10 Best Movies About Food That You Should Watching Update 03/2024

Best Movies About Food

Check out this list of our favorites when it comes to food flicks. It’s a common theme in some of these films, but in others, food plays a significant role in the overall plot. On this list, you won’t find a documentary film, but don’t worry, there will be one soon.

In the event that you’re looking for a movie to watch with your meal, you can’t go wrong with any of the following movies.

However, we were unable to incorporate all of the films we had in mind. Chocolat, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Water for Chocolate, Sausage Party, Babette’s Feast, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are among the honorable mentions.

10. Mostly Martha (2001)

Mostly Martha (2001)

“There is always a beginning to every excellent love story. It all began in the kitchen with this one.”

Martha is primarily a sweet romantic comedy with a few dramatic overtones, all of which revolve around food in some way. The narrative of a busy chef who has to deal with a brash and definitely less serious new sous-chef is told in this German film about a workaholic cook. Rivalry erupts, resulting in a blossoming romance.

Mostly Martha was later recreated in 2007 as the American film No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart, if this scenario is starting to seem familiar. As is often the case, the original is, in fact, a far better film than the one that was recreated. Food and romance are intertwined in the film, which delve into the personal lives of the kitchen crew.

One of the best romantic comedies based on food we’ve ever seen.

9. Big Night (1996)

At the same time, Big Night is one of the best dramedies of the 1990s; it’s lighthearted but also heartfelt, and it’s all about the food. Foodies and moviegoers alike hail it as a cultural touchstone that served as the catalyst for an entire food revolution.

The film is set in the 1950s and is a time capsule. It stars Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as two Italian immigrants who create their own restaurant, Paradise, on the Jersey Shore.. Even though they have an often tense relationship, they take tremendous care and delight in their meals. An gigantic cake made of pasta, meatballs, sauce, and eggs is their specialty. Nothing like it has ever been witnessed.

But the restaurant is in trouble, and the brothers are fighting over how to keep it going. As a desperate attempt to attract attention for their failing business, the brothers hosted a lavish dinner for musician Louis Prima. Inevitably, given that we’re seeing a comedy, nothing goes as planned.

All of the actors, including Alison Janey, Minnie Driver, and Isabella Rosselini, are of the highest caliber.

It’s hard to believe that Big Night wasn’t the catalyst for the American culinary renaissance of the 1980s.

We’d want to eat this:

The fish ricotto looks delicious, but the timpano di pasta has our attention.

8. The Founder (2016)

The Founder (2016)

You’ve probably pondered how McDonald’s, the world’s most popular fast-food franchise, came to dominate the industry. That’s for sure what I’ve done. That’s why filmmaker John Lee Hancock and screenwriter Robert Siegel decided to make The Founder in 2016, which was warmly praised.

He is Ray Croc, the McDonald’s founder. Michael Keaton plays him. Despite the misleading title, Ray Croc wasn’t really the “creator” of McDonald’s, but rather a visionary who, as the film reveals, was as cunning and merciless in his pursuit of his goals. Of course, this results in a bit of drama.

An examination of capitalism and an industry’s formation, as well as the compromise between ideals and profit that led to a prominent and influential businessman’s ascent to prominence in the United States, is the focus of The Founder. While it’s a light-hearted film, there are some disturbing moments, and you’ll definitely be needing a fast-food burger afterward.

6. The Hundred Foot Journey (2014)

Films like The Hundred-Foot Journey, which are both heartwarming and visually appealing, are becoming more and more common. Lasse Hallström directed the film adaptation of Richard Morais’ novel. However, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg collaborated on the project.

As two competing restaurants open in a French community, this film highlights the rivalry between an upmarket Michelin-starred establishment and a newer establishment owned by an Indian immigrant family. The film exploits the escalating tensions between the two restaurants as a springboard to explore topics of xenophobia and nationalist sentiment.

With Helen Mirren at the helm, the cast is the film’s biggest asset (who is surprisingly good at comedy). Of course, there’s the mouthwatering food, which is a given.

5. Eat Drink, Man Woman (1994)

Eat Drink, Man Woman (1994)

The trailer does not do this movie justice, as the most popular comment on YouTube says!

Lao Zhu, masterfully depicted by Sihung Lung in Eat Drink, Man Woman, methodically cooks a huge feast for his family, cycling through his big collection of kitchen knives and exhibiting all the expertise it takes to be as excellent a chef as he is in the opening scene.

Eating and drinking are good for you, regardless of gender.

I think it’s one of the best movies on this list.

There’s a lot of food in this movie, but it’s not the best. In any case, it is Ang Lee’s best picture and a true classic of Taiwanese filmmaking. A widower and semi-retired Chinese chef, Lao Zhu, and his three daughters are the focus of the film. Every Sunday, the family gathers for a feast that is especially significant to Lao Zhu, whose daughters are actively questioning their father’s conventional views.

Love’s presence (and subsequent departure) in a family and the transition from Confucian philosophy to modernity are all themes explored in this film, as are themes related to fatherhood (it is part of Lee’s “Father Knows Best” trilogy). This is a stunning work of drama, with some of the most mouthwatering food shots ever filmed on film.

We’d want to eat this:

The shrimp & water chestnut croquettes in the first shot look delectable, but everything else does, too.

4. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

It was this movie, after all, that had us all daydreaming about chocolate ponds and other exotic confections. Iconic musical fantasy Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has become a universally adored film of all time, even if it was redone in 2005 with Johnny Depp as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

What’s the story here? Charlie Bucket is a paperboy who lives in squalor with his ill parents. Charlie is pleased to be one of the five winners of a sweepstakes to win a lifetime supply of chocolate and a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

As a result, you end up at the titular chocolate factory, which is equal parts theme park and acid flashback. The sprawling structure is more than just a chocolate factory; rather, it is a portal to another dimension, one where chocolate rivers flow and strange creatures work to create all manner of experimental desserts.

Gene Wilder’s performance as Willy Wonka is flawless, and the picture perfectly balances youthful awe with psychedelic delirium. If you wish to escape into a “world of pure fantasy,” this is the book for you.

We’d like to sample a traditional Wonka bar as a starter (though the 3-course dinner gum has us intrigued, if we could somehow avoid the whole blueberry metamorphosis…)

3. Julie & Julia (2009)

Julie & Julia (2009)

Many consider Julie & Juliato be the “Godfather 2” of food movies, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. The film tells the story of two women, one a famous chef and the other a food blogger, who share a passion for French cuisine. Meryl Streep plays Julia Child, and Amy Adams plays Julie Powell, the food blogger.

Only the structure of the story, which alternates between flashbacks of Julia Child’s rise in the 1950s, when she wrote her seminal cookbookMastering the Art of French Cooking, and Julie Powell’s 2002 quest to cook every single recipe in the book, culminating in a feast for her friends, is similar to The Godfather Part 2.

Julie & Julia is a cheerful, carefree picture that is anchored by strong performances from both of its leads. People would have preferred the movie to focus just on Julia Child’s trip, but the “Julie” segment does a wonderful job of placing the importance of delicious food in its proper historical perspective. The two leads, Adams and Streep, are superb in their roles as two opposite ends of the same journey.

Julia Child’s famed Beef Bourguignon is one dish we’d love to try.

2. Ratatouille (2007)

Ratatouille is cited by many aspiring chefs as an early influence for their career choice, which may seem unusual coming from an animated Pixar comedy about a rat. However, it is one of the most significant and influential food movies in recent memory.

With Patton Oswalt’s career-best performance as Remy, a French rat who lives in Paris, we’ve never seen an animated character with such a passion for food. He aspires to be a chef like Auguste Gusteau, his culinary hero, but he’s a rat.

When Remy’s rat chef team-up with the restaurant’s bashful employee fails, Remy enlists the help of another restaurant employee, who agrees to let him manipulate him like a marionette by pulling on his hair under his chef’s hat.

When it comes to cooking, everyone can do it, and the movie Ratatouille teaches us that anyone can do it, and that embracing one’s passions is the best way to be one’s most authentic self. Because of this, the name is a play on the word “rat,” which is a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish.

My personal favorite food-themed animated featurette. Cloudy, with a High Probability of Meatballs

1. Chef (2014)

Chef (2014)

Perhaps the most recent addition to this list, but also one of the most obvious and recognizable at this point in time. Jon Favreau’s 2014 film “Chef” quickly established itself as one of the most influential gourmet films of the 21st century. And it’s easy to see why after watching it.

Cooking, freedom, and choosing your own path are all explored in Chef, which is a wonderful film on the joy of cooking. Favreau portrays a chef who is fed up with the suffocating restaurant industry after years of working in industrial kitchens. He and his kid set out on a road tour selling regional cuisine in a food truck.

It’s like hanging out with a group of friends who are really into cooking and will joyfully and excitedly tell you all about it, with its lighter tone, pleasingly unconstrained pace, and true enjoyment of food (especially Cuban cuisine). As a counterpoint to Burnt, this short celebrates the simple pleasure of cooking and preparing meals. It’s a fantastic representation of the spirit of Austin, Texas.

As a fan of the chef’s culinary creations, I can’t help but applaud the filmmaker’s efforts to bring this wacky film to fruition.

Cuban sandwich, spicy braised chicken, and brisket are all dishes we’d like to taste, but the brisket is the one we’d most like to try (it eveninspired us to make our own).

Even while they’re privately coping with all kinds of pain and suffering, they gather around a table to share a meal together.

With a large cast including Vanessa Williams and Vivica A. Fox as well as many other actors, the story of a large family’s hardships and tribulations is told through the lens of their long-standing family traditions of a Sunday dinner, which tend to diminish with time.. It’s never weighed down by the drama, no matter how tragic it gets.

We’re reminded that food can play an important role in our lives in the film, which is a call to action in an increasingly hurried and harsh society. As a foodie film, it’s excellent.