Most of Roger Gual’s movie takes place on the last night of a legendary restaurant on Spain’s magnificent Costa Brava. One by one we meet the cast, notably a pediatrician (Jan Cornet) and his estranged wife (Claudia Bassols), a best-selling author; a widowed countess (Fionnula Flanagan); a mysterious Irishman (Stephen Rea) with world-class wine tastes; and, of course, the chef (Vicenta N’Dongo).
Gual does a lively job of moving the point-of-view around his static restaurant setting. Then, confronted with what to do after the last course, the patrons rush off to rescue a sinking boat.
There are cute moments, but Gual’s characters are too nice to be the foundation for true screwball situations. (The villain, Bassols’ nasty publisher, is a thoroughly phony creation.)
“Tasting Menu’’ is pretty and pleasing, but no more. A bon-bon, not a meal.