The 50 best food-on-film moments of all time
Break out the silverware for TONY's list of great grub caught on camera.
Mon Oct 10 2011
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Food-on-film: Saturday Night Fever (1977): Double-stacked pizza slices
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Food-on-film: Tampopo (1985): The egg yolk
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Food-on-film: Julie & Julia (2009): Sole meunière
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Food-on-film: The Jerk (1979): "Bring us some fresh wine!"
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Food-on-film: The Goonies (1985): Baby Ruth!
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Food-on-film: Pan's Labyrinth (2006): Child-eating Pale Man
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Food-on-film: The Great Outdoors (1988): The Old 96er
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Food-on-film: Marie Antoinette (2006): Ladurée desserts
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Food-on-film: American Psycho (2000): Reservations at Dorsia
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Food-on-film: Rocky (1976): Raw eggs
Saturday Night Fever (1977): Double-stacked pizza slices
Lunch can't slow down Tony Manero in the opening sequence of Saturday Night Fever. Witness John Travolta as he struts to the rhythm of "Stayin' Alive," biting through two pizza slices stacked on top of each other. We haven't seen moves like that since we first beheld the fold-hold. Watch the clip.
Tampopo (1985): The egg yolk
Topping any list of food=nerd filmography is Juzo Itami's comedy, a Japanese tribute to ramen and to the culture and eroticism of food. Though the title character's efforts to save her struggling ramen shop are captivating, our favorite moments come from a subplot involving the imaginative sex life of a yakuza gangster and his female companion. They pass an egg yolk between their mouths without breaking it; he spritzes her nipples with lemon juice and lets a live prawn writhe against her naked belly. Their exploits are as appetizing as they are titillating. Watch the clip.
Julie & Julia (2009): Sole meunière
Julia Child's transformative first encounter with sole meunière at La Couronne in Rouen, Normandy, is the stuff of legends. Child called the 1948 meal the most exciting of her life—an epiphany. Meryl Streep re-creates the moment with proper reverence and delight in Norah Ephron's feature, moaning and giggling through each luscious, butter-slicked bite.
The Jerk (1979): "Bring us some fresh wine!"
Nouveau riche buffoon Navin Johnson wants another bottle of wine, but a 1966 Chteau Latour won't do. "Bring us some fresh wine," begins Navin's clueless request in Steve Martin's comedy. "The freshest you've got—this year! No more of this old stuff!" We're still working up the stones to try this stunt on a stuffy sommelier ourselves. Watch the clip.
The Goonies (1985): Baby Ruth!
Sloth and Chunk bond over their shared affection for choooclaaate in the classic flick The Goonies. When Chunk tosses his hideously deformed companion the candy bar (it whacks him in the forehead and Sloth breaks lose of his chains to pick it up), a pivotal friendship is formed. Bonus points for Julia Child's cameo—she's frosting a cake on a television in the background. Watch the clip.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006): Child-eating Pale Man
Young heroine Ofelia must retrieve a dagger without waking the "Pale Man," a child-eating monster who sits mutely before an opulent feast, in this scene from Guillermo del Toro's fantasy. We see massive hams topped with pineapple rings, glistening fruit tarts, carafes of wine, and baskets of pomegranates and grapes—a gorgeously styled spread. Watch the clip.
The Great Outdoors (1988): The Old 96er
John Candy and Dan Aykroyd's classic '80s comedy is perhaps most memorable for this gross-out eating scene, a great send-up of gluttonous American restaurant portions. As if the wife's order of a "bucket of salad" and "the medley of perch" weren't absurd enough, Chet (Candy) decides to tackle the Old 96er: a 96-ounce prime aged-beef steak inspired by Paul Bunyan's blue ox. We defy you to show us an actor who does meat-sweats quite like John Candy. Watch the clip.
Marie Antoinette (2006): Ladurée desserts
Few would argue with the assertion that style trumps substance in Sofia Coppola's loose adaption of Marie Antoinette's story. But if you're a sweet tooth, the saccharine, music-video–style treatment of the French revolution sets the perfect tone for the real draw of the film: serious pastry porn, courtesy of famous French bakery Ladurée. The patisserie's lavish, color-splashed desserts—burnished canelé, precious petits fours, immaculate mille-feuilles—surround Marie (Kirsten Dunst) constantly, reflecting her candy-coated life of privilege. Our advice: Head to the NYC location of Maison Ladurée (864 Madison Ave between 70th and 71th Sts, 646-558-3157) and snag a box of the haute macarons for a viewing party. Watch a clip.
American Psycho (2000): Reservations at Dorsia
Reservations play a key role in this adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's darkly satirical novel: Where you're eating—plus who's with you and whether there's a good bathroom to do coke in—is always more important than what's on the plate for the '80s Wall Street types the film depicts. But while it's easy to smirk at Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) and his pathetic attempt to get reservations at the mythical Dorsia ("Great sea urchin ceviche"), the feelings of insignificance are familiar to anyone who's tried to navigate NYC's rarefied dining rooms. The only difference is that, these days, the mocking laughter on the other end of the line has been replaced by the Momofuku Ko website telling you, "Sorry, but currently there are no reservations available." Watch the clip.
Rocky (1976): Raw eggs
It's impossible to stop yourself from counting along in your head as Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) cracks not one, not two, but five raw eggs into a glass and chugs them at 4am before one of his epic Philly training runs. It's not a pretty sight—the extended glug, the dribble of egg yolk down his sweatshirt, the forced burp—but eating like a heavyweight champion rarely is. Watch the clip.
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