The Knife has joined forces with the Dolce Group to give away a $125 gift card at Geisha House.
To win, answer this question: What's your personal best -- or worst -- of food movies? And why?
Quality over quantity: You can refer to a food/cooking themed movie or just a single memorable scene. (Need to be reminded what the contenders might be? Click through to the jump.)
Leave your judgments in the comments and the most entertaining entry wins the sushi loot. (Don't forget to give a working email address.)
And why Geisha House? Because, prior to the release of "Ratatouille" or "No Reservations," it's in the best food movie of the summer: "Knocked Up." It's the restaurant where... oh, hell, just watch the clip.
AN UTTERLY INCOMPLETE LIST, WITH NO THOUGHT TO PRIORITY, ORDER, OR COLOR OF THE LINKS:
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Simple Irresistible
Who is Killing the Great Chef's of Europe?
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Widescreen Special Edition)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Spanglish
John Candy flipping three foot diameter pancakes in Uncle Buck with a snow shovel.
Posted by: CHRIS WOOD | June 20, 2007 at 12:48 PM
A Christmas Story for total, utter disrespect of food in general.
The cut from randy leaving a deposit in the bathroom to a steaming pot of stewing red cabbage is classic. But there's also the Bumpuses dogs desecrating the Christmas Turkey, the ovaltine subplot, and the ceremonial chopping of the head off of the chinese duck, all of which are outdone by
Randy plowing his face into mashed potatoes and meatloaf to show us "how piggies eat:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ilZXITW1-k
Posted by: China Duke | June 20, 2007 at 12:57 PM
The cult classic "Parents" has some throughly disgusting shots of various "mystery" meats in various stages of prepartation, and Randy Quaid chillingly answers the question what leftovers REALLY were before they were leftovers... "They were leftovers to be!"
Posted by: CSW | June 20, 2007 at 01:03 PM
One more: The breakfast scene in Groundhog Day when Bill Murray realizes there are no consequences to his action, and orders and eats every type of breakfast food, topping it off by stuffing pies and pastries into his face and washing it down with a satisfying chug directly from the coffee pitcher. An excellent answer for those times when you feel like you could just eat everything on the menu!
Posted by: China Duke | June 20, 2007 at 01:08 PM
I think you have to back to the 1949 documentary by Georges Franju called "Le Sang des Betes" (English translation: "Blood of the Beasts"), which in shocking cinema verite fashion, chronicles the ordinary horror involved in the slaughter of horses, calves, sheep and cows by French slaughterhouse workers. The camera is unflinching and the images are shocking and unforgettable. (The only thing that I can think of that could be more stomach-turning is the time I watched a human autopsy) For anyone who consumes meat (and believe me, I love my meat...) this is essential viewing. "Fast Food Nation" has nothing on this.
Posted by: Max | June 20, 2007 at 02:18 PM
#1: Any film with Hannibal Lecter (specifically Hopkins). The man is an absolute foodophile and showed me for the first time that a foodie can be sophisticated without snobbery. He also taught me to be adventurous about eating, and to bring my own meals onto planes. Lecter's preparations and pairings were always spot-on, and his love for cuisine was absolutely inspirational.
Posted by: Jimmy B | June 20, 2007 at 03:53 PM
I wanna win this prize bc I've never been to Geisha House as I've heard it's overpriced... I'd love to find out what it's like with a bit of the check already taken care of!
Anyway, I *was* gonna say the egg yolk scene on Tampopo -- highly sensuous. Also I remember the kitten pie bit in Young Einstein -- that was silly and very funny!
But my vote is for the fantastic scene in the otherwise 'vin ordinaire' movie French Kiss when Meg Ryan's character is spying on her bf (I think) in a very fancy restaurant in Cannes, in the south of France, and she (well, her stunt double) does this amazingly brilliant prat-fall over a cart of fancy desserts and gateaux.
That sight gag was truly awesome work and side-splittingly hilarious. I really laughed until I cried and we watched it over and over.
Posted by: MaxMillion | June 20, 2007 at 04:24 PM
Best food scene? The pie fight in "The Great Race," with Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis (impeccably unsplattered in all-white attire during the meringue melee)...for some reason, I now have a sudden urge to go to the Apple Pan...
Posted by: Michael L. | June 20, 2007 at 04:45 PM
Pick any scene in Cannibal Holocaust... if you dare!!! Mwahahaha!!!
Posted by: Jeff | June 20, 2007 at 07:37 PM
No, seriously. In no particular order...
1. The Silence of the Lambs- Fava beans. Chianti. An old friend for dinner. Need I say more?
2. Hannibal- Hopkins eats Liotta's brain in front of him, and then doggie-bags it for the plane to share with other adventurous passengers.
3. Hostel Part II where the dude's torture fantasy involves cutting a tendon from a guy's leg and eating it raw in front of him as classical music plays.
4. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner- Because that was one long, awkward meal. I'd be afraid to ask for the salt and pepper.
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre dinner scene.
6. My Dinner with Andre- the entire film.
7. What else? Seven- Gluttony. I think that's an automatic winner right there.
8. Breaking the Waves- Emily Watson feeding Stellan Skarsgard. Heartbreaking stuff.
9. Good Will Hunting- Either Will and Skylar going out for caramels or the boys grabbing a Double Burger.
10. She's All That- Freddie Prinze Jr. makes Chris Owen eat a slice of pizza with a pubic hair on it.
11. Lolita- Does licking a lollipop count as eating?
12. The Great Outdoors- John Candy has to eat a 64 ounce steak. The man was a one of a kind eater.
13. Animal House- Bluto's zit-popping scene with the mashed potatoes.
14. The Passion of the Christ- Jim Caviezel enjoys a Last Supper with his disciples. I think this was of some importance back in the day.
15. Ferris Bueller's Day Off- Abe Froman scene at the fancy restaurant.
16. The Wire, Season 4- When Bunny Colvin brings some inner city kids to a classy Baltimore restaurant and they're not sure how to act.
17. The Sopranos- Any scene at Satriales. Artie Bucco is the man.
18. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation- Because Christmas dinner with the Griswold clan can't be beat.
19. Home Alone- Where did Kevin's pizza go? In Buzz's belly, so if he wants a slice, someone'll have to barf one up, cuz it's gone!
20. Beverly Hills Cop- Banana in the tailpipe. Comic gold I tell you!
Posted by: Jeff | June 20, 2007 at 07:50 PM
Best: the opening cooking montage of EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN. No one has ever shot a chef at work like that.
Worst: the most revolting is the pie eating contest that devolves into a throw up fest in STAND BY ME.
Posted by: Jason | June 21, 2007 at 07:01 AM
I totally agree with "Seweryn | June 20, 2007 at 08:14 AM" regarding Big Night! And the entire scene was shot without a cut! Awesome. Powerful.
Posted by: rob maresca | June 21, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Good contest question:
I'm a sucker for any scene that shows characters sharing a moment over a meal. For me, it's how the actors relate that makes the actual food memorable. Griffin Dunne's "Addicted to Love" always makes my stomach growl as I watch Anton Depeux feeding Linda sensual sauces and savory bits as their bitter ex lovers spy on them from an abandoned building, mocking them with ad libbed dialogue. That scene is sexy, funny, heartbreaking and delicious. For the same reasons, I find "Mr & Mrs. Smith"'s post coital breakfast in their wrecked kitchen charming and erotic. Although the movie "Diner" doesn't have the same kind of moist sensuality, I love the cast's camaraderie as they bicker over food in their favorite booth. They make every plate of fries look mouth watering. On the opposite end of the spectrum, "Withnail and I" has some of the most disgusting food moments ever committed to celluloid. It takes a special kind of perversity to make a film about starving actors that turns the viewer OFF food. Writer-director, Bruce Robinson, subjects us to shots of unappetizingly greasy eggs, kitchen sinks overflowing with "matter," cold chips with a shriveled sausage (aka savaloy), and the most vile roasted chicken ever.
Posted by: A Crew | June 21, 2007 at 07:30 PM
I would have to go with: Soylent Green. Didn't make me hungry and tempted no tastebud whatsoever.
Posted by: Libby | June 21, 2007 at 09:24 PM
It's gotta be the scene in The Blues Brothers where Jake and Ellwood feast on some shrimp cocktail at a fancy restaurant while asking, "How much for the little girl? How much for the women?"
Posted by: Jon | June 21, 2007 at 10:54 PM
My favorite is “Fried Green Tomatoes," in particular the scene where Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker have a food fight. The chocolate frosting in the scene would make any mouth water!
Posted by: kj | June 22, 2007 at 10:53 AM
Dana, Dana, Dana...please! The most memorable food scene, from any movie, hands down, is ANIMAL HOUSE. And you know the scene I'm talking about....."Let's see if you can guess what I am now. A zit! Get it!!" John Belushi+frat donkeys+fully stocked cafeteria=one of the most memorable food (or non-food) scenes ever!!!
Posted by: Phil Lander | June 22, 2007 at 10:56 AM
wow. that top 20 list is pretty intense but I think he forgot #21. the loveable 'I really need to get laid' flick
...so I do have one particular dining scene that I fancy (the 'O.R. they?' scene from Rushmore) but when I think of a memorable FILM about food, you just can't discard 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory'
I mean, yeah, it's mostly a film about candy but for sensual reasons, both delightful and foul (the pourage in the beginning), Willy Wonka made a stronger impression on my taste buds than any other film growing up. No, I'm not talking about the Johnny Depp/oompa loompa iPod disaster. The ORIGINAL. Seriously, from Wonka bars to everlasting gobstoppers, this movie not only rots your teeth but sugar coats your heart as Charlie and co fly away on the gold time thing (this is where you go 'Awwwww')
Posted by: noah | June 22, 2007 at 06:48 PM