Those looking for more movies like The Menu may have had trouble, as it's a very particular kind of movie (currently avaialble to stream on Max). The Menu stars Ralph Fiennes as a deranged fine dining chef who executes a grand final meal on a private island for the uber-rich — and was praised for skewering a certain elite sector of society.
It balances uncomfortable, dark humor with considerable eye candy for food lovers. If you enjoyed watching The Menu, but are hungry for more? We have your new menu of movies to watch next.
We've got seven picks for anyone ordering up more dark comedies and horror stories relating to food and/or class commentary from three of the best streaming services.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery plops a group of rich people who consider themselves “disruptors” on an island for fun gone wrong. An Elon Musk-esque character (played by Ed Norton) sets up an elaborate, pretend murder mystery game for them to play, but a real murder gets in the way.
The movie doesn’t make food a supporting star in the way that The Menu does, but both films have the similar cadence of parody that will keep you laughing. And just like The Menu, Glass Onion will keep you guessing.
Watch now on Netflix
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Another future classic in the growing “eat the rich” movie genre, Triangle of Sadness strands a group of moneyed, loathsome characters on an island to watch them turn on each other. Like The Menu, the audience gets to indulge in hilarious schadenfreude as guests on a superyacht (helmed by a captain played by Woody Harrelson) face rough seas, pirates and internal greed.
But unlike The Menu, Triangle of Sadness goes past its initial staging grounds, and onto an even wilder setting. The film unfortunately contains the last performance of Charlbi Dean, a South African actress who passed away from bacterial sepsis at age 32 right as Triangle of Sadness was earning worldwide acclaim.
Watch now on Hulu
Parasite (2019)
Parasite, which won four Academy Awards and the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, is probably the most-acclaimed and famous movie from South Korea. While not similar in plot to The Menu, you’ll find thrilling scenes in Parasite that relate to food as a working class family slowly but surely takes over the affluent household where they’re employed.
It all begins as Ki-jung (Park So-dam) claims to be an art therapist to help the Park family's chaotic son, and then finds ways for her family to fill other needs. All before a big twist reveals that the Park family household is hiding a big secret.
Parasite struck such an international chord that there are plans to adapt it into an HBO series.
Watch now on Max
Hunger (2023)
This new Thai film follows young female cook Aoy (played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) who moves between her family’s noodle shop and the most opulent restaurant in Bangkok, which is led by a terrifying tyrant.
Hunger is one of the top Netflix movies like The Menu, and it’s surely a match due to the incredibly abusive head chefs that appear in each work, the commentary on classism and inequality and the tempting way that food and the art of cooking is shot.
Watch now on Netflix
The Feast (2021)
More "eat the rich" vibes come from this super creepy and psychedelic Welsh horror movie. Annes Elwy is beyond frightening as Cadi, a young woman hired to work in the kitchen of a wealthy household with questionable morals. Like The Menu and Parasite, The Feast fits into the current genre of “eat the rich” movies, showcasing truly terrible fates for upper class people who have no regard for others or, in this case, the environment.
Warning: The Feast takes the gore up a significant notch from The Menu. It's also not as interested in humor as The Menu was, making this pick best for viewers who typically enjoy watching over-the-top mayhem.
Watch now on Hulu
Chef (2014)
This Jon Favreau-helmed comedy is a great pairing with The Menu for a palate cleanser of light comic relief after (spoiler) so much dramatic death. The story about a chef who leaves the fine dining life to start a food truck doesn’t have the dark humor of The Menu.
But John Leguizamo, who plays a movie star in The Menu, appears as a line cook in Chef, which ties the two films together in an unexpected way that makes them good companion pieces. Both shoot food so lovingly, you may find yourself wanting to get in the kitchen right after watching.
Watch now on Max
Eating Raoul (1982)
After Paul and Mary Bland (played by director Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov) stumble upon a murderous way to make money to open their future dream restaurant, no one will stop them. Plus, an adversary might just become the key part of a dinner party.
The quick-witted pace of Eating Raoul, which later became an Off-Broadway show, offers a time capsule for early Eighties humor. With a lot of old-fashioned machismo and sexual impropriety that didn't age well, the film is both outrageous and often inappropriate by today’s standards, yet it’s still well worth watching for a barrage of wild belly laughs.
Watch it on Max
