I put forth ‘Food’ as a new genre for films. Why not? Movie categories revolve around a specific emotion. Comedies on Laughter, Horror on Fear, Romance on Delusion, and many more. Maybe not all of these emotions are universal. But you know what is universal? The desire to eat. We all have to eat whether we like it or not. So, I suggest that we start treating ‘Food’ as an important genre for making and categorizing films. This dream of mine can only be achieved if more filmmakers start making food films. But the market for these is far better than it was some years ago, and I have been watching these particular films for a long time, ever since I set my eyes on a knife and a chopping board.
So, I’ll recommend some of those to you today (without any spoilers), because I consider myself to be a connoisseur of food in film and IRL, and I will also give some NOT so honourable mentions a.k.a. films that suck at the end of this post. Well, I figured everyone exclaims as to what good tastes are in art all the time, but very few mention avoiding the things that suck. It is all very subjective, of course. Maybe you might like the things that I don’t recommend (Really?), but all in all, watch and celebrate all for different reasons.
1. Chef (2014)
 If you scour the internet for any length of time on cooking channels, food pages, and other forms of salivating entertainment, you would know that this movie is referenced a lot. Like A LOT. “Close to the verge of being overhyped” LOT. The reason it is mentioned so much is that, apparently, before this, there weren’t a lot of chef movies which were considered accurate (except for Ratatouille). This film captures the struggle of an artist wanting freedom & control over their artistic expression. There’s no yelling, pans being thrown over people’s heads, no cringey quotations about how food comes from some sort of place of love. It just shows that good food is a sign of someone who cares. Period.Â
All the iconic cooking scenes were done with the help of the executive producer, Roy Choi, who’s a chef/food consultant on the set, and runs the famous ‘Kogi’ food truck in Los Angeles, along with many other restaurants. He even said on a show once that oftentimes movies don’t get things right about food and chef-fing. That’s why all the food scenes are so realistic. This movie also respects many references to food culture in Los Angeles and across different cities in the USA. All of these points show that they have done a lot of homework in making this movie, and it shows, too. The protagonist in the film really cares about food in the scenes, and that shows because the filmmakers cared about it off-camera. So much so that I got inspired to make food from this movie, and have made two dishes from the film on my YouTube channel.
This movie became so popular that they created a spin-off show called “The Chef Show” on Netflix, with two seasons. (We need more Jon Favreau) It’s just Roy Choi and Jon Favreau cooking, eating, and talking to different people. Highly recommend it, even if you don’t like cooking. It’s really satisfying to just sit and watch people make and talk about food and how much they love it. Maybe it’ll inspire you to start cooking something. Either way, highly RECOMMENDED.
2. Julie and Julia (2009)
Well, this movie is about me basically. A home cook/blogger who spends their time writing blogs that no one reads. (Warning: Some statements in this post are just sad for me.) But Julie and Julia is based on the real-life story of Julia Child and Julie Powell. Now, I’ll be honest, this is the only movie of Meryl Streep that I’ve ever watched. If you are a hardcore film fan, don’t rip me up. I never knew about Julia Child before this movie either. So, if you are a food enthusiast who is also a film fan, don’t double rip me up. But, to explain who Julia Child is to someone like me, the best example I think would be Madhur Jaffrey, who introduced Indian home cooking in the West through Television. (Whom I’ve never seen either. Triple ripping coming through!) Julia Child introduced French home cooking to the USA through television with her experience of living in France and learning French cuisine there.
The story starts with Julie Powell moving to a different neighbourhood in New York and just looking for some sort of order/routine, to have a goal that she finally accomplishes (This is getting too relatable by the second). So, she decides to pick up Julia Child’s cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, and make 572 recipes in a span of 365 days. The film cuts back and forth between both of their lives to show their individual journeys, all under the wonderful umbrella of French cooking and a crap ton of butter. A slice of life movie that has irresistible cooking and eating scenes, characters talking passionately about food, and Meryl Streep! Even though I have zero knowledge to evaluate someone’s acting. The way she talks, behaves, and portrays an iconic character was stunning and truly captivating! Definitely would recommend that you watch it, but would not recommend sitting to watch without something to eat in your hands.
3. Cook Up a Storm (2017)
Now, this recommendation is a gamble. You’ll either love it, or you’ll go, “Eh?” So, this Chinese film follows the story of our protagonist, Sky (The subtitles claim that it is his name. Very ethnic), who runs a popular diner in his neighbourhood called “Seven” in Hong Kong. It’s called Seven because the diner is named after his uncle “Seven” (again, a very traditional name), who is the friend of Sky’s father and has been taking care of him for 20 years ever since his dad left him to pursue a high-achieving culinary career. Now, on the other hand, another chef, “Paul” (seriously! WHAT is up with these names?), who has succeeded in Europe and is sent to head a fine-dining restaurant in Hong Kong, right opposite the Seven diner. This is where the dichotomy of two different classes of cooking is portrayed. What follows next is a story of rivalry, redemption, and sexy food shots.
You might have seen some viral clips of two chefs skinning and deboning a salmon on social media. I think that’s how most people would’ve decided to watch this movie. I’ll say that there is some over-the-top cooking action, and I think that is part of its charm. It clearly shows the emphasis put on cooking scenes in the writing. I mean, if a movie is called “Cook up a storm”, you’d better expect some good cooking scenes. The importance of Chinese cooking and its clash with high-class French dining is shown through the life experiences & knowledge of the two rival protagonists. The movie doesn’t belittle either at any point in the plot. Also, I like the fact that the reason for the chef’s skill and expertise is that they worked their asses off their whole lives. Unlike in some other food films, where they say it’s because of love or it’s in their hands. Eugh!
This is a movie you can comfortably watch and scroll on Instagram if you want. Not that it is boring or that it doesn’t deserve your full attention. It just allows you the space to do that, and because of that, it has a ‘repeat’ value. I can watch it multiple times without getting bored. Definitely worth a watch!
4. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
I’ll be honest. The plot of this movie kinda went over my head. I think the cooking and dinner scenes are the best part of the movie. Now, I don’t know how to define food films yet, folks. So, if you’re planning to villify me, hold on for some more time. The plot of this film follows the life of the Zhu family, Mr Zhu, who is a widowed and retired chef, and his three daughters. Now, I won’t get too much into the plot of the movie, and by too much, I mean not at all. I will link a video of a compilation of cooking scenes in the movie. Watch the video and try to assume each character’s motivations and fears based on that. And then go watch the movie. This is also a Chinese movie, and it delves into the intricacies and vastness of traditional Chinese cooking. The amount of care, detail, and expertise that goes into the preparation of every single dish is eye-catching and jaw-dropping to say the least. (If you’re a devout vegetarian, you should probably skip this one.)
Many of the (for lack of a better word) ‘checkpoints’ in the movie are the family dinner scenes where Chef Zhu prepares a feast for his family when all of them come together every Sunday for a meal. He cares about these dinners a lot because that’s the only time they spend together. And how do I know if he cared a lot? Watch the freaking cooking compilation! Although ‘Eat Drink Man Woman’ does not have a re-watchability like ‘Cook up a Storm’, that’s why it ends up here on this list. I think the most exciting moments in this film are the dinner scenes, which are well-written and shot. I would’ve wanted them to be more in number, to be honest. But, I don’t know. Let me know how you feel about this movie. If you don’t wanna watch the entire thing, just watch the YouTube video instead, and we can still be friends 🙂
5. Ratatouille (2007)
Now, it’s time for the ‘pièce de résistance’. Ratatouille. One of the finest movies ever made by Pixar, not just about cooking but about the nature of art and artists. The only reason this movie is at the bottom of my list is that I think by this point, many of you have seen it. If you haven’t, I don’t know which rock has your address written on it, but I’ll send a copy of this movie, or I’ll just give you my Disney+ credentials. But my point is that this should be one of, if not the, food movies that you should watch. Even if you are not into food, I think this is the only movie in the list that anyone can enjoy. The movie starts off with Remy, the rat protagonist, who has a gifted nose and is secretly inspired to cook by the famous Chef Gusteau on television. He hides it from his father, who is also the chief of their clan. Bing-bang-boom! An accident happens, and they get separated. Remy somehow finds his way into one of Paris’s popular yet forgotten/surviving restaurants, “Gusteau”, where he cooks, hiding in the toque (Chef’s hat) of Linguini, an ordinary human.
If you are unaware, rats are the enemies of the kitchen. They are the last thing that you want to see in a restaurant kitchen. So, just the fact that a rat is the main protagonist and has the special gift for cooking amazing food creates this sort of conflict in Remy that he belongs in a place where nature says that he shouldn’t. This movie also addresses this with a famous quotation/philosophy that gives me goosebumps as I write this sentence: “Not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” A statement showing that talent often arises in the most ordinary and sometimes in the strangest of places. Ratatouille filmmakers went to Chef Thomas Keller, who is the first American chef to receive three Michelin stars for his restaurant “The French Laundry”. He reinvented or innovated the classic ratatouille (French vegetable stew), which is a peasant dish in France, for this movie, and it became so popular that people still think that this is the OG version of the dish. Countless recreations can be found online with just a simple search.
Bottom line, definitely a must-watch movie. It also shows the culture and passion inside a traditional French kitchen in a fun, lighthearted way that gives you a break from all the Hell’s Kitchen and Bear that you’ve been watching. And in case you don’t know what those are. That’s for another post.
Not-so Honorable Mentions
Sometimes movies fall short. They try to convey something, but somehow lose their essence or forget the whole point. It can happen to anyone, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them. Ok, to be fair, I think there’s an audience for even the worst movies at times. There is no 100% bad or good. These are just my personal opinions. I think just like how we talk about why good movie are GOOD, we also have to talk about what makes bad movies BAD. Or, rather, not us but just me, because I’m the captain now!
Burnt (2015)
I wish with all my heart that I could say, “Burnt is a food movie”, but I would be lying to you, lying to myself, and lying to the makers of that movie. Burnt follows the story of Adam Jones, a has-been famous chef in Paris, who ruined his career due to drug & alcohol abuse and a couple of other things. He serves his self-administered ‘penance’ for his wrongdoings, and comes back to London to resurrect his career…………by bullying his peers and rivals. The whole plot of the movie is Adam Jones trying to get a Michelin star. I think the movie brushes the very superficial layer of what it’s like to be a chef. Almost, like if you grew up watching food reality shows involving Gordon Ramsay all your life and decided to make a movie about what it would be like to work as a chef…..Ohh wait a sec, Gordon Ramsay is THE executive producer of this movie. That explains everything.
Now, I’ll be honest. The last time I watched this movie, I was 18, and I thought that this was probably what it is to be a chef. But, over the years, what I really understood is that the writing of the movie is pretty BAD. And these are not just my words, Mythical Chef Josh, who is also the head chef of the YouTube cooking channel “Mythical Kitchen” has a pretty entertaining rant about this movie. I suggest that you check it out. A great point that he makes is that in a food movie, you should be able to find some iconic dishes which are often celebrated, and sometimes the story is centred around them. There is no such phenomenon in Burnt, and also no sexy cooking shots. So it loses points for me.
Hunger (2023)
I don’t want to say Hunger is a bad movie. In fact, I think it is the only mainstream food movie out there that really talks about disparities between the rich and the poor classes through food. There is a sort of ugliness to the whole plot of the movie. The film follows the lead, Aoy, who runs a street-style noodle restaurant with her family, and gets an invite to join Team Hunger, Thailand’s famous chef’s table (I think it’s like a catering service, but it’s only six of them, and they do pretty small covers). After being reviewed by Chef Paul, she joins the team with dreams of becoming the best. As I said, this film tackles a sort of ugly truth between the rich and the poor classes of society when it comes to food. How both of them view food as two completely different things. There is a certain unsettling quality of food being a sort of status symbol for one, and mere sustenance for the other.
But that’s not why this movie is under not-so honourable mentions. I felt the narrative was a bit straightforward. The protagonist, who is often considered to be the perspective of the audience, has very little dialogue or personality. I wish that there were more layers or complexities to her character, other than just her pure drive to succeed. I think usually food movies celebrate food, but even if Hunger decides to show it in a completely different light, it still doesn’t do it full justice. But, would I recommend that someone watch this movie? Yes. Would I watch it again? No.
Well, that’s it for this time. Did you agree with the list? Do you have another list? Or you might think, well, these are not the only food movies that have been made, and there must be more. You are correct. And there are more. I will find those and come back to you again. All in all, I think we should start creating petitions for pushing forward, “Food” as a genre for films. I think the world would be a much better place with more films about cuisine and gastronomy, because whether you like it or not, you have to eat.
See you next time!