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In celebration of Thanksgiving, our resident film buff Alex Parker serves up a list three fantastic films about food and family from around the world that will get you in the holiday mood.
Chef
Year: 2014
Country: United States
Directed By: Jon Favreau
Chef Carl Casper is in a rut both personally and professionally. At one point he was a seen as a raising star in the culinary world, now he is divorced, estranged from his only son, and working a dead-end restaurant job. After one particularly harsh food review causes a very public meltdown, Carl quits his job and goes on a culinary adventure with his son to rediscover himself and his love of cooking.
Chef feels very much like a passion project for writer, director, and star Jon Favreau. (Elf, Iron Man and The Jungle Book) His love for cooking really comes through here and makes the film feel like a celebration of food. Overall, the film is fun, funny and an overall easy watch. Definitely a movie to throw on in the background while you’re getting Thanksgiving ready.
Chef is currently streaming on Netflix and is available for digital rental.
Babette’s Feast
Year: 1987
Country: Denmark
Directed By: Gabriel Axel
In the early 19th century, in a small village on the desolate northwest coast of Jutland a pastor established a religious commune with a small group of followers and his two young daughters. Fast forward a few decades, the pastor has long passed, the two young daughters are middle aged and are now taking care of their father’s dwindling and aged congregation. Life for the sister’s has remained static for a long time, sure they had suiters, but that was many years ago and they are happy with their lives. Things change when a mysterious woman shows up on their front door carrying a letter of introduction from a past suiter. It says that she is fleeing the political violence in France and asks to give her refuge. They agree to take her in setting up a cultural clash between the cosmopolitan Parisian and the austere religious community.
Babette’s Feast might be one of the comfiest films ever made. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a warm blanket on a cold day. Handsomely shot and perfectly cast, the film is a meditation on faith, found family and the transformative effect of a good meal.
Babbette’s Feast is currently streaming on HBOMax and the Criterion Channel .
Tampopo
Year: 1985
Country: Japan
Directed By: Juzo Itami
Tampopo just might be the ultimate food movie. On the surface, the film is a lighthearted comedy about a single mother’s quest to become a ramen master. But that’s just a jumping board into a wild and absurd exploration of our relationship with food. The main narrative is punctuated with about a dozen short vignettes touching on themes of life, sex, death, and family. Everything combines into a satisfying kaleidoscope featuring homeless colonies of gourmets, hungry con-men, touchy old ladies and a make out session featuring a gangster and an egg yolk.
Bit of a content warning, a real soft-shell turtle is killed on camera as part of a food prep scene. So, keep away if you’re squeamish. For everyone else, this is legitimately one of my favorite movies and I cannot overstate how much I love it.
Tampopo is currently streaming on HBOMax and the Criterion Channel.
