Bruce eating that entire chocolate cake in Matilda literally made me cry.
We all know you shouldn’t shop on an empty stomach, but sometimes that logic also applies to watching films.
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
From getting you super hungry to making you feel sick, food scenes in films can certainly leave an impression. So, here are 11 scenes that made me drool, and 10 that I was not on board with.
1.
Let’s start off tasty, and what could be better than the Harry Potter feasts?
Warner Bros. Pictures
I remember in The Philosopher’s stone, the feast scene made me want to go to Hogwarts even more. Seeing the piles of food appear out of nowhere was like a dream as a kid (and adult TBF).
I have to give a shoutout to butterbeer too, that stuff looks unbelievable.
2.
However, feasts aren’t always fun – as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings proved.
New Line Cinema
Yes, I was afraid of Shelob. Yes, Bilbo’s scary moment freaked me out – but this scene made me super uncomfortable. How can someone make eating look so grim?! From the bloody tomato juice running down his chin to the crunching of the chicken bones, this scene really turns the stomach.
Oh, and the fact that we’re hearing Pippin’s harrowing tune and watching a hopeless ride into battle simultaneously makes the whole thing worse.
3.
On a nicer note, the Imaginary Hook food somehow looked utterly delicious.
TriStar Pictures
There’s something about how they convey how hungry they are in this scene that makes the food they’re miming look so delicious. The appearance of this strange playdough-like food does nothing to make me feel less hungry.
4.
On the subject of pure imagination – while both Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory provided some delicious moments, they also gave us some sickening scenes.
Paramount Pictures
They really do go full caricature on Gloop, don’t they? I know the whole point is that greed leads to bad things, but wow. There are two specific scenes in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake that actually make chocolate look disgusting, which is no mean feat I tell you!
5.
Even though they turn into pigs because of it, the Spirited Away food (particularly the dumplings) always make me sooo hungry.
Toho
Weirdly enough, even though it sends the same message in terms of greed being bad, I would happily turn into a pig for these dumplings! Studio Ghibli has nailed making food look incredibly mouth-watering, and I need to mention the breakfast in Howl’s Moving Castle too.
6.
But I can’t watch Matilda without dreading the Bruce Bogtrotter chocolate cake scene – it makes me feel gross.
Sony Pictures Releasing
I’ve actually seen people say that this chocolate cake looks delicious, and to those people I say, are you watching the same scene as me?!
First of all, the cook said she put her “blood, sweat, and tears” into it – which as a kid I of course took literally. But also the whole vibe of this scene with Trunchball looking over his shoulder makes this cake look horrible.
7.
On a tastier note, the preparation of the prison dinner in Goodfellas makes me dream of some Italian home/prison cooking!
Warner Bros.
“He had this wonderful system for doing the garlic. He used a razor, and he used to slice it so thin that it would liquefy in the pan with just a little oil. To this day whenever I chop garlic I think of this scene. And with the illicit bread and the sauce cooking away, it just gets the taste buds going!
I have to give a nod to the all-day sauce from the same film when Henry’s rushing around, I would deffo eat that too.
8.
On the other hand, the candy spaghetti from Elf is another scene that ruins my appetite.
New Line Cinema
I don’t know how someone can look at this and think anything other than “bleuugh”. It’s not just the way he eats it here (although that plays a massive part), but come on, sweets and spaghetti is just a sickening thought.
9.
What IS delicious is literally all of the food from Chef – from the home-cooked pasta to the Cubanos.
Open Road Films
This film is such a no-no if you’ve not eaten. The way John Favreau’s character talks about food gets the tastebuds working, and every time they make something new I want to try it. The filming of his grilled cheese being made and the beignets from Café Du Monde really stick in the memory.
10.
Cheese isn’t always appetising though, as The Borrowers proved.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
The whole milk bottle chase, then all that cheese falling on John Goodman as he slips around made me feel super queasy as a child. It really did put me off cheese.
11.
The ram-don from Parasite hits my weak spot: noodles.
CJ Entertainment
When a suspenseful, frantic scene in a film makes you hungry, it’s gotta be something delicious. Despite the sequence revolving around a manic struggle, fight, and imprisonment, there’s something about those thick sticky noodles that make me super hungry. Is that bad?
12.
Here’s one the does NOT make me hungry – dinner-time in Scary Movie 2.
Dimension Films
All the “my germs” thing – nope! Looking back, this film seems like it can’t have held up, but I remember at the time I was not feeling this dinner scene.
13.
Another film full of food that looks better than it probably is – Pulp Fiction.
Miramax
I’ve had plenty of vanilla milkshakes, I’ve had plenty of burgers, but the five-dollar-shake, and the Big Kahuna Burger in Pulp Fiction look and sound just so much better. This film is actually peppered with food mentions – with the diner scene at the start, and the ‘royale with cheese’ discussion too.
14.
But something that looks just as bad as it sounds is the gloop they eat in The Matrix.
Warner Bros.
There are plenty of reasons why this film could be somewhat disconcerting, but the gloopy food that they eat is definitely off-putting. The description of it being like “a bowl of snot” is an image I did not need.
15.
The ratatouille in Ratatouille is another movie meal that gets me drooling.
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
The way it breaks down Anton Ego’s cold, vampiric exterior and turns him into a little boy who loves food again really gets to me. I don’t care who or what cooked ratatouille, I would certainly be getting my teeth into it!
16.
But a less hunger-inducing animated dining scene comes from Shrek 2.
Dreamworks Pictures
In the first film, we see his eye-ball cocktail, and the slug-like dinner, but I must say this grand feast fit for a king and queen is far worse. I think a continuous theme among these grim food scenes involve the crunching of stuff like bones and shells, and there’s a lot of that here. Also, the awkward masculinity is offputting in itself.
17.
Why did the raw onions in Holes look so good?!
Buena Vista Pictures
I marvel at how some films can make the worst food look delicious. If someone asked me if I’d like some raw-straight-out-the-ground onions, I’d be like no way! But somehow, after climbing God’s Thumb and finding an oasis of running water and fresh onions they make those veggies look unbelievable.
Also, the dusty broken bottle of Sploosh under the boat looks super nice too. Maybe I need to go to the desert more?
18.
Mr Bean’s Holiday gave us an example of oyster-eating at its most sloppy and horrible.
Universal Pictures
Who eats oysters elegantly? Probably no one. That being said, Rowan Atkinson does a hell of a job making them look as disgusting as possible. And then again with the crunching of the langoustine, those noises just really get to me!
19.
On a far more elegant note, I have to mention Mendl’s pastries from The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Wes Anderson always creates visually stunning scenes, and Mendl’s pastries are just at beautiful. These creamy, spongey pastries always get my mouth watering – even the way they box them up is super satisfying.
20.
The whole bear sandwich sex scene in Bridesmaids is hilarious but definitely did not make me hungry.
Universal Pictures
This post-ending scene came as a surprise to Ben Falcone who wasn’t aware it would be in the movie – or really that he was going to be filming the scene. “The next thing I know I’ve got this turkey meat on my nipples and Melissa is like flicking and flicking them”.
After the whole food poisoning situation earlier on in the dress shop, food wasn’t going to ever look appetising. Something about processed circles of meat on nipples doesn’t get the stomach going.
21.
Of all the magical meals and heavenly treats in movies, one of my first memories of film food was Edmund’s Turkish delights in The Chronicleas Narnia.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Is Turkish delight worth betraying your family for? Definitely not. I don’t even like Turkish delight! But I must admit, as a kid watching this icing-dusted cube of sweetness I was hypnotised. I of course would later try the treat and realise that it’s not my kinda thing, but they did look hella good.
Let me know your stand-out food scenes (for better or for worse), in the comments below!
