Food in Film
Food has often been essential to cinema. A catalyst which brings people together, it can be used for dramatic confrontation, as a comic device or even a metaphor for the meaning of life. Preparing, presenting and consuming food can evoke a mood that is sumptuous, homely, seductive, disgusting or just plain funny. Eloquent in conveying complex messages, food is a perfect vehicle for expressing the subtext in drama and comedy and for revealing intricate aspects about class, emotional states or gender. Sometimes, as in the movies "Babette's Feast" and "Tampopo", it is the real star. In this compilation below, we take the high ground and take a wide view of the social and symbolic meaning of food in film..
Right: Scene from Gabriel Axel's triumphant "Babette's Feast".
Blind Ambition (2021)
7.9/10
Director: Warwick Ross
Four Zimbabwean men form their country's first Wine Tasting Olympics team. Read more
Breaking Bread (2020)
7.8/10
Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel - the first Muslim Arab to win Israel's MasterChef - is on a quest to make social change through food. And so, she founded the... Read more
The Biggest Little Farm (2018)
8.1/10
Director: John Chester
Starring: John Chester
Documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles. Read more
Sour Grapes (2016)
7.3/10
Director: Jerry Rothwell, Reuben Atlas
Documentary about the fine and rare wine auction market centering around a counterfeiter who befriended the rich and powerful and sold millions of dol... Read more
Cowspiracy (2015)
8.3/10
Director: Kip Anderson
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing enviro... Read more
Burnt (2015)
6.6/10
Director: John Wells
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Omar Sy, Daniel Bruhl, Matthew Rhys, Uma Thurman,...
Chef Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) had it all and lost it. A two-star Michelin rockstar with the bad habits to match, the former enfant terrible of th... Read more
A Year in Champagne (2014)
6.5/10
Director: David Kennard
With renowned wine importer Martine Saunier as our guide, we get a rare glimpse behind the scenes into the real Champagne through six houses, from sma... Read more
The Trip to Italy (2014)
6.6/10
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
The trip is back for a whole new slate of impression competitions. Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom reteams with comedy duo Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon... Read more
Chef (2014)
7.3/10
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Jon Favreau, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr, Sca...
A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged fam... Read more
The Lunchbox (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Ritesh Batra
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur
A good old-fashioned romance that has charmed cinema audiences worldwide, "The Lunchbox" sees a mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunch... Read more