Have you heard of the “Pavlovian” movie habit? There’s a proven psychological link between films and snacking that goes way back. Don’t believe it? Okay, does the smell of popcorn immediately make you wanna lie back and watch a movie? We thought so. In fact, watching a movie without popcorn, pizza, soda, snacks… feels like a completely hollow experience.
Movie makers know all about this special relationship, so it’s no surprise there’s a whole bunch of great foodie films that bring this magic to the big screens. Okay, smaller ones, too. Therefore, navigating the great cinematic menu needs some strategy, just like mastering the rules of solitaire before you pick the first card. So if you’re looking for the next movie with a “food porn” extravaganza that will make you hungry, start here.
The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
What happens when an Indian family moves to a small village in the south of France and opens an Indian restaurant right across the Michelin-starred eatery? A lot. Helen Mirren plays an arrogant Madame Mallory who declares a food war when she sees a curry house across the street.
This charming and funny film about a clash of two cuisines will make you smell every dish and cheer for the Kadam family in their quest to beat Madame Mallory’s refined French culinary artistry.
But it’s not all about a culture-clash culinary rivalry. This is just a frame for something much deeper. A talented young chef, Hassan (Manish Dayal), shows he knows all about Indian spices and French techniques. Spiced with romance, the film, directed by Lasse Hallström, proves that great cooking (and love) wipes out all boundaries.
Eat Pray Love (2010)
It’s been memed to death. For a reason, of course. Not just because it’s a romantic drama, but because eating pizza in Naples has become one of the most recognizable scenes, screaming you’re allowed to want things again.
Eat Pray Love, with Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, and Richard Jenkins, is based on a true story. The plot starts when Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) realizes how unhappy she is in her marriage. She lost her appetite for life. And food. After the divorce, she decides to travel to Italy, India, and Bali to start over.
Yes, it’s a cliché, but in Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling memoir, the food has a different role. It’s a real protagonist, the first language Liz learns again as the simplest and most honest way back to herself.
Ratatouille (2007)
Don’t let the animated format fool you. Brad Bird’s Pixar masterpiece is one of the sharpest films ever made about the culinary world. And one of the most original ones, since you don’t see a rat who can cook teaming with a kitchen worker that often, right? Especially not in Paris.
Remy the rat represents a passionate outsider better than most real-life characters will ever do. He jumps in to save Alfredo Linguini (a new garbage boy), who ruins a leek soup. Remy is dying to become a chef, so he sees his chance. He fixes the soup, which becomes a huge hit in the restaurant. But the turning point was ratatouille. When food critic Anton Ego tastes this stew, it sends him back to his childhood. That’s the power of food. Ratatouille gets it completely.
The Last Bite
Food films work because food is never just food. It’s a memory, it’s something that can wreck you or save you, it’s comfort, it’s love, conflict, sadness – it can be all that in just one dish. Also, it’s a language everyone understands. The films we’ve picked today span family drama, love, self-discovery and passion, and they all use the kitchen or the table to tell these stories that will make you feel something real. And hungry.
