Food Movies: The Topic

[Raynickben]

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life:

"would sir care for a mint?"

"I cant, I'm stuffed."

"but sir... it's wafer thin."

[fifi]

Like Water for Chocolate has to be one of the most sensual films of all time.  It's awesome.  The scene where she makes the Rose Petal chicken makes me weep every time.  I finally figured out that the title referred to the simmering just below the boiling point passion of the characters.

I'm a little slow sometimes. 

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EUREKA!!! I always wondered about that title. You are my hero.

I have to agree that when someone says "food" and "movie" in the same sentence, the first thing that pops into my mind is "Tom Jones."

[SuzySushi]

Mars Attacks and Rabbit Proof Fence

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Mars attacks is a food movie? The part I remember best is the switched heads...

[Grub]

You've just about covered everything here... Only one I can think of is "Delicatessen" and uh, the best way to describe that one is with its tagline, off of its entry on IMDB.com: "Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who creates cannibalistic meals for his odd tenants."

Drama, Comedy, Sci Fi, Romance, Horror -- and food. Can't be bad.

[BeeZee]

Aha, if you're going slightly off tangent to movies not strictly revolving around food (and I did love "Big Night")...

Don't forget the kitchen scene in 9 1/2 weeks...couldn't eat a strawberry for a long time after that

[SuzySushi]

Hands down, my favorite food movie for pure fun is Tampopo. I also like the others on the original list.

And no one has yet mentioned Vatel, for food and sheer excess.

[OnigiriFB]

My all time favorite is Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, I can watch that movie 50 millions times and not get sick of it. In fact, it's been awhile I might to go dig it out. I have it on VHS and should go get the DVD I'm probably wearing it out.

[TrishCT]

Campbell Scott told me in an interview that he co-directed Big Night along with Stanley Tucci (they were high school classmates). It was his first directing experience, after acting for years. He said making Big Night was great fun but he found himself getting very impatient with Isabella Rossellini for no good reason other than all of a sudden as a director he wanted to hurry things along in each scene. He was kinda mad at himself for being like that, especially since he vowed never to be like that when he was a director.

Anyway... Campbell directed another movie called Off the Map...which did not get much play at the box office but if you EVER get a chance to rent this on video or DVD do so! It is just terrific and it does involve food in meaningful ways. It stars Sam Elliott (like you've never seen him) and Joan Allen.

My all time fave though is Babette's Feast. A woman finds meaning in her life again through the art of creating a beautiful meal. Truly inspiring.

Footnote...Can you ever watch Willy Wonka (the original) and not crave chocolate?

Edited February 2, 2006 by TrishCT (log)

[mizducky]

Footnote...Can you ever watch Willy Wonka (the original) and not crave chocolate?

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Y'know, I was just about to post about Wonka ...

As for movies with food not necessarily the main focus, but still a major player:

--Another of Ang Lee's flicks: "The Wedding Banquet" (for all that it revolves around that titular meal, I don't recall seeing a whole lot of the actual banquet dishes on screen, but still ... )

--"Rocky Horror Picture Show" -- two words: "Meatloaf again?" (Aw c'mon--you were all thinking it too...)

[OnigiriFB]

--"Rocky Horror Picture Show" -- two words: "Meatloaf again?"  (Aw c'mon--you were all thinking it too...)

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RFOL! Oh My God, I forgot about that line. Heheh MizDucky you never cease to make me smile.

[andiesenji]

Tom Jones for sure.

Who is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe.

Sabrina - the old with Audrey Hepburn and the hand full of egg.

Sabrina - the new with Julia Ormond eating couscous with her fingers.

Cold Comfort Farm

Edited February 2, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

I have made a concerted effort to collect food movies on DVD and/or VHS. Then I got obsessive/compulsive and started collecting films with great food scenes.

Rented and watched just last evening is Après Vous which, while not directly food-related, is the love triangle of a head waiter in a swanky French bistro who saves the life of a suicidal man and gets him a job as the sommelier... Charming!

Alan Bates' monologue on a fig in Women in Love is decidedly erotic.

And the character, Gorodish, in the film Diva as a great scene-stealing moment explaining the proper way to butter a baguette.

There is a wonderful oyster/snail scene between Lawrence Olivier and Tony Curtis in Spartacus.

Eating Raoul is a perfect cannibalism film (and I know of a number of those, if we want to start a discussion in THAT direction)!

And, last -- but certainly not least -- I'm shocked that no one has mentioned the lovingly-filmed Vatel.

I'm sure other scenes and movies will come to me later...

[mizducky]

"Napoleon Dynamite" not only features a variety of low-brow and/or less-than-appetizing foods, often in very silly situations ("Napoleon, give me some of your tots!"), but has a whole montage of these foods making up its opening credits sequence. Another reason why I adore this weird little movie.

[SuzySushi]

And, last -- but certainly not least -- I'm shocked that no one has mentioned the lovingly-filmed Vatel.

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I did single out Vatel, at the top of this page (but I didn't provide a link).

[racheld]

In addition to most of the above, there's one from the early 90's that is presumed to be about eating disorders, but they seem to nibble/munch/feast all day. It's called EATING and the only "star" of note is who-shot-JR herself, Mary Frances Crosby.

It's a day-long birthday party for two or more of the women, and it extends from one birthday girl's slow---ly picking an immense muffin apart with her fingers at breakfast and eating every crumb, to a late? afternoon meal served with the birthday cake(s) as a first course. They talk food all day, along with marriage, infidelity, dieting, love, dieting, and more food.

I saw it only once, as a TV movie, I think, and it's kind of haunting to remember all these years later.

And of course, Babette's Feast. And Mrs. Jennings sets a mean table in Sense and Sensibility.

And I love the street-food moment in Working Girl when dear earnest Harrison Ford needs to wipe his lip.

[petite tête de chou]

I've been trying to remember a Korean movie I saw at least 10 years ago--all I remember is that the title of the American video version was the numbers of two adjoining apartments. It was about the relationship between two female neighbors, one of whom cooks. I think it ends with her cooking the neighbor.

I wouldn't call it the best food movie ever (that would be a toss-up between Babette's Feast and Tampopo, closely followed by Big Night), but there were a lot of food scenes and it bugs me that I can't remember the title.

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I remember it. 301/302

[Carolyn Tillie]

And, last -- but certainly not least -- I'm shocked that no one has mentioned the lovingly-filmed Vatel.

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I did single out Vatel, at the top of this page (but I didn't provide a link).

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My bad - mea culpa.

[jkonick]

As a worshipper of Japanese food, I love Tampopo. I still don't "get" those random scenes with the ganster and his girlfriend. Aside from that, great movie.

God of Cookery - One of the weirdest food movies out there I think, but really cool and a lot of over the top martial arts style cooking.

[jamiemaw]

1. Ho Mangiato il Hairpiece di Stanley Tucci?; Italy, 2001.

2. Caligula (Producer's Cut); USA, 1979.

3. Wie Wasser für Chai; Holland/Germany, 2004.

4. Eating Raoul; USA, 1982.

5. Das Große Komischary; Germany, 1943.

6. Claire's Knee, Eric Rohmner; France, 1971.

7. La Grande Pouffe; France, 1973.

8. Eating Out Abroad; England, 1989.

9. Более Быстрый Pussycat, Убийство, Убийство!; USSR, 1953.

10: PBS/Nova: The Making of Dixon's Cider; USA, 2001.

Honourable Mention: Mea Gulpa; National Film Board of Canada, 1989.

Edited February 2, 2006 by jamiemaw (log)

[Wayne]

I'd go with Big Night, Tampopo and Eat Drink Man Woman as favorites.

One that hasn't been mentioned is 'Le Declin de L'empire Americain (The

Decline of the Americian Empire)" by Denys Arcand.

[west2100]

I can't believe no has mentioned Sideways.

[Mimi Sheraton]

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover

[azureus]

Ooh! Has anyone mentioned The Freshman yet? I love the whole scam of the mobster serving fake endangered species at high prices to all of those people, and then

opening a zoo at the end of the movie.

April

[rlibkind]

Not a movie, but I recall an episode of Upstairs Downstairs where the Prince of Wales visited Eaton Place; much of the action centered on Mrs. Bridge's preparations for a rather involved and sumptuous dinner.

[Csaville]

I loved the dinner scene in Sideways.

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I forgot all about Sideways! Thank you!!