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As promised, here is the rest of the movies I have found that have food as a center or strong side topic. The ones on this list were mostly unknown to me, so I am now working my way through the watch list and thoroughly enjoying myself. Most of the time they make me want to go and eat something, cook something or open a bistro (that won’t happen, rest assured). Maybe they will do the same for you. Ready?
Here goes, in no particular order:
Originally titled “Les Savers du Palais”, this movie is based on the true story of renowned French Chef Danièle Delpeuch when she became the private Chef to François Mitterrand. Catherine Frot plays Hortense Laborie (the fictional name for Danièle Delpeuch) and Jean D’Ormesson plays Le Président (aka Mitterrand).
Available also on Netflix streaming.
Based on a true story, the movie follows a small family-owned California winery in 1976, as they tackle a competition with their French counterparts in a blind wine tasting that happened in Paris in the same year. The event has become infamously known as the “Judgment of Paris.”
This beautifully acted comedy stars the likes of Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, dennis Farina, Bill Pullman, Jean-Michel Richaud among others.
Also available in Netflix streaming.
In New Delhi, talented chef Stella Matthews (Seema Biswas) has been serving up delicious meals to a succession of Canadian High Commissioners for many years, while also managing a bit of crooked business on the side to pad her modest salary. Then Michael (Don McKellar), Maya (Lisa Ray) and their baby arrive, as the newly posted Canadian diplomatic duo, with Maya being the diplomat, and Michael, a chef himself, as the stay-at-home ‘diplomatic wife’ eager to learn the secrets of authentic Indian cooking. Soon things get interesting.
Originally titled “Les émotifs anonymes”, the movie could be summarized as ‘Love in a chocolate factory’. So lots of chocolate is involved as Jean-Rene (Benoît Poelvoorde), the boss at a chocolate factory, and Angélique (Isabelle Carré), a talented chocolate maker, fall in love with each other but find it hard to express their feelings.
Available through Netflix as mail-in DVD.
The Observer asks Steve Coogan to tour the country’s (England) best restaurants, something Steve is looking forward to doing with his girlfriend. When she backs out on him, he is left with one choice: his best friend and eternal torment Rob Brydon. Hilarious competitions and showdowns follow, as well as a lot of learning about oneself and life.
Available through Netflix streaming.
The comic duo of The Trip movie above this one, come together once more and this time they travel around Italy, eating their way through Liguria, Tuscany, Rome and ending up in Capri.
Hilarious and insightful, the movie would be worth watching just for the gorgeous settings alone. Enjoy!
Available through Netflix streaming.
Frank and Maureen Giorgio (Danny Aiello and Jane Curtin) are at risk of losing the Lobster Farm their family has owned and operated for over 65 years. The farm is more than just a business to the Giorgio family, but a essential element of their identity. Now each member of the family has to find a way to pull together to save the family business.
April Burns, brilliantly played by Katie Holmes, who is the ‘black sheep’ of the family, has offered to host an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner for her estranged family at her Lower East Side apartment in New York. Her efforts start going off track when she finds out that her oven is not working
Also starring Oliver Platt, Patricia Clarkson (nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role), Derek Luke and Alison Pill among others.
This beautifully written movie set in Mumbai follows the stories of Mr. Saajan (Irrfan Khan), an accountant who is grieving over the death of his wife, and Lia (Nimrat Kaur), a young wife and mother desirous of more attention from her husband. Their lives connect by ‘mistake’ when Lia’s lunchbox for her husband is mistakenly delivered to Mr. Saajan. A whole new world opens up for them as they start exchanging notes, and new human sides are revealed.
Available through Netflix as mail-in DVD.
Set in the San Francisco culinary world, this movie is a must watch for anyone desiring to open a restaurant. It is both a fictional story of a father and son who reconnect and heal their past wounds over glorious food, and an honest look at what it takes to run a successful restaurant. The movie also includes documentary-style moments through interviews to real- life chefs like mark Estee, Elizabeth Falkner and Traci Des Jardins.
Starring Tony Denison, John Patrick Amedori, Kandis Erickson and Lisa Rotondi among others.
Stanley Tucci, Minnie Driver, Ian Holm, Isabella Rossellini and Tony Shalhoub star in this wonderful movie which won the Best Screenplay Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The story follows two brothers who risk everything they own on an extravagant feast on a special night in order to save their Italian restaurant. Complications interject, of course.
Available through Netflix streaming.
In this delightful comedy movie set in Manhattan, young Chef Samir (Aasif Mandvi) has to put his dreams of apprenticing under a Master French Chef in Paris when his father has a heart attack. Samir must instead take over the family’s Indian restaurant and save it and the family from bankruptcy.
Available through Netflix streaming and Amazon Prime.
Just another evening at a popular Italian restaurant in Queens? I don’t think so. Things are made interesting when a police detective, rival bookmaker gangsters, a food critic, a gambler and other colorful characters all come to dinner with their own agenda. Danny Aiello leads a cast that includes John Rothmans, Zainab Jah, Alex Corrado, Michael McGlone, Polly Draper and Edoardo Ballerini among others.
Available through Netflix mail-in DVD, and on Amazon Prime.
This is actually a documentary, and it follows the life of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, one of the world’s greatest sushi chefs, and his son and heir-de-cuisine, Yoshikazu. His renowned Tokyo restaurant is one of the first of its kind to receive the prestigious three stars from the Michelin guide.
Available through Netflix streaming.
Ken Watanabe stars in this story about a small family-run noodle shop in Japan. Comedy ensues as a cowboy hat-wearing truck driver decides to help the widow running the noodle shop and they attempt to create the perfect bowl of ramen. The movie is in Japanese with English subtitles.
Available through Netflix mail-in DVD and Amazon Prime.
Actor Kenny Bee plays the part of Kit, a young man looking to start a new life in Canada as a chef. But first he must convince a master to come out of retirement and teach him and his team so they can win a cooking challenge.
The movie is in Chinese with English subtitles.
Michael Lerner, Lesley Ann Warren and Jack Klugman star in this hilarious award-winning comedy of a Passover dinner that goes cockeyed when the patriarch unknowingly ingests some Ecstasy. Oops!
After a dramatic event during a high end cooking contest, young and talented Korean chef Seong-Chan gives up his profession and retires to the country to live with his grandfather. His new life of farming and selling vegetables is satisfying until a new competition reawakens his true passion and offers him a second chance.
The movie is in Korean with English subtitles.
Available on Amazon Prime streaming.
A few of these movies were obscure even to me, but I have chosen to include them because their synopsis and trailers look really really good. They are on my watch list for sure.
I had actually found a few more, but I decided to scram them because of their unavailability in any watchable format in the U.S.
If you watch any of these movies, I would love to know what you think, so maybe you will share your thoughts with me in the comments.
I have also found several interesting documentaries centered around food, some quite thought provoking. Let me know if you are interested and I can list them in a new blog post.
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Wow…I have only seen three of these and all but two others were completely new to me…
Thanks, Monica…I’ll have to add them to my ever-growing list of things to do before I kick the bucket 😉
Haha! Sonia, my bucket list is getting very long! Glad I could supply some unknowns. I was actually surprised that there were so many food movies out there. 🙂