10 Best Food Films That’ll (Almost) Definitely Whet Your Appetite
PUBLISHED January 5th, 2016 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 02:41 pm
From sci-fi thrillers to cheesy rom-coms, movies have always had the ability to capture our imagination. Since we’re suckers for both films and food, there’s nothing better than putting the two together. Since last year’s Burnt – starring Bradley Cooper – left unsatisfied, we’ve come up with our list of the best food films of all time (in no particular order):
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Directed by David Gelb, this 2011 documentary follows the life of Jiro Ono – 85-year old sushi maestro and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro. Despite having three Michelin stars to his name, Jiro believes that he hasn’t yet achieved perfection, and the mouthwatering twists of this real-life story has indefinitely changed the way people look at the world of sushi.
The Hundred-Foot Journey
In The Hundred-Foot Journey, one family’s misfortune turns out to be a blessing in disguise. After losing their home in India, Papa Kadam and his family seek asylum in Europe, setting up an Indian eatery across a French Michelin-starred restaurant. What comes next is a tale of laughter, romance and inspiration, as Kadam’s second eldest son Hassan tries to assert his credentials as a top-notch chef.
The Lunchbox
As far as Bollywood love epics go, The Lunchbox is as heart-wrenching as it gets. The story kicks into gear when Ila (a housewife) mistakenly sends a lunchbox to Saajan Fernandes – a widower who is about to retire from his job as an accountant. Ila apologises the next day by sending him a meal with a letter inside, and sparks then fly between the pair after their written exchanges.
Tampopo
An oldie but a goldie, Tampopo is probably the most absurd foodie film on this list. The main plot revolves around one woman’s pursuit of ramen-making excellence; but hilarity ensues in many of the sub-plots in this 1985 comedy, such as a gangster exploring erotic ways to use food with his lover.
Chef
With a solid storyline and a star-studded cast, it’s no wonder that Chef was one of the Hollywood success stories of 2014. In addition to his writing and directing duties, Jon Favreau excels in the lead role of Miami-born Carl Casper, a washed-up celebrity chef who is looking to resurrect his flagging career after a high-profile dispute with a renowned food critic.
Eat Drink Man Woman
Directed by Ang Lee, Eat Drink Man Woman is a film set in the gritty streets of 1990s Taipei, where society is still grappling with the transition from traditional confucian values to modernism. The exploration of this theme begins with Mr. Chu (a Master Chef and widower), who although is fiercely conservative, has to witness his three daughters challenge the notions of ‘typical’ Chinese conventionality.
Supersize Me
How far are you willing to go? Morgan Spurlock must’ve asked himself that many times over while shooting Supersize Me, a documentary about the ill-effects of eating Mcdonald’s, as he had to eat Mcdonald’s three times a day for a month, with the requirement of ‘super-sizing’ the meal if offered. The result? A 13% body mass increase for Spurlock and a massive PR disaster for the fast food giant.
Babette’s Feast
A thought-provoking film that questions the spheres of morality and materialism in society, Babette’s Feast is about two Danish Protestant sisters who live a strict and dreary life under the religiosity of their pastor father. After his passing, the sisters’ lives change for the better when Babette – a refugee from a counter-revolutionary crisis in France – arrives at their doorstep and offers to cook for them for free.
Ratatouille
Remy is a young rat with a burning passion for gastronomy and tasting good food. However, his hopes of becoming a chef are scuppered because well, frankly, he’s a rat. His situation changes when he finds himself in a sewer underneath one of Paris’ finest restaurants, and the rest is history.
Julie & Julia
Based on a true story, Julie & Julia is about how the lives of two women become inextricably tied to each other. New Yorker Julie Powell is fed up with her soul sucking job at the LMDC and decides to embark on a daring quest to cook all 524 recipes of Julia Childs’ cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Meanwhile, Childs’ own journey to success is also covered beautifully in the film.
Bonus – Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
This isn’t a movie, but it would be a major sin to leave Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma off any food-and-entertainment list. This shōnen manga comedy series starts off with Sōma Yukihira trying to achieve his goal as a full-time chef in his father’s neighbourhood restaurant. But after certain circumstances and drool-worthy animations of food, he enrols in an elite culinary school where only 10% of the students graduate, with his biggest challenges yet to come.
Top Image: Chef
