1 of 2
2 of 2
Below are our “Top Ten” favorite food films. You’ll realize right away that we cheated a bit and added additional recommendations after each movie because choosing only ten was like going to a favorite restaurant and ordering only the appetizer. We dare you to watch these films without becoming ravenous (well, except for the ones at the end—they might actually turn you off food for a while). Note that this list does not include food documentaries: there are so many outstanding examples, they deserve their own list. Films connected to the wine industry could also take a separate list with Bottle Shock (2008), Sideways (2004), and Mondovino (2004) leading the pack.
10. Waitress (2007). Fans of independent director Hal Hartley’s films will recognize the diminutive Adrienne Shelly, who played the female lead in a number of his movies. Shelly went on to write, direct, and star in the comedy-drama Waitress. Sadly, this was Shelly’s last film because she was murdered in 2006, before the film’s release. Set in the south, Waitress revolves around the pregnant titular character’s (Keri Russell) attempts to escape an abusive marriage and win a pie contest. Trailer here.
Related recommendations: Waiting (2005) and In the Weeds (2000)
9. Tampopo (1987). The fact that so many of the best food films come from other countries is not surprising. American viewers often experience the double pleasure of enjoying a good film and a vicarious glimpse into another culture through food—a pleasure that draws on the familiar and piques interest in the “exotic.” Don’t be fooled by the Italian-sounding title: the film is a Japanese comedy in the style of a spaghetti Western. With its intersecting storylines, Tampopo resists a tidy summary, but the main quest involves opening the perfect noodle restaurant. This clip shows a ramen master teaching one character, Gun, played by Ken Wantanabe, how to eat the signature dish correctly. As in many food films, the rituals involved with food—preparing, serving, and eating it—symbolize much more than simple consumption. Scene from Tampopo here.
Related recommendation: 301/302 (1995)
8. Mostly Martha (2001). If you saw No Reservations, the abysmal American remake of the German film Mostly Martha (Bella Martha), shame on you. Seriously, though, the two films share little in common other than the basic storyline, so don’t let any negative opinions about the Catherine Zeta-Jones version keep you from watching the original. Aside from great performances, the film depicts how an acclaimed but controlling chef, Martha, deals with change in her kitchen and her life. The film follows the standard romantic-comedy trajectory, which may disappoint those looking for something a bit more outside the status quo. You have to love a film, though, in which the protagonist talks more about preparing food than her problems in therapy, proving that, for many, food and cooking are therapeutic. Trailer here:
Related recommendation: Woman on Top (2000)
7. Like Water for Chocolate (Como agua para chocolate) (1992). Based on Mexican author Laura Esquival’s novel of the same name, which is also recommended, Like Water for Chocolate falls into the romantic-drama category with a side of Magical Realism, wherein the supernatural’s presence is as ordinary as preparing a family meal. Like so many food memoirs, Tita’s cookbook serves as the receptacle both of the family’s recipes and their stories. Food as a conduit of emotion can be seen in one of the film’s famous scenes where Tita prepares quail in rose petal sauce with humorous, lusty results. Scene from Like Water for Chocolate here.
Related Recommendation: Chocolat (2000)
6. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994). Directed by Ang Lee, Eat Drink Man Woman remains many people’s favorite food-family film. The opening scene in which the chef-patriarch of the family meticulously prepares dinner both hooks the viewer and illustrates the transcendent nature of food and its preparation. While the Taiwanese food may not always be familiar to the American viewer, the larger themes of how to move on after loss while negotiating the complexities of family are universal. Opening scene here.
Related recommendations: Tortilla Soup (2001), Soul Food (2007), and What’s Cooking? (2000)
5. Julie and Julia (2009). The “Julie” part of the film admittedly drags a bit, but the “Julia” part, with Meryl Streep as Julia Child, more than makes up for any slow moments. Food’s many representations here—as escape, as empowerment, as transformative potential—remind the viewer that it’s okay to drop the chicken because cooking, like life, is often more about the process than the end product. Trailer here.
Related recommendation: Cooking with Stella (2009)
4. Babette’s Feast (Babettes gæstebud) (1987). An isolated village in 19th-century Denmark sets the stage for Babette’s Feast, a Danish film based on Karen Blixen’s short story of the same name (Blixen, AKA Isak Dinesen, also wrote Out of Africa, which made for a more well-known film adaptation). Babette, an outsider to the community, arrives from France, settling there to work as a housekeeper for two elderly, ascetic sisters. After winning the lottery, Babette, unbeknownst to the town, spends all of her winnings on an elaborate, traditional French dinner for the village. Perhaps no other film showcases the relationship between cooking and community better, and the final scene is not to be missed. Trailer here.
Related recommendation: The Big Feast (La grande bouffe) (1973)
3. Ratatouille (2007). In the tradition of all good food movies, extended scenes of food preparation bordering on food porn abound in Pixar’s hit animated comedy; Remy, the chef, however, happens to be a rat, so, for much of the movie, who’s cooking and who’s taking credit for the food are two different, um, creatures. Ratatouille has quickly replaced many other food film stalwarts like Big Night and Babette’s Feast as the best. With the loveable and talented underdog hero, an apt and amusing caricature of the restaurant industry (including Anton Ego, the critic, voiced by Peter O’Toole, who undergoes a transformation after eating Remy’s ratatouille), and the stunning animation, it’s easy to see why. Trailer here.
Related recommendation: Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
2. Big Night (1996). Ongoing debates over what’s “authentic” and what’s Americanized food make Big Night seem more relevant today than ever. Two Italian immigrant brothers, played by Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci, open a restaurant on the Jersey Shore in the 1950’s. Directors Campbell Scott and Tucci have created a Waiting for Godot for foodies in this masterpiece that seeks to resolve the age-old tension between achieving success while staying true to one’s craft. In this famous clip, for example, Chef Primo (Shalhoub) hilariously bristles at the fact that a customer wants a side of spaghetti with her risotto, pronouncing her a “philistine.” The simple act of preparing an omelet at the end of the film imparts more meaning than the average blockbuster contains in its entirety. "Risotto & Spaghetti" clip here.
Related Recommendation: Soul Kitchen (2009) and Dinner Rush (2000)
1. Delicatessen (1991). What can we say? We like a good cannibalism movie, and while the related films in this category are highly recommended, Delicatessen is our all-time favorite food film. Before Amelie there was Delicatessen. Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro directed the latter, while Jeunet alone directed the former. The films share a similar whimsical sensibility, but Delicatessen is much darker than Amelie. A topsy-turvy ethos rules the post-apocalyptic world conjured up by the filmmakers, yet there is plenty of humor and romance to relieve the existential crisis that rests at the film’s center. As in Amelie’s famous coffee shop scene, the directors choreograph two wonderful episodes to the cacophony of everyday sounds occurring throughout a boardinghouse. In the first, the Butcher and his mistress have sex on a noisy box spring, and the rhythmic squeaking provides the foundation for a symphony of noises—the protagonist (Louison) painting the ceiling, his love interest (Julie) playing the cello, a woman beating a rug free of dirt, two inventors testing their toys, and a man filling a bicycle tire with air. As the couple reaches their climax, the squeaks—and all other sounds—come faster and faster until, satisfied, the Butcher pitches forward on the bed with an exhausted grunt, as Louison falls, Julie’s bow strings break, and the bicycle tire explodes. Another, seen in the clip here, shows Louison and the Butcher's mistress trying to determine the squeaks' origin. The scene showcases the film’s characteristic humor, much of which turns on physical rather than verbal comedy reminiscent of silent films. Squeaking bed spring scene from Delicatessen here.
Related Recommendations: Green Butchers (2003), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover (1989), and Eating Raoul (1982)
