10 delicious food films to drool over (if you’re fed up with those sickly-sweet Christmas movies)
You haven’t even opened Netflix for one second and Hugh Grant appears on screen, shaking his hips. Yes, you’ve had enough of Love Actually by now. And The Holiday too. Time for something other than syrupy Christmas nonsense. How about a delicious food film? Here are 10 films with food and drink in the starring role. Perfect for bingewatching this Christmas holiday.
I don’t think there’s anything better than eating while watching food. A plate of pasta simply tastes better when I’m watching a chef at work on TV at the same time. So consider yourself warned: the following film tips might make you hungry…
The Menu
The Menu is genuinely ominous. This food horror film is nail-bitingly tense. It is about the Michelin-starred restaurant Hawthorn on a remote island, where bizarre things happen with every course. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the lead role. She goes along with her partner, who has wanted to visit Hawthorn for years. That long-awaited visit comes at a high price…
You can rent The Menu from Pathé Thuis.
Julie & Julia
Julie isn’t happy with her job. She wants a new challenge, and finds it in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the cookbook by Julia Child. Her goal? To cook every recipe in the cookbook and blog about it. You see her achieve success (with Julia’s boeuf bourguignon) and suffer setbacks (with Julia’s stuffed chicken). And Julia Child’s own story is woven throughout. You see how she turns out to be the best in her cooking class and how her famous cookbook came about. A lovely film if you enjoy food, blogging and Meryl Streep, who plays Julia Child.
You can rent Julie & Julia from Pathé Thuis.
No Reservations
Chef Kate can certainly cook. When she feels good anywhere, it’s in the kitchen. She likes to be the one holding the chef’s knife and is therefore not pleased when she gets a new sous-chef. But there are more problems coming her way, including within her family. This film is packed with beautiful shots of delicious dishes (quail with truffle!) and New York. A delightful, easy watch.
You can watch No Reservations on Netflix.
The Hundred Foot Journey
The ambitious Kadam family packs up and leaves for the southern French village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val. There, they want to open an Indian restaurant together. Sounds lovely, but it’s not easy. The owner of the restaurant on the same street, Madame Mallory of Le Saule Pleureur, is a pain in the ass. Especially when she convinces son Hassan Kadam to come and cook for her. That leads to a Michelin star, but what consequences will it have for Hassan and his family? And for his love for fellow villager Marguerite?
You can watch The Hundred Food Journey on Amazon Prime and Pathé Thuis.
Ratatouille
Well… I’m a Disney fan, so a Disney film simply has to be included in this list. Sorry. The ultimate food film among Disney movies is of course Ratatouille. Ratatouille is set in Paris and follows the story of Remy the rat. Remy dreams of becoming a chef (anything is possible at Disney) and accidentally ends up in the Michelin-starred restaurant of his great idol, chef Auguste Gusteau. When Alfredo Linguini starts working at the restaurant and turns out not to be able to cook, Remy comes to his rescue. Feel like switching off and simply enjoying a good film? Then this is a winner.
You can watch Ratatouille on Disney+.
Boiling Point
Boiling Point is incredibly relatable for anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant kitchen. The film follows a kitchen brigade working the night before Christmas. A very intense evening in which all sorts of things happen. Boiling Point is tense, partly because the film was shot in a single take. As a result, you can almost feel the stress coming through the screen.
You can rent Boiling Point from Pathé Thuis.
Chef
In the mood for something cheerful? Then you should watch Chef. It is about headstrong chef Carl Casper, who gets fired and sets out to find a new job. His wife has the perfect tip for him: start a food truck. In 2014, when this film was released, that was still a very new phenomenon. Casper rediscovers his passion and love for cooking. A film that will put a smile on your face! Fancy nibbling on something while you watch? Here’s how to make the ultimate grilled cheese from Chef.
You can watch Chef on Netflix.
Burnt
Burnt stars Bradley Cooper. That might already be enough to persuade you to watch it. If not: Cooper plays chef Adam Jones. He owned a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, but lost it all when he lost himself to drugs. Jones decides to move to London and try again with a new team. The goal: to earn three Michelin stars again. Will he succeed?
You can watch Burnt on Videoland and Pathé Thuis.
Willy Wonka
Just released in cinemas and already a huge hit: the film Willy Wonka. You undoubtedly know Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This film tells the story of how Wonka became the world’s greatest chocolatier. It’s one big fantasy film, so you have to be into that. But if I tell you that you’ll see floating chocolates and hair-growth pastries, you might be sold straight away.
Willy Wonka is currently showing in Dutch cinemas.
Eat Pray Love
Elizabeth Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts, wants to turn her life around. She goes in search of herself in three countries that begin with the letter ‘I’: Italy, India and Indonesia. Italy is her first destination. There, she has just one goal: to eat as much as possible. Pasta, pizza, desserts: name it and it appears in the film. The scene in which she eats a margherita pizza in Naples and says, ‘I’m in love. I have a relationship with my pizza’. is iconic. Well, we never think that at all… Ahem. Eat Pray Love is—especially the Italy section—a wonderfully delicious food film to watch.
You can watch Eat Pray Love on Netflix or rent it from Pathé Thuis.
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