If you haven’t seen it, skip the trailer. Doesn’t totally ruin it, but allow me to whet your appetite. (I did not intent that sort of pun, leaving it.) I only knew something would turn out “wrong”. And that is all you need to know.

I’ll admit to prejudice because I have the hots for Anna Taylor-Joy, but still, she shines in this role. Never been a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes, certainly not a detractor, but his acting chops belted me right in the face last night. Everyone else was supporting cast, and they all filled the bill perfectly. My compliments to the chef, all around!

How can I say more without spoilers? I am at a loss. Wikipedia has a fair enough entry:

Wealthy foodie Tyler Ledford and his date Margot Mills travel by boat to Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant on a private island operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik… The group is given an island tour by maître d’hotel Elsa, who notes that Margot is not Tyler’s designated guest.

That is it. That is all you need to know. I can’t even say what sort of movie this is without possible spoilers. Strike “documentary” off the list? What I can say is that my wife and I were glued to the screen for every minute. Bet I’ll pick up on loads of details and themes on a second watch.

Next time someone comments that Hollywood is out of ideas, produces nothing original, I’ll hand them The Menu.

Widely available: 🏴‍☠️