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".
Tasting Menu (2013)
5.7/10
Director: Roger Gual
Starring: Fionnula Flanagan, Stephen Rea, Togo Igawa, Jan Cornet, Vicenta Noongo, Andrew T...
Set in the idyllic cove of Costa Brava in the Mediterranean, this Spanish culinary romantic comedy tells the story of a broken-up couple who decide to... Read more
Somm (2012)
7/10
Director: Jason Wise
Four sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world. Read more
Haute Cuisine (2012)
6.4/10
Director: Christian Vincent
Starring: Hippolyte Girardot, Catherine Frot, Jean d'Ormesson
French comedy drama based on the extraordinary true story of President Francois Mitterand's private cook. Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from the... Read more
Le Chef ( aka Comme un chef ) (2012)
6.7/10
Director: Daniel Cohen
Starring: Jean Reno, Julien Boisselier, Michael Youn, Raphaelle Agogue, Salome Stevenin
Alexandre Lagarde (Jean Reno) is the king of the kitchen at Cargo Lagarde. But his position at the top is threatened when scheming CEO Stanislas Matte... Read more
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (2010)
6.4/10
Director: Gereon Wetzel
For six months of the year, renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adrià closes his restaurant El Bulli and works with his culinary team to prepare the menu for... Read more
Toast (2010)
6.7/10
Director: SJ Clarkson
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Stott, Victoria Hamilton, Freddie Highmore
"Toast" is the ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960s Britain, based on the heart-wrenchingly bittersweet story of food writer Nig... Read more
Eat Pray Love (2010)
5.7/10
Director: Ryan Murphy
Starring: Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem, Julia Roberts, Richard Jenkins, James Franco, Viola...
Believing there's more to life than a husband, house and career, Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) finds herself with a new appetite for life in this inspir... Read more
Soul Kitchen (2009)
7.3/10
Director: Fatih Akin
Starring: Moritz Bleibtreu, Adam Bousdoukos, Birol Unel
Hoping to revamp his shabby Hamburg diner, owner Zinos Kazantsakis (Adam Bousdoukos) hires a gourmet chef, only to drive away his regular patrons. To... Read more
I Am Love (2009)
7/10
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Marisa Berenson, Tilda Swinton, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Gabriele Ferzetti, Pippo D...
The Recchi family are a well-bred and well-moneyed family of Milan whose lives are grand and cold as a museum - but all that's about to change. Eduard... Read more
Julie and Julia (2009)
Director: Nora Ephron
Starring: Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Linda Emond, Amy Adams, Chris Messina
A culinary legend provides a frustrated office worker with a new recipe for life in the true stories of how Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) life and cook... Read more