TORONTO — Global News is taking a closer look at the food we consume with a series of stories in a special section titled Your Food.
Food, of course, figures prominently on television — and not only on Food Network Canada. There are dozens of cooking and competition shows on major networks to satisfy our appetite for everything edible.
We also watch every week as many of our favourite TV characters bond over food. (Go ahead, count how many times the characters on The Big Bang Theory have food in front of them.)
On the big screen, food is often presented as more than just a prop. It is frequently central to the story.
There are many delicious films to choose from, but here’s a list of 10 cinematic recommendations foodies will want to eat up. (Not included are some of the fine documentaries about food, like Super Size Me and Food Inc.)
Chef (2014)
Jon Favreau wrote, directed and stars in this comedy/drama about a chef who, after losing his restaurant job over a fight with a food critic (Oliver Platt) that goes viral, takes a cross-country road trip in a food truck with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and buddy Martin (John Leguizamo). Sofia Vergara plays the chef’s ex-wife and there are appearances by stars like Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and Canada’s Russell Peters. But the real star of the movie is all that food.
Chocolat (2000)
Directed by Lasse Hallström, this drama is about a chocolatier and young mother (Juliette Binoche) who opens a small chocolate business in a small French village. The cast of characters who come through the doors includes Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina and Canada’s Carrie-Anne Moss. This film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Based loosely on the book by Judi and Ron Barrett, this animated adventure features the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris Neil Patrick Harris and James Caan. It’s about what happens after Flint Lockwood invents a machine that turns water into food and transforms Swallow Falls into a food tourism destination. There’s also a sequel, which came out in 2013.
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
This Taiwanese drama from Ang Lee focuses on a master chef (Sihung Lung) who cooks up a feast every Sunday night for his three unmarried daughters and uses the meal as a forum to talk about family and relationships.
Fast Food Nation (2006)
This comedy from director Richard Linklater is loosely based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Eric Schlosser. Greg Kinnear plays the marketing director a burger chain called Mickey’s who travels to a processing plant to investigate tainted meat. There, he learns a lot about how the plant operates and how it affects the lives of several people from different backgrounds. Ethan Hawke, Wilmer Valderrama, Bruce Willis and Patricia Arquette are some of the familiar names in the cast.
The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
Lasse Hallström, who made Chocolat, directed this adaptation of the 2010 book of the same name by Richard Morais. It’s the story of a battle between neighbouring restaurants in a French town. Helen Mirren and Montreal’s Charlotte Le Bon star along with Manish Dayal and Om Puri — and a lot of delicious French and Indian food.
Julie & Julia (2009)
Meryl Streep and Amy Adams star in this culinary comedy from Nora Ephron that looks at the life of celebrity chef Julia Child and a young cook named Julie who aims to complete all the recipes in Child’s cookbook in a year. Stanley Tucci plays Child’s husband Paul.
Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
Alfonso Arau’s fantastical adaptation of the 1989 novel by Laura Esquivel is about a woman who discovers she has the ability to affect people’s lives in big ways through her cooking.
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish and Lili Taylor star in this coming-of-age film about waitresses at the titular eatery in Connecticut. Oh, and there’s something special about the pizza.
Ratatouille (2007)
This Pixar animated comedy stars Patton Oswalt as Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a chef and is befriended by a chef named Linguini (Lou Romano) who works for restaurant owner Skinner (Ian Holm). Eventually, Remy and Linguini team up to open the titular bistro. Canada’s Will Arnett voices Skinner’s German sous chef Horst.
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