Silver Service To Silver Screens: 16 Food Films That’ll Make You Seriously Hungry
The gritty inner workings of kitchen and hospitality life aren’t for the faint of heart. Expect laborious long hours, intense heat and orders being barked at you, but paired with all of this stress is a thrill and passion that keeps you going. If you’ve streamed all of The Bear and you’re looking for more things to watch that’ll bring the heat of the kitchen to life, we’ve rounded up the best 16 films about food that are guaranteed to make your stomach grumble.
From Jon Favreau‘s Chef to 2024’s new big foodie hit, The Taste Of Things, read on to whet your appetite. Proceed warily – you’re bound to feel seriously hungry after reading this.
The Taste Of Things
Trần Anh Hùng’s French historical foodie romance is the type of film that’ll spark a light in your stomach and leave it growling for more after every scene. Releasing in cinemas in February 2024, this 19th-century narrative is centred around Eugenie, a chef and her boss, Dodin.
Starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, the film may focus on their dynamic romantic chemistry but the real star of it all are the grandiloquent feasts prepared and presented in front of us.
Out in cinemas 16.02.2024
Tampopo
If you don’t mind craving a bowl of steaming ramen for two hours straight, Tampopo is well worth the viewing. Directed by the late Juzo Itami, this Japanese film soon became a foodie favourite with the critics when it was released in 1985 and it’s since grown in popularity.
Centred around a roadside independent noodle shop, it follows a truck driver who goes out of his way to help this struggling establishment and help transport it into a local number one bestselling ramen restaurant. A series of strange and wittingly fun circumstances arise throughout and you’ll quickly be rooting for Tampopo and her ramen.
Julie & Julia
Any film with the loveable and iconic Meryl Streep in it has a seal of approval from us. Amid the rising popularity of food blogs, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) from New York embarks on a mission to recreate every single recipe from Julia Childs’ renowned cooking book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
The story alternates between the present day and Julia Childs’ era, offering us a glimpse into how she immersed herself in French cuisine with an abundance of butter and bread thrown in for good measure.
Chef
Working in the hospitality industry is a challenging endeavour. The demands of roles such as chef, server and mixologist require one to dedicate themselves entirely to the job, even at the expense of their happiness. One chef who had had enough of this was Carl Casper, who quit his job at a trendy Los Angeles restaurant following a disagreement with a food critic.
Written and directed by Jon Favreau, Chef gives us an unfiltered look into the reality of this industry. The gruelling hours, rough kitchen culture and difficulties that come with it all are portrayed authentically. Carl decides he’s had enough of following the rules and sets up a food truck serving the dishes he is passionate about -Cuban-style sandwiches and yuca fries – to hungry travellers, tourists and locals across the country.
Chocolat
Set in a rural French village, Chocolat sees Vianna Rocher (Juliette Binoche) set up a chocolate shop just days before Lent. Despite receiving backlash and frowning thoughts from the locals, it’s not long before the talented chocolatier wins them all over with her tasty treats and wisdom. This chocolate-fuelled tale additionally stars Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Lena Olin and Alfred Molina.
Purchase on Amazon Prime Video
Eat Drink Man Woman
While this one isn’t easily available to stream in the UK, if you can get your hands on a copy of the Blu-Ray, it’s worth it. Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman follows Master Chef Chu and his three unmarried daughters. All three still live at home and in between their busy day-to-day lives and dating dramas, come together every Sunday to create family-sharing-style feasts. These lasting moments on screen allow us to see the ups and downs of daily life.
Currently not available in the UK
Big Night
Opening a restaurant is no mean feat, but staying afloat and open is a testament to time. Capturing the good, the bad and the ugly restaurant scenarios, Big Night follows two immigrant brothers Chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) as they set up a small Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Determined not to close up shop for good, they set out to impress a famous Italian-American bandleader who just so happens to be dining at their restaurant in an attempt to stay open.
Purchase on Amazon Prime Video
The Hundred-Foot Journey
With France seen as the epicentre of culinary life, The Hundred-Foot Journey is another film that’s focused on restaurant life in this gastro-centric country.
Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) and his family move to a small French village to open up an Indian restaurant. The celebrated chef is well on his way to forging a successful culinary path until Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) decides otherwise. Owning the only other restaurant in the village with an impressive Michelin star, she’s frustrated by his attempts, until she decides to bring his skills into her restaurant.
Purchase on Amazon Prime Video
Ratatouille
Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille follows a foodie chef journey we all know and love so well, but juxtaposes it by putting a rat as the central character.
Brad Bird’s 2007 animated classic follows Remy the Rat as he attempts to reach an impossible goal for any rat: becoming a chef. Follow along as you root for this loveable protagonist as he cooks up his dreams and helps make them a reality with a little help from Alfredo Linguini.
Cook Up A Storm
In this Chinese culinary drama, you’ll feel the heat quickly rise as two rivalling chefs come head to head in a leading gourmet competition.
Directed by Raymond Yip, Nicholas Tse stars as a leading Cantonese street food chef whose determination may just win him the prize, until he notices his biggest cooking enemy, a Michelin-starred trained chef (Jung Yong-hwa) is also competing. Can they put their past behind them and work together?
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
If you’re looking to get your documentary hit, traipse down the Jiro Dreams Of Sushi rabbit hole. Jiro Ono, the then-85-year-old is a legendary Japanese chef specialising in sushi. At the time, the restaurant boasted three Michelin stars, with easy-to-get reservations few and far between. In this heartwarming documentary, David Gelb takes you on a journey through Jiro’s passion for sushi.
Babette’s Feast
The first Danish film to receive an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this 1987 movie is one to watch. Directed by Gabriel Axel, Babette’s Feast follows a young Parisian chef (Stéphane Audran) as she obtains a job cooking for a Danish family. Once a celebrated chef, Babette’s role sees her not only cook up immaculate dishes for the family but also create a lasting bond with the sisters and family she is working for.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video via Curzon
The Farewell
On first look, you might not consider this comedy-drama a particularly food-focused narrative. If you look a little closer, every heartfelt moment, disagreement or family occasion is often cushioned alongside a family-style feast.
Starring Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Quiz Lady), it follows her family as they journey back to China after discovering her grandmother is unwell. Slotted amidst a last-minute wedding, this is a love letter to family, food and bittersweet farewells.
Purchase on Amazon Prime Video
The Lunchbox
A film centred around friendship and food, The Lunchbox follows a heartwarming story about India’s unique lunchbox delivery service. It follows a young woman, Ila (Nimrat Kaur), as she tries to rekindle a connection with her husband, Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), through his packed lunches. One day the lunchbox is transported to the wrong man and a connection is sparked between Ila and Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan). Follow along as their relationship blossoms through her innovative lunches and notes.
Stream on Disney+ or BFIPlayer
Boiling Point
If you’re missing the heat of The Bear, you’ll want to buckle in for more fiery kitchen antics in Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point. Starring Stephen Graham (Peaky Blinders) as London head chef Andy Jones, the film sees him set the record straight and transform his restaurant that’s recently gone from a high-flying five-star restaurant to a dwindling three-star. If you love this, you’ll want to catch up with the BBC’s follow-up series that came out in 2023.
Purchase on Amazon Prime Video
Uncorked
What do you do when your dad wants you to continue the family business but your heart isn’t in it? You follow your own path. That’s exactly what Elijah (Mamoudou Athie) did when he found his one true passion wasn’t continuing his family’s barbecue business, but instead, was becoming a world-renowned master sommelier. Through ups and downs, this Netflix movie gives us an inside look into the world of wine and one man’s determination to strive for the top.
