starred in six horror movies so far, yet she is still in the early stages of her career. All of her performances in the genre have been widely praised, proving that this is one of the fields where she feels the most comfortable. Stone, on the other hand, has mostly been a comedy person, with occasional forays into thrillers and drama. You cannot doubt her ability to adapt, but you can wonder whether she would enjoy herself in a project like The Menu.

Related

The Menu: Why Was It Shut Out of the Oscars?

The Menu wasn’t nominated by the Academy for a single Oscar this year. Let’s break down why.

Taylor-Joy also tends to rely on a detached and facially expressive style, which was essential for the role of Margot. Most of her characters are placid, almost otherworldly young women who seem to feel none of the tension or excitement around them. Watch her in The Queen’s Gambit and The Witch, and you notice that she is all about quiet intensity. She is the consummate pro who keeps her cool, even when in the middle of harried counterparts who figure that things should be done quickly and without much thought. Expect Taylor-Joy to do more with eye movements and actions than with words. Stone, on the other hand, has always been the kind that thrives when more dialogue is handed to her.
Most importantly, Stone isn’t too keen on settling for second billing nowadays and justifiably so. She has achieved so much that it would be unfair for her to be in a movie that’s more about her male co-star than her. Stone would presumably be open to a movie where she and her male co-star exhibit sizzling chemistry, not one where he plays a silver-tongued badass person while she luxuriates or laments in her role as a pampered lover. There’s no denying that The Menu really belongs to Ralph Fiennes, who infuses the proceedings with genuine dread through his naturalistic performance.
Taylor-Joy never seems to have a problem with these types of male-dominated playgrounds (at least not yet). See her in Peaky Blinders, where she is only a love interest, yet she influences the proceedings greatly, taking scheming to a whole new level. The Menu’s casting outcome was thus best for everyone.