‘The Menu’ Review: Foodie Black Comedy’s Condescending Class Critiques Don’t Cut The Mustard [TIFF]

It’s the nature of most television to lose its edge, for a series to tumble backward as new shows push the envelope further than that original series could ever envision.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic If you’re someone who considers themself a foodie (and I totally am), chances are there was a moment in the last few years when you had The Awakening. It may have been when the waiter was describing the veal marrow with beat foam served with baby lettuces from New Zealand. It may have been when you were eating the red snapper that was cooked halfway through, like a rare steak, and you thought, “I love sushi, I love cooked fish, but I’m not sure this is really the best of both worlds.” It may have been when you saw the bill. Whatever the trigger, that was the moment you looked up from your plate and realized that high-end foodie culture has become a serious annoyance. It’s gotten too fussy, too pricey, too full of itself, too not filling (of yourself), too avant-garde and conceptual, too tied to The Salvation of the Planet, too much of an ordeal. Did I mention too pricey? It used to be that if you wanted to ridicule culinary mania, you mocked someone like Guy Fieri. But he has risen from the ashes of infamy to a kind of born-again respectability (and yes, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” was always a great show). Now, if you want to ridicule culinary mania, the most natural targets are restaurants like The French Laundry in Napa Valley or Bros’ in Southern Italy, places where the 12-course “tasting menu” can inspire you to think, as one blogger put it, that “there was nothing even close to an actual meal served.”

It would be empty hyperbole to declare Eddie Redmayne our worst living actor; in all likelihood, the honor belongs to someone nobody’s ever heard of, so bad that they never became famous in the first place. But in Tobias Lindholm’s new drama “The Good Nurse,” Redmayne still makes a bold argument for some qualified version of the statement.  During the early stretches that see him in one of his two settings as a performer – so anemic and withdrawn that he appears to be trying to stop existing – one might wonder whether he’s merely the worst of his Hollywood class.

“The Menu,” a dark, bloody satire of the one percent and the restaurants that cater to them. The film stars Ralph Fiennes as the pretentious, craft-obsessed head chef at an exclusive restaurant on a remote island.

The Black Tape Project, an unconventional sartorial initiative dreamt up by self proclaimed body tape “pioneer” Joel Alvarez. The so-called “King Of Tape” premiered his latest line of tape-based swimwear at the Angel Orensanz Center in Manhattan Sunday night, mesmerizing audiences with his minimalist designs.This latest display went even skimpier than usual — with the spartan black-and-white swimsuits barely concealing the models’ nether regions like live action censor bars.One of the models bodies’ was crisscrossed with spike-studded black tape — a salacious take on the dog collar design– with black X’s acting as pasties.

Goldie Hawn, 76, was joined by her daughter Kate Hudson, 43, for an extra special dance lesson, with the glam duo learning the tango alongside Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea.MORE: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell's unusual punishment to Oliver Hudson revealedGoldie took to Instagram to share a series of photos from the dance session, in which she was rocking a figure-hugging little black dress, while Kate opted for a top-to-toe black ensemble. Goldie accessorized her floaty dress with heeled black dance shoes and sultry makeup.WATCH: Goldie Hawn dances on the streets with her sonAlongside the series of photos, the actress wrote: "What could be more fun than taking a mother-daughter tango lesson with these 3 incredible women? Had a fabulous time sharing our stories and dancing the day away."MORE: Goldie Hawn spends time at home away from home before waving grandson off to collegeREAD: Goldie Hawn reveals real reason she hasn't married Kurt Russell after 39 years togetherThe dance lesson was recorded for Chelsea and Hillary's new TV series Gutsy, which airs on Apple TV.Goldie regularly pays tribute to her children on Instagram, and on Wednesday mom-of-three shared a gushy post dedicated to her son, Oliver Hudson, in honor of his birthday.

It would be empty hyperbole to declare Eddie Redmayne our worst living actor; in all likelihood, the honor belongs to someone nobody’s ever heard of, so bad that they never became famous in the first place. But in Tobias Lindholm’s new drama “The Good Nurse,” Redmayne still makes a bold argument for some qualified version of the statement.  During the early stretches that see him in one of his two settings as a performer – so anemic and withdrawn that he appears to be trying to stop existing – one might wonder whether he’s merely the worst of his Hollywood class.

Ralph Fiennes and Judith Light are stepping out for the premiere of their new movie.

A group of wealthy people arrive on a mysterious island and receive the meal of a lifetime in Mark Mylod’s psychological thriller The Menu. Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, the film stars Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor Joy. 

A group of wealthy people arrive on a mysterious island and receive the meal of a lifetime in Mark Maylod’s psychological thriller The Menu. Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, the film stars Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor Joy. 

William Earl One of the biggest crowdpleasers of the Toronto International Film Festival has arrived. “The Menu,” a high-class horror comedy written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod, held its rollicking world premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on Saturday. Mylod, the in-demand TV director who has helmed key episodes of “Game of Thrones,” “Shameless” and “Succession,” leaned on the satirical world of the latter series in this black comedy lampooning fine dining, foodie culture and the ultra-rich. Anya Taylor-Joy continues her scene-stealing career as Margot, a cuisine novice who agrees to join obnoxious Tyler (Nicholas Hoult, as infuriating and pathetic as he is on “The Great”) at a hyper-expensive, once-in-a-lifetime meal prepared by the intimidating and legendary Chef Slowik (a devilish Ralph Fiennes) at his private island restaurant. Although the menu is rumored to be legendary, there is, of course, more in store for the diners than meets the eye.

Wilson Chapman editor In his Toronto International Film Festival premiere “The Menu,” Ralph Fiennes plays Slowik, a celebrity chef who runs an exclusive restaurant that caters to the ultra-rich. And while the darkly comic horror film eventually reveals some macabre twists regarding what’s on Slowik’s menu, Fiennes says he got into the character via more mundane inspirations. “One of the great pleasures was watching ‘Chef’s Table’ on Netflix” Fiennes said at the Variety Studio presented by King’s Hawaiian at TIFF, referring to the documentary series about international chefs. “I love that series, every single character, every single chef is so brilliantly portrayed. They’re all so different. So that was very rewarding.”

“Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” Thursday night, where she was joined by mom, Hillary, 74. “I would say we were friends,” Chelsea said of her relationship with Ivanka, 40.

Hillary Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton are stepping out for the premiere of their new Apple TV+ show!

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, alongside her daughter Chelsea Clinton, 42, on Tuesday night.As part of the interview, the pair took part in a Mother Daughter Challenge, where they had to answer a series of questions asked by Fallon.At one point during the segment, Clinton, 74, was asked about her “craziest family vacation memory.”Taking a second to think, the mom-of-one remembered the time she and Bill managed to leave Chelsea in the Kremlin sometime during Bill’s time in office from 1993 until 2001.“I hope she [Chelsea] doesn’t remember this because it was pretty traumatic,” the former Secretary of State began. “We took her to Russia when we went on a state visit when Bill was president, and there were the formal goodbyes so Bill and I were ushered into the Beast, the big limousine, to head to the airport, not knowing that we had left her behind.

Gisele Bündchen and her kids were spotted in Miami, having fun at a water park. The model, who is rumored to be going through a rough patch with her husband Tom Brady, was spotted in a black one piece bathing suit and looked amazing as she played and had fun with her kids.Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are clashing over his choice to un-retireGisele Bündchen celebrates Tom Brady’s birthday with sweet tribute: ‘We are always here cheering for you’A post shared by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele)Page Six was the first to report of an alleged fight between Brady and Bündchen, one that rumoredly lead to her solo trip to Costa Rica, where she left to get some air and clear her head.