Best ‘Foodie Films’ according to Tucson chefs, restaurant owners & food writers

Do you love movies about food (or maybe not about food, but that feature some delicious-looking food or drink)?

In honor of Film Fest Tucson, happening on Thursday, October 13 – Saturday, October 15, we reached out to Tucson chefs, restaurant owners, and food writers with a simple question: What are your favorite food-related movies?

The responses we received ran the gamut (though some choices were inevitably common). Some participants provided no more than a list, while others explained what they loved about each film.

RYAN CLARK

executive chef of Casino Del Sol

• “Boiling Point”

“If you have ever wanted to feel the rush of working in a restaurant from your couch this is the movie for you. All shot in one take, ‘Boiling Point’ captures all aspects of a busy, hectic, and somewhat unorganized mess of dinner service. The seamless transitions from scene to scene bring a sense of reality to the everyday stresses in the restaurant industry with a bit of ‘extra’ thrown in for the big screen.”

MARCELA DAVILA

Co-owner of The Little One

• “Julia & Julia”
• “Tortilla Soup”
• “Chocolat”
• “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
• “Like Water for Chocolate”

TYLER FENTON & COURTNEY FENTON

Co-owners of Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink, BATA

• “Sausage Party”
• “Julie & Julia”
• “Chef”
• “The Founder”
• “Waiting”
• “Good Burger”
• “Heavyweights”
• “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”
• “Ants on a Shrimp”
• “For Grace”
• “The Restaurateur”

RAY FLORES

Flores Concepts, Si Charro!

• “The Founder”
• “Waiting”

“Can’t ignore some of the stuff that sheds light on the industry itself such as ‘The Founder’ about McDonald’s or the raunchy ‘Waiting’ that shows some of the uglier side of what can happen in a restaurant run amok.”

• “American Graffiti”
• “Diner”
• “Sideways”
• “Hollywood Knights”
• “Spanglish”

“And then there’s the movies that use food and restaurants as the backdrop within the lives of the characters. Those also have relevance such as ‘American Graffiti,’ ‘Diner,’ ‘Sideways,’ or even ‘Hollywood Knights.’ I’m even fond of ‘Spanglish,’ simply because I get the stress of the crazy restaurant critique.”

• “Ratatouille”
• “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”

“Then there is something like ‘Ratatouille’ that is simply a fun diversion for most anyone and also teaches us many lessons along the way. Finally, I think nothing sold eating in excess like ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.'”

SCOTT GIROD

owner and pizzaiolo of Anello

• “Tampopo”

“A ramen restaurant but shot like a spaghetti western.”

• “Sideways”

“It’s hilarious with some unforgettable moments.”

• “Kiki’s Delivery Service”

“‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’s’ whole setting in a bakery is great and makes you hungry for cakes and breads. All Ghibli movies have wonderful food moments.”

CJ HAMM

Executive Chef of Saguaro Corners

• “Waiting”
• “Slammin’ Salmon”
• “Tampopo”
• “Ratatouille”
• “Chef”
• “Nonna’s Big Night”
• “The Godfather”
• “Raw”

HANNAH HERNANDEZ

@deathfreefoodie on Instagram

• “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”

“It was one of my favorite childhood movies. I’d watch it over and over again.”

SALLY KANE & GREGOR KRETSCHMANN

owners of The Coronet, Meyer Avenue Cafe & Nightjar

• “Sling Blade”

“Not explicitly food-themed but it does sport a particularly rumble-inducing dinner table, to say nothing of those french fried potaters the guy kept going off about.”

• “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”

“A spellbinding documentary about a geriatric restaurateur who totally loves his job.”

• “The Dutchess of Duke Street”

“1970’s BBC series about the first female chef in Victorian London. Great rainy weekend material.”

• “Tampopo”

“A deeply subversive meditation on food, sensuality, and reverence. Some of it was only clever in the ’80s and some of it has become downright funny since, but the scenes of guys staring intensely at bowls of ramen have retained a surprising amount of their original erotica.”

• “Drunken Master 2”

“The greatest kung fu movie of all time with some help from what, for Jackie Chan’s sake, we’re hoping is not wood grain alcohol.”

• “The Trip”

“Two different kinds of broken records go on a culinary adventure in Scotland. A comedy, obviously.”

• “Chunking Express”

“A hazy menagerie of weird obsessions, food included.”

• “The Thin Man”

“The reason drunken conversations end up being so embarrassing afterward is that the characters you play when you are pickled are not cribbed from Dashiel Hammett’s relationship with Lillian.”

• “Hellman”

“They made six of these movies, in a thoughtfully descending order or quality.”

• “Ratatouille”

“We were going to recommend a Tarkovsky movie that we just made up called ‘The Red Herring,’ but then we realized that we had forgotten about ‘Ratatouille,’ which is far more appropriate actually. That Tarkovsky movie was going to be pretty dark and more than 4 hours long and was set to highlight the cuisine of northern Finland. ‘Ratatouille’ however is a supremely entertaining movie, although it does make things rather awkward the next time you find a mouse on your kitchen counter.”

RODERICK LEDESMA

executive sous chef of Casino Del Sol

• “Ratatouille”
• “Chef”
• “Burnt”
• “Waiting”
• “Pig”
• “Roadrunner”
• “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle”
• “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”

JESSIE JEAN MANCE

Co-owner of Tucson Hop Shop

• “Heathers”

“I just like when Heather screams ‘corn nuts’ at Veronica.”

Annie Matlick

owner of Ambrosia Cakes

• “Chocolat”
• “Ratatouille”
• “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”
• “Eat Pray Love”
• “Chef”

Jim MURPHY

Chef and Owner of Kingfisher

• “Like Water for Chocolate”
• “Chocolat”
• “Babette’s Feast”
• “For Grace”
• “The Wing or the Thigh”
• “Chef”
• “Spanglish”
• “The Trip”
• “Burnt”
• “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
• “Toast”
• “Mostly Martha”
• “Soul Kitchen”
• “Ratatouille”
• “Oysterland”

TRAVIS PETERS

executive chef and co-owner of The Parish and The Delta

“I don’t watch a ton of ‘food’ movies, but these are definitely movies with my favorite food scenes in them. Yes, people being eaten in movies is clearly a theme.”

• “Goodfellas”
• “Pulp Fiction”
• “Lady and the Tramp”
• “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”
• “Alive”
• “American Beauty”
• “Attack of the Killer Donuts”
• “Alien”
• “American Werewolf in London”
• “Jaws”
• “Silence of the Lambs”
• “Barfly”
• “The Big Lebowski”
• “Leaving Las Vegas”

SHANE REISER

owner of Tucson Foodie

• “Pig”
• “Food Wars”
• “Kiki’s Delivery Service”
• “Chungking Express”
• “The Bear”
• “Good Burger”
  • Best line: “Brother Reed, you have messed up my afro” – Sinbad
• “Chef’s Table”
• “Somebody Feed Phil”
• “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
• “Spanglish”
• “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
• “Kiss The Ground”
• “The Sopranos”

CORALIE SATTA

chef and owner of Ghini’s French Caffe

• “Like Water for Chocolate”
• “Ratatouille”
• “Chocolat”

CHRIS SQUIRES

co-owner of Ten55 Brewing Company

• “Beer Wars”

“It’s a little dated as the beer industry has changed a little in 10 or 12 years but still interesting.”

As a reminder, there’s going to be a number of films and experiences involving food at this year’s Film Fest Tucson. The festival begins on Thursday, October 13 and then there is a fun collection of films celebrating culinary culture on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15.

Check out our article “Film Fest Tucson 2022: Celebrating cinema, community & food culture.”