The 14 Best Food Movies You Can Watch

Long before I became a foodie, back when I was 6 years old, I fell in love with cinema. I saw my first film in a theater and became hooked. So much so, that I had to make my own movies, and so, I went on to screenwriting and directing as a young man.

Decades later, my culinary explorations began and food and film are still two of my greatest passions. Many out there feel the same about them. Wouldn't it be great, if you could combine the two? Well, naturally, you can. And I don't just mean snacking on popcorn and Milk Duds during a screening.

There are plenty of films about food. We're not talking about scenes that merely depict characters eating or cooking. The iconic scene at Katz's Deli in "When Harry Met Sally"had precious little to do with the food. These are motion pictures where food plays at least a supporting role and helps motivate the characters and drive the plot.

From fine dining to desserts to wines, filmmakers have produced a plethora of food-themed movies. Here are 14 of the best. You should check them out.

Rats and restaurants are usually a very bad combination. However, in this charming, heartwarming, animated film, they work beautifully together. The double-entendre title, "Ratatouille", refers to the vegetable dish that plays a prominent role in the story, as well as the protagonist.

Voiced by Patton Oswalt, Remy is a Parisian street rat, scuffling for food with his family. Unlike the rest, Remy has a unique ability to combine food flavors and has come upon a cookbook by a famous chef. He dreams of becoming a culinary master himself.

Remy finds his way into the kitchen of a neighborhood restaurant and helps bumbling wannabe chef, Linguini, voiced by Lou Romano, to prepare outstanding French cuisine. Linguini replaces the former chef, who smells a rat, (pun intended) and investigates to find the secret of his replacement's success.

Add in a fussy, influential food critic with enough clout to make or break any restaurant, and you have a tale that is engaging and fun. It also has an inspirational message for underdogs everywhere. If that isn't enough, it's educational; if you pay attention there are 15 cooking lessons. Rated 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's a must-see.

A creative, well-made film with a sterling cast, "Julie & Julia" follows two storylines taking place in different eras. Amy Adams plays Julie, a food blogger who needs a challenge. She undertakes to cook every single one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's iconic cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Alongside Julie's quest, there is a biographical element, as we see Julia Child's life story. Child's rise to fame started with the very first dish she made on television. The famous chef is portrayed by the brilliant Meryl Streep, who gives an incredible performance. The film is fascinating as each woman works to master French cuisine. Stanley Tucci is equally good as Child's husband, Paul.

Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a solid 76% fresh rating. It's a great movie to see for Julia Child's journey alone, but the parallel stories elevate it to brilliance. If you are a Julia Child fan, love French cuisine, or just love to cook and eat great food, this one is for you. 

Heartwarming, charming, and based on a true story, "Nonnas" should resonate with anyone who cherishes the connection between family and food. Vince Vaughan plays Joe Scaravella, a Staten Island man, who loses his mother and longs for the great Italian family dinners he grew up with. 

He comes up with a radical idea. Joe opens an Italian restaurant that will serve authentic, family-style meals, as cooked by grandmothers. He hires four nonnas as chefs to get that true, home-cooked taste and atmosphere. His thought is, nonnas know food and certainly all of the Italian pasta cooking hacks.

The nonnas are played by Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, and Brenda Vaccaro. Of course, they don't agree on much and their interactions are hilarious as Joe struggles to make his fledgling eatery profitable. Joe Mangiello is terrific as Bruno, Joe's best friend, who doesn't really buy into the plan, but supports his buddy nonetheless. 

Rated 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, "Nonnas" is fun, funny, and touching. If you have a nonna, or a bubbe, or any kind of grandma at all, this is a film you will most likely enjoy. 

Before getting into plot details, we must warn you that, "Eating Raoul" is a dark comedy. Very dark and not for the faint of heart. Paul Bartel co-wrote and directed the 1982 film and stars in it with Mary Woronov. The pair play Paul and Mary Bland, a married couple in LA, who want to open a restaurant and are trying to raise capital.

While they wait for a potential investor to show up at their apartment, a man comes by who mistakenly thinks he is visiting a call girl he set up a date with. The interloper gets handsy with Mary, and Paul protects her by bashing him in the head with a cast iron frying pan, killing him. Searching his wallet, they find that the deceased was flush with cash, and have a light bulb moment.

Mary pretends to be a call girl and Paul gives the frying pan treatment to the Johns, and the two help themselves to the victims' money. They hire a mysterious street hustler to dispose of the bodies while they pile up the necessary funds for their restaurant. Told you it was dark!

Nevertheless, Rotten Tomatoes scored it 85% fresh and there is plenty of humor to go along with the murders. If you're not too squeamish, it's worth a view.

We move on to our first foreign film, "Babette's Feast." This was the first Danish film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. A period piece set in 19-century Denmark, it stars Stéphane Audran as Babette, a French war refugee and the title character.

A small Danish town and the congregation of its church stick to Puritan values. The deceased pastor's two daughters have rejected suitors because they won't defy their father's wishes and leave their lives with the congregation. Instead, they stay to care for him in his later years.

The daughters take in Babette and hire her as a servant. Babette's presence changes the outlook of the entire town. The French woman has a great appreciation for art, fine food, and wine, and shares that passion with the daughters and the town. 

On the 100th anniversary of the pastor's birth, Babette cooks a magnificent feast for his daughters and the entire town that awakens them to the pleasures of food. In addition to an Oscar win, Rotten Tomatoes rated "Babette's Feast" 97% fresh, an outstanding rating. If you don't mind subtitles, you should definitely check it out. You'll have a good answer if someone asks, "Read any good films lately?"

Who doesn't love pizza and who wouldn't love a movie about it? Well, "Mystic Pizza" is more centered around the lives and friendship of three young woman, but a pizza place is the prominent location.

Annabeth Gish, Lili Taylor, and Julia Roberts in one of her early roles, star as three Connecticut teenagers who have just graduated high school and work as waitresses in a local pizza place in their hometown of Mystic. One is engaged, but unsure if she's really ready for marriage. As they sling slices, they talk about life, love, and uncertain futures.

The film is a romantic comedy, but the food angle figures in a subplot. A TV food critic unexpectedly pops in and tries a slice. He leaves without saying a word. This is concerning for the owners and staff because the critic's word is heeded by the locals.

The three women eventually settle into relationships, but most importantly, the critic airs a glowing review and Mystic Pizza is a success. Rated 78% fresh by Rotten Tomatoes, it's worth a view for foodies, especially if you like a romcom. If the film gives you a hankering for pizza, we know where to find the best pizza in every state.

Another film with a great food title, "Chocolat" is set in France in 1959 and told by a narrator. It's winter and the good Catholics of a small rural town lead lives that are largely repressed and devoid of passion. That is until at the start of Lent, when a single woman, Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche, arrives in town with her daughter and opens a chocolate shop.

At first, the town holds her at a distance with the exception of her landlady, Armande, played by the incomparable Judi Dench. Despite being a diabetic, Armande cannot resist the chocolates. Vianne becomes friendly with a woman in an abusive marriage and takes her in, helping her to stand up to her husband.

A band of Romani set up camp on the outskirts of town, which upsets most of the community. Vianne and the leader, Roux, played by Johnny Depp, have a romantic attraction. At the end, Vianne's daughter, now an adult, is revealed to be the narrator of the story.

With a 63% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's a food film worth seeing. If it puts you in the mood for some quality sweets, remember, there's a right way to eat craft chocolate.

A film can't be more food oriented than being about a server in a diner. "Waitress" stars Keri Russell as the eponymous hash slinger, along with fellow waitresses Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly, who also wrote and directed the charming picture.

Russell plays Jenna, a young woman who works in an eatery in the South called "Joe's Pie Diner." Jenna is stuck in a marriage with an abusive husband and wants to escape him. She finds out that she is pregnant and keeps it from Earl, her husband. Her talent for creating and baking pies gives her a plan when she discovers a pie contest that has a $25,000 first prize. If she can win, she will have the means to leave her marriage. Of course, Earl forbids her from entering the contest.

Supported by her best friends and fellow waitresses, Jenna gives birth to a healthy baby girl and begins a romance with her doctor. She eventually breaks it off and moves on to a better life. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 89% fresh rating and it spawned a very successful Broadway musical. If you like food, and a good romantic comedy with a happy ending, this is a movie you should see. 

Now, let's go in a bit of a different direction. Wine is also a part of cuisine and "Sideways", an adaptation of a Rex Pickett novel, has the juice of the grape as a central part of the plot. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church (two outstanding actors), play best friends Miles and Jack. Miles is a frustrated aspiring author and Jack is engaged with his wedding coming up in a week.

Miles wants to travel through wine country, relaxing and playing golf, but mainly sampling good wine and good food. Jack comes along, hoping to find a woman for Miles to have sex with to snap him out of his depression. Along the way, in between tastings, both men meet women. Jack considers breaking off his engagement for a lady he meets in their travels.

Miles starts a relationship with Maya, a waitress. He gives her a copy of his latest manuscript, which has been rejected by a publishing house. This sets up plenty of conflict and makes for a fascinating story. It was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, and won Best Adapted screenplay. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a very impressive 97% fresh rating. It is film that is well worth seeing, especially for wine lovers. You may even learn to avoid the mistakes a lot of people make when ordering wine.

Another food-related buddy pic, "The Trip" is a British comedy starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as fictional versions of themselves. The plot is pretty straightforward. The Observer sends Coogan out to take a tour of the best restaurants in the U.K. He intends to take his girlfriend, but she decides not to go. The only taker is his best friend, Brydon, who tends to aggravate Coogan.

Most of the film is improvised and these two fine comedians are more than up to the task. As two men entering mid-life, their chemistry is delightful with some equally insightful moments amongst the considerable humor. Their are also plenty of dining scenes in some of Britain finest restaurants. 

Rotten Tomatoes rates the film at 89% fresh, an impressive accomplishment. If that's not enough to grab you, the movie's tagline is, "Eat, drink, and try not to kill each other." It's a brilliant piece of filmmaking and if you like to eat and to laugh, see it.

Japan has made many contributions to the culinary world, and perhaps the most popular is sushi. Watching a master sushi chef at work is fascinating and you can do just that by viewing "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." This documentary follows the work of Jiro Ono in his renowned Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro.

One of the great masters of sushi, Jiro is 85 years old and wishes to pass the baton to Yoshikazu, his older son, who is 50. The younger offspring has left to open his own restaurant and Yoshikazu feels pressured to live up to his father's extremely high standards.

There are plenty of scenes of actual sushi chefs practicing their craft in the three-Michelin Star restaurant. Even if you don't like sushi, you will enjoy watching the incredible skill that goes into making it. Equally enjoyable is the relationship between father and son and Jiro's quest to create the perfect piece of sushi.

It's on the short side at 81 minutes, but packs plenty good cinema in that time frame. Rotten Tomatoes scored it a nearly perfect 99% fresh. It's a must-see for foodies, especially those who love sushi.

The multi-talented Jon Favreau wrote, produced, directed, and starred in "Chef", a fun comedy that will appeal to foodies. Favreau plays Carl Casper, a Miami native, who is the head chef of an upscale French restaurant in LA. Casper has a difficult relationship with his wealthy ex-wife and his young son, Percy. He is also frequently in conflict with his boss, played by the legendary Dustin Hoffman.

Unable to stand the stress anymore, Casper quits and heads back to Miami at the suggestion of his ex. She and his son also move back. While there, Casper reconnects with his Cuban roots and love of the food he grew up with. 

Casper buys a beat-up food truck, and he and Percy restore it and begin preparing and selling Cuban food. Father and son bond while driving the truck cross-country to LA, successfully selling food along the way. It's a funny and heartwarming story as the fractured family pulls back together sharing a love of food.

Rotten Tomatoes scored the movie 87% fresh. It's a great watch, one of those, "you'll laugh, you'll cry" pictures. A must-see for foodies.

At just 51 minutes, "Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers" is on the short side, but is nevertheless a fascinating documentary on an ingredient that is commonly used in a majority of cuisines worldwide. The whimsical title is a shortened version of the saying, "garlic is as good as ten mothers for keeping the girls away."

Shot at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, the doc tells the story of the history of the ingredient sometimes called "the stinking rose." It also includes footage of chefs preparing dishes that use garlic and comments on its health benefits. Other topics are garlic's tendency to produce bad breath and its association with vampires. 

It's an enjoyable film that is informative, funny, and entertaining. It has a 77% Popcorn Meter rating by fans on Rotten Tomatoes. It's another good watch for foodies. Who doesn't use garlic when they cook?

Another Japanese food that is extremely popular in the U.S. is ramen. It would seem to be a good subject for a food film, and, indeed, it is. "Tampopo" is a fun movie from the Land of the Rising Sun about a ramen shop. 

Japanese film star Ken Watanabe and Tsutomu Yamazaki play two milk truck drivers, Gun and Gorō, who stop by a small ramen shop, called Lai Lai for lunch. They rescue a boy from three bullies and he turns out to be the son of the shop's owner, Tampopo. Tampopo is a widow who struggles to make a living with her shop.

Gun and Gorō feel her noodles are sincere, but lack character. Gorō takes Tampopo under his wing. The two visit competitor ramen shops to learn the secrets to making great noodles. The story is heartwarming as the pair track down master ramen makers to teach the craft and make the restaurant a success. 

Rotten Tomatoes scored the film a perfect 100% fresh. It's a great blend of drama, warmth, and humor. The opening is particularly funny, when a man breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience to be quiet during the movie. If you're a foodie, you need to see this film.