Food has a special way of integrating itself into the fabric of cinema, with many going as far as to label food as its own genre of film. The seemingly insignificant moment at the ice cream shop or the recurring scenes at the diner can build character or drive the story forward in unexpected ways. From classic Hollywood films to contemporary cinema, here are six of my favorite food-related movies.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
The film follows a fake food magazine writer, played by Barbara Stanwyck, who must maintain her appearance after a soldier is invited to her farm. She enlists her chef friend, who’s been responsible for her articles, to accompany her to the farm. As she struggles to keep up the facade of an expert homemaker, hilarity ensues. Her character who can’t flip a pancake or change a baby’s diaper provides a comedic twist to the idealized image of 1940s domestic femininity.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is your typical Charlie Kaufman picture: an exploration of the human psyche that ultimately leaves you questioning what you just watched. The film features an ice cream scene, an ostensibly simple sequence of a young man and his girlfriend buying a frozen treat in a snowstorm. Yet, you start to notice strange things throughout the scene. The ice cream shop itself is seemingly misplaced, operating despite the weather. The employees also behave strangely, with one employee warning the protagonist. Once the film reaches its final act, the seemingly mundane ice cream sequence takes on a greater significance.
Goodfellas (1990)
From the iconic one-take stroll through the kitchen of the Copacabana to the garlic-slicing prison scene, food is everywhere in Goodfellas. In one scene, Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy go to Tommy’s mother’s house, bloody and disheveled. Oblivious to their appearance, Tommy’s mom decides to prepare them a meal. In typical Scorsese fashion, comedy is created from the seemingly mundane. While a bloody body lies in the trunk of their car, Tommy and his friends enjoy a casual 2 am dinner at his mom’s house, laughing and cracking jokes.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Nestled between Mean Streets and Taxi Driver is Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a far cry from the previously mentioned NYC crime dramas. It’s a character study; specifically, it’s a tender portrait of a single mother who attempts to secure a new life for her son by becoming a waitress. Ellen Burstyn delivers a great performance as the titular Alice, deservedly winning an Oscar for her performance. Food serves as the catalyst for her resistance against the patriarchal structure that has imprisoned her for so long, ultimately empowering her to choose her own path.
Mildred Pierce (1944)
While the story of baked pies and domesticity in the first act is very much the stuff of a typical women’s picture of the 1940s, Mildred Pierce later transitions to become a perverse film noir tale of greed and money. The film tells the story of a mother driven to the restaurant business after her husband leaves her. But as her business grows, Mildred finds the profession that has given her success gradually turns into the source of her downfall. The movie is a perfect snapshot of 40’s America, a response to burgeoning social and economic anxieties after the war.
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to the end of the golden age of Hollywood, focusing on the stories of an actor and his stuntman as they navigate a changing industry. It’s a “hangout” film with almost two hours of the characters doing seemingly nothing, but there’s a charm in these mundane moments. There’s something oddly satisfying about watching Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth character cook mac and cheese inside his filthy trailer home. Maybe it’s the way he just mixes the cheese powder with the pasta without adding any other liquids or ingredients. Or maybe it’s the way he takes his dinner to the couch and starts eating it straight from the pot. Sometimes, simpler is better.
Food in film can be more than a prop or background element: it reveals truths about the events and characters on screen. Whether it’s just a simple scene at the ice cream shop or an early morning dinner, these six films show the power of food.