The most delicious food in movies
There have been a host of excellent food films made over the years, such as Animated Sensation of a Rat Cooking, Rattatouilleor the classic big night about an Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Engage in a story about the inner workings of a Michelin-starred restaurant or a small food truck (as in Chief) can be entertaining, but some films are not to be missed for the delightful visuals alone. The only thing better than a super tasty movie is where the meals look so good on screen you can practically taste them. We’ve compiled a list of eight films that are sure to whet moviegoers’ appetites.
8 Julia and Julia (2009)
Julia and Julia is a biographical film written and directed by Nora Ephron that tells the true story of two exceptional women. The modern story follows New Yorker and blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams), on her journey to prepare the 524 recipes for Julia Child’s famous cookbook. Master the art of French cuisine. The film is intercut with flashback scenes of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) as she begins her culinary journey, learning to be a chef in 1950s France. Julia and Julia is the entertaining and heartwarming story of two determined women, who first struggle and then thrive in the kitchen, and whose lives come together through their love of cooking. Streep was praised for her performance and Julia and Julia received several nominations and wins, but it’s undoubtedly the food itself that is the real star of this film.
The Hundred Foot Journey is a film by Lasse Hallström, adapted from a novel by Richard C. Morais of the same name. The film depicts a rivalry between two restaurants that are across from each other in a small French village. One is a new Indian restaurant owned by an Indian immigrant family and the other is an established French restaurant with a Michelin star. When Hassan Haji Kadam (Manish Dayal) begins to learn French cuisine from the opposite restaurant, even after tormenting his family, he finds a way to blend their two cultures in food and gains public recognition for his success as a chef. The Hundred Foot Journey is a feel-good movie filled with delicious visuals of fresh ingredients and prepared meals that you can practically smell through the screen. The film also stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri and Charlotte Le Bon.
6 Waitress (2007)
Before Waitress became a Tony Award-nominated Broadway sensation, it was just a bittersweet little film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly (who was tragically murdered a few months before its release). The film follows a small-town waitress named Jenna (Keri Russell) who becomes trapped in an abusive marriage, becomes unexpectedly pregnant, and begins an affair with her married obstetrician (Nathan Fillion). Throughout the film, Jenna creates recipes for numerous pies with pun-filled names like “Life’s a Rocky Road Pie” and “Aren’t You Sweet Potato Pie”, and often breaks into singing as she bakes them. . Her process is fascinating to watch, and the pies, not only delicious to look at, act as a coping mechanism and spiritual practice for Jenna. Waitress also stars Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto and Andy Griffith.
5 Burnt (2015)
Bradley Cooper stars in John Well’s food drama burnt as wayward chef, Adam Jones. At the start of the film, Adam has all but destroyed his promising career by abusing drugs and cutting ties with all of his personal and professional relationships. Finally given a second chance to run a kitchen by an old friend, Adam’s bad attitude, poor people skills and desperate attempts to get another Michelin star continue to cause problems with the staff. The leader hits rock bottom before realizing that making personal connections is the only way to turn his life around.
burnt was not well received by critics, most of whom celebrated Cooper’s performance, as well as those of Sienna Miller and Daniel Brühl, but felt the narrative was lacking. The silver lining of the film is definitely the food, as Adam’s only redeeming quality is his exceptional culinary abilities. To prepare for the role, Cooper and Miller were trained by celebrity chef Marcus Wareing, who taught them everything they needed to know about the gourmet kitchen seen on screen.
4 Marie Antoinette (2006)
Kirsten Dunst plays the lead role in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, which is a new version of a historical drama. The film follows a young Marie into adulthood as she struggles with her identity as a wife and mother and is eventually forced to leave Versailles with King Louis XVI due to political unrest. The film polarized American and French critics, with some disapproving of the lack of historical context and others impressed with the poignancy of its story. Marie Antoinette won multiple award nominations as well as the Oscar for Best Costume Design. Although it’s not a movie focused specifically on food, there is one particular scene in which Marie is surrounded by delicious cakes that have been making foodies’ hearts flutter since she was first created.
3 No Reservations (2007)
No reservations is a popular foodie romantic comedy from director Scott Hicks, which follows a chef at a New York City restaurant, Kate (Catherine Zeta Jones), who must adjust to a strong-willed new member of her kitchen crew, Nick (Aaron Eckhart ). The majority of the film takes place inside the kitchen, with lively remarks, shouts of orders, and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals serving as the backdrop for the slow-burning romance. Unsurprisingly, the two chefs fall in love, and there’s a little extra sweetness that comes through when Kate’s niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin), helps bring the two together. No reservations received mixed reviews as a film, but in terms of visuals, both the presentation of the plates and the food itself, it’s certainly worthy of a Michelin star.
2 Haute Gastronomy (2012)
Haute cuisine is a French film by director Christian Vincent and is based on the true story of Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, who served as the first female private chef of French President François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1990. Actress Catherine Frot plays the lead role and viewers follow from the kitchen of the Élysée Palace, where she managed to woo the president with her culinary prowess, to her later life, where she worked as a chef at a French research station in Antarctica. The soundtrack of Haute cuisineas well as its crisp editing and clever dialogue, bring a sense of urgency to the film, perfectly illustrating the energy with which beautiful food is prepared.
1 Toast (2011)
Toast is a film by SJ Clarkson based on the autobiography of the same name by food writer Nigel Slater. The film follows a young Nigel, whose parents are often unable to cook and whose father Alan often bakes toast for dinner after his mother dies. As he grows older, Nigel’s own attempts in the kitchen put him in competition with their new housekeeper as they fight for culinary bragging rights and Alan’s affections. A coming-of-age story told through the lens of food, Toast is an excellent feel-good movie. Perhaps the most prominent dish featured in the film is the many lemon meringue pies baked by Nigel and the contemptuous Mrs. Potter, played by Helena Bonham Carter. In a interview with The Guardian, the real Nigel Slater explained, “Food had replaced affection, friendship and, I guess, love. What started as a catalog of 1960s home cooking ended up being a memoir… giving me extraordinary insight into people’s relationships with food, and not just my own.
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