What do food and movies have in common? They both nourish the people who consume them. Food gives us the strength and energy we need to get through the day, but when you take the time and find something absolutely delectable, you savor and appreciate it more. The same goes for movies. On the surface, films are meant to entertain a large audience. However, those who notice the subtle nuances sprinkled in along with the hard work that went on before everything was cleaned up and presentable really know how to admire the finished product.
When food and movies come together as one, inspiration transpires. Whether someone is preparing the food or simply enjoying a meal, the moment the incredible dishes come across the screen, our mouths cannot help but water. We, as consumers of both, want to duplicate the dishes or have the same fiery passion in the kitchen as the characters on the screen. Food is so much more than sustenance; it connects people and tells a story if you let it. We encourage you to gather some friends and get the seasonings out. From Chef to Julie & Julia, these 10 movies will certainly inspire you to get in the kitchen and be a better cook.
10 Julie & Julia (2009)
Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are astounding as the world-renowned chef, Julia Child, and the aspiring young blogger, Julie Powell, who decided to take it upon herself to cook each of the 524 recipes from Child’s 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Through a series of flashbacks, audiences see how Julia struggles to make a name for herself in a predominately male profession, while 50 years later, Julie’s blog about her cooking project gets more attention than she ever imagined.
How You Will Be Inspired
Inspiration can come from anywhere and strike at any moment, but for the real-life Julie Powell, she found inspiration through a very respected woman’s cookbook. Powell wanted to try something new and challenge herself, and, luckily for us, she decided to document her findings the whole way through. This alone should inspire you to get in the kitchen and break out your own creativity. There are thousands of cookbooks online as well as in the stores; all you have to do is take the leap and decide which recipe to try first. Rent on Google Play and YouTube
9 Ratatouille (2007)
Having rats in the kitchen is not something anyone wants to deal with, but when the storyline follows one particular animated rat who is actually a dedicated food artist, people do not seem to mind as much. Ratatouille is a film for the whole family, as it features Remy, a rat with a nose for finer foods, living out his dream of becoming an elite chef. Remy teams up with Alfredo Linguini, the new garbage boy at a prestigious restaurant in Paris, and the two create the most appealing Disney dishes. All goes well until Remy is discovered to be the mastermind behind the delicious food.
How You Will Be Inspired
They say the secret ingredient to any recipe is love, and with Remy pulling the strings — or rather, pulling on Alfredo’s hair in a marionette-like fashion to get him to put everything together — there is certainly passion to every dish. If you still feel a bit uncertain in the kitchen with dozens of spices and the seemingly endless list of recipes, just remember Auguste Gusteau’s motto: “Anyone can cook.” Clearly it worked out for Remy, so who is to say you won’t craft your own delectable dish? Stream on Disney+
8 Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
Based on Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir of the same name, Eat, Pray, Love takes audiences on a journey alongside Liz (Julia Roberts) as she leaves her old life behind and travels to rekindle her passion for living. While in Rome and Naples, Liz reconnects with food. Rather than it just being something to nourish the body, she finds that having a healthy relationship with what she eats allows her to slow down and really appreciate the time and preparation that went into each dish.
How You Will Be Inspired
Watching Roberts slurp down pasta or confidently (and unashamedly) eat pizza will have you planning your next Italian-inspired dinner. The presentation of the food is flawless, and being able to take one’s time to enjoy their food rather than scarfing something down in front of the television is what makes the event so intimate. Stream on Prime Video or Hulu
7 Soul Food (1997)
There is no doubt that a home-cooked meal can bring people together, and when there is a weekly tradition for a large blended family to file in under one roof and sit down to dinner, you certainly know there will be stories to tell. Soul Food focuses on a family that often puts aside their problems when it comes to Sunday dinner at Big Mama’s house. However, after Big Mama (Irma P. Hall) passes, her three daughters try to keep the longstanding family tradition alive, but too many conflicts end up creating a recipe for disaster.
How You Will Be Inspired
While Soul Food certainly has some of the most mouthwatering food you will ever see on the screen that the actors actually seem to enjoy, it also focuses on an important message about bringing people together with food. By the end of the film, you will be inspired to not only make several different comfort foods, but you will want to invite those you love over to enjoy the delicious meal with you. Stream on Hulu
6 Burnt (2015)
Burnt
- Release Date
- October 2, 2015
In every restaurant, behind the swinging doors that separate the dining room from the kitchen, there is a madhouse of people intricately working and weaving around one another so that the people sitting down can comfortably enjoy themselves and their meals. Burnt gives audiences a sneak peek into the chaos that goes down on the kitchen side of a restaurant that is determined to earn three Michelin stars — the highest honor and award any restaurant can receive.
How You Will Be Inspired
From the street food to the gourmet two-bite meals presented throughout the film, Burnt will certainly inspire you to get in the kitchen and recreate some mouthwatering dishes. Bradley Cooper does an amazing job at reminding us that food is so much more than something to be mindlessly consumed. It can be one’s expression of love, a product made from passion, and if you really want to have the full fine-dining kitchen experience, just throw on one of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking shows in the background and imagine he is yelling at you while you work on becoming a better chef. Stream on Netflix
5 No Reservations (2007)
In No Reservations, Kate Armstrong (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) is not one to share the kitchen with anyone, but to her dismay, to be an amazing chef, she needs a staff. When her personal life gets to be a bit more chaotic, and Kate finds herself the guardian of her niece (Abigail Breslin), a sous-chef, Nick (Aaron Eckhart), appears and stirs the pot a bit. Kate and Nick have to learn to get along in the kitchen, which Nick doesn’t have a problem with at all. Eventually, the two are able to blend and become a delectable pairing in and out of the professional atmosphere.
How You Will Be Inspired
Kate’s creations are beautiful and elegant, and if you want to feel like a five-star chef, model your own cooking after her. However, if you want to cook with heart and bring life to your food, pay attention to how effortlessly Nick maneuvers throughout the kitchen. By the end of the film, you should feel inspired to be creative in the kitchen and try new things — even if that is just a massive bowl of spaghetti topped with fresh basil. Rent on DIRECTV or YouTube
4 Chef (2014)
After hitting record numbers with the first two Iron Man films, Jon Favreau decided to take a step away from the blockbuster spotlight and get “back to the basics” of filming. According to The Oregonian, Favreau knew he wanted to do a movie about food, but with the way things were going on in his personal life, he also felt it very important to tell a story about balancing work and life. In the end, Chef explores a beautiful and realistic story about a great chef named Carl Casper (Favreau), who ultimately decides that his passion for food and his desire to be a better father is far more important than any critic’s opinion.
How You Will Be Inspired
Do you remember having a specific “comfort meal” growing up? Was it a family recipe or something you concocted out of thin air? Favreau’s Chef inspires all audiences to remember the dishes that feel like a warm hug. For Carl (and quite possibly Favreau himself), it is Cuban sandwiches and yuca. The passion and love the actor as well as his character clearly have for cooking is something that should inspire everyone to indulge in their own “back to the basics” meal and reminisce about the good times. Stream on STARZ
Competition can be healthy, but it can also be very harmful in the restaurant business. In The Hundred-Foot Journey, when the Kadam family immigrates to a small town in France from Mumbai, India, they believe that the locals will find their traditional cuisine charming and unique in comparison to everything that is around. Unfortunately, just 100 feet away from their new restaurant, there is an upscale French restaurant, and Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), the restaurant’s owner, thinks it is best that the family find a different location for their business.
How You Will Be Inspired
Savory dishes fly out of both kitchens, and by the time Madame Mallory completely accepts the Kadams with open arms, you will find yourself looking up unique recipes with spices you may have never even heard of. It’s beautiful to see two very different cultures come together over the love of food, and it is humbling to know that a Michelin-star restaurant owner wants to see how the best chefs make a homemade omelette as their ticket into her establishment. Rent on Apple TV or YouTube
2 Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
Ang Lee’s film, Eat Drink Man Woman, is one of the best food-centered movies as it shows how cultures are able to blend and bring people closer together. The story follows Mr. Zhu (Lung Sihung), a semi-retired chef who wants to hold onto tradition while also trying to accept that his three adult daughters are independently finding their footing. There are a lot of laughs, hard conversations, and realizations had while the girls go their separate ways with their love interests and careers, but in the end, they all know they can come together for a perfect family dinner.
How You Will Be Inspired
Mr. Zhu is so much more than a chef; he is a culinary artist. Everything he makes for his family is made with love, and it looks absolutely delicious. By seeing how much the family loves his food and the connection it brings to those who gather around the dinner table, you will be inspired to get up, get in the kitchen, and create something with the same amount of passion to be shared among friends and family. Stream on Hoopla
1 Waitress (2007)
Waitress
- Release Date
- May 25, 2007
- Director
- Adrienne Shelly
They say gift-giving is a love language, and for Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell) in Waitress, the only way she knows how to process her hatred for her abusive husband while helping others is by making, selling, and giving away homemade pies. When Jenna finds out that she is pregnant, she feels even more trapped in the run-of-the-mill small town, but something in her ignites after having her baby girl. She realizes that she will not allow Earl (Jeremy Sisto) to mistreat her and make her feel unloved.
How You Will Be Inspired
Baking takes a lot of work, concentration, and, unlike cooking, precision. If you feel like you need to get your mind off things and give back to some good people in your life, take a page from Jenna’s book and start baking — be sure you name every creation after something or someone you hate. You will find a new love for whipping up the batter, and, if you accidentally burn something, be sure it was dedicated to someone who really deserved it. Stream on STARZ
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
