Well-dressed, fussy foodie Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is about to board a charter yacht with his date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) at the beginning of the epicurean thriller THE MENU. The two watch as a who’s who of celebrities and rich folk board a private vessel headed to the privately owned island of Hawthorne where Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) is preparing a lavish, multi-course meal for his guests. As the boat of revelers pulls away from the dock and Collin Stetson’s Glassian score signals bright adventure, we have the sinking feeling that all is not right in this luxurious setting. Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, THE MENU is a fiendishly clever feast of a film that explores the sins of entitlement as a collection of pretentious diners who indulge themselves without regard to what brought the meal to the table.

The cadre of clueless diners is given a tour of the island and the culinary compound that works tirelessly to create meals for them by the aloof cagey and calculating Elsa (Hong Chau) who is overseeing the evening. Investment bros Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro), and Jeremy (Adam Aalderks) sip expensive champagne and quip while snooty restaurant critic Lillian (Janet McTeer) studies and sneers at various observations. Meanwhile, a Movie Star (John Leguizamo) attempts to throw around his waining fame while trying to keep his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero) happy as aging couple Ann (Judith Light) and Richard (Reed Birney) harbor a storied past.

We observe the ensemble through Tyler and Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) as each layer of the story is served with the ceremony of a multi-course meal. We learn right away that Margot was not on the original guest list, leading Chef Slowik to question who she really is. We watch as various traps are set, sprung, and courses are plated and served. Yes, everyone has a dark secret, including Chef Slowik. How everything plays out is delicious fun.

Director Mark Mylod moves things along admirably with an appropriate reverence for the pageantry of a fine dining experience. While enjoyable though, the film does struggle with a few minor things. There is a hint of staginess as if this were adapted from a play. The ensemble is strong, with a mostly single location serving as the main setting of action but there is an effort to expand the sense of space with an airy production design by Ethan Tobman that offers vaulted ceilings and windows that look out on the shoreline of the island. Too, there is an increasing level of absurdity in the script by Reiss and Tracy that begins to push credulity. If you are hungry for it, you will bite. But if you aren’t keen, you will be left behind.

Performances across the board are stellar with Fiennes and Taylor-Joy leading the pack. Their scenes are a wonderful thing to watch as the two spar. Hoult does his thing as the snooty jerk well enough but Chau‘s Elsa is downright menacing.

All considered THE MENU is a sumptuously crafted thriller that sports a great cast, sharp writing, and a fun story if you have the appetite for it.