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callyaccuratedetailsrightdown to thesecondcourseof
turtlesoupandsilverwareplacement.
From theLadyand theTrampsharingaromanticplate
of spaghetti toarodentdispensingcookingadvice, food
hasalsobeenamajorplotdevice inanimation. In theup-
comingchildren’s tale
CloudyWithaChanceofMeatballs
(ColumbiaPictures, 2009), theelementsof
weather literallyarrive in the formof foodas
thewindblowshamburgers, rainpelts juice,
and thesnowarrives in the formofmashed
potatoes.Andof course, stormyweather
bringsmeatballs.
Making food look likeactual food isan im-
portantelement inanimation.For the2007
film
Ratatouille
, producershiredFrench
LaundrychefThomasKellerasaconsultant,
traininganimators togrill, sauté, andflambé
—andexperiencefineFrenchcuisine.The
story followsRemy, ayoungratwithanover-
developedsenseof tasteandsmell,who
dreamsofbecominga topchef.
Hollywoodalso jumpedon theoenophilia
bandwagonasseveralfilms focusedonwine
andvineyards.Thesurprise-hitfilm
Side-
ways
(2004)wasbotha tributeand travel-
ogue toCalifornia foodandwine in the
picturesqueSantaBarbarawinecountry.
PaulGiamattiandThomasHadenChurch
play twomen in the thickof career and
middle-agecrisesexploring theCalifornia
vineyards—and themselves.
In
AGoodYear
(2006),RussellCroweplays
aLondon Investmentbankerwho inheritsa
châteauandvineyard inProvence.The low-
budgetflick
BottleShock
(2008) tells the tale
of theearlydaysofCaliforniawinemaking
featuring thenow-infamous, blindParis
wine tastingof 1976 thathascome tobe
knownas the“JudgmentofParis
.
”
Films inspireaudiences inavarietyof
ways from the introductionofnewcultural
menus topractical cooking tips.
Julie&Julia
remindsus thateverything tastesbetter
witha littlebutter, and thatcookingwith
love is themost important ingredient,while
Ratatouille
teachesushowa freshbaguette
shouldsoundand theproperway tochopa leek.PaulSor-
vino’scharacter in
Goodfellas
(1990) recommendsusinga
razor toslicegarlicpaper-thinso itwill liquefy in the
pan.TheJapanesefilm
Tampopo
(1985)adviseswhat to
look for in theperfectnoodlewhile
BigNight
(1996)
depictsacinematicmomentasTuccimakesamemorable
omelet forhisbrother.
Fromas far backasCharlieChaplin cookingand
“eating”abootwithspaghetti-like laces in theclassic
l925film
TheGoldRush
toJamesCagneysmashinga
grapefruit in the faceofhisgirlfriendatbreakfast in
1931’s
ThePublicEnemy
, food infilmwillalways leavean
indelible image.AsJuliaChildand
ChicagoSun-Times
filmcriticRogerEbertmightsay, “Bonappétit”and“See
youat themovies.”
BOTTLE SHOCK
SIDEWAYS
BIGNIGHT
➤
For great recipes, film clips, and other video content from some
of thesemovies, see celebratedliving.com.
