Netflix‘s Nonnas, starring Vince Vaughn, is currently one of the most popular movies on the streamer right now.
The sweet film is a tribute to the way human beings express love through food and how fine cooking can be an art form.
If you love detailed tributes to deliciousness and close-ups on culinary confections, Watch With Us has recommendations for you.
These five movies and shows, from Ratatouille to The Bear, are incredible examples of the art of “food on film,” in addition to being entertaining stories with wonderful casts.
Warning: You will be hungry after viewing.
Jon Favreau and John Leguizamo star in this charming road trip movie about Carl Casper (Favreau), a chef who has grown frustrated and creatively stifled. He’s also grown disconnected from his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and his ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara). When he’s let go from his restaurant job, he starts a food truck with his friend Martin (Leguizamo) and Percy. Together, they drive across the country, incorporating local ingredients into their delicious sandwiches. Thanks to Percy’s tech savviness, they become a social media phenomenon, and father and son grow closer than ever.
Chef is a feel-good comedy with an earnest love of food that will bring a smile to your face. The sweet story combined with the delicious dishes will leave you hungry for more.
Watch Chef on Tubi.
Across oceans, years and cultures, food connects us. In From Scratch, it’s what helps the love between artist Amy (Zoe Saldaña) and chef Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea) survive family drama, illness and more of life’s ups and downs. The first episode of this limited series, which is based on Tembi Locke‘s memoir of the same name, features a particularly sensuous montage at Lino’s restaurant when he serves food to Amy and her friends.
Throughout the couple’s many hardships, food is a constant source of both comfort and passion. The cinematography in this stunningly beautiful series captures the magic of Italian cuisine, Texan barbecue and everything in between. It’s a tearjerker, but the whole series is also mouth-wateringly satisfying.
Watch From Scratch on Netflix.
Liz (Julia Roberts) takes a culinary trip around the world in this romantic dramedy, an adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert‘s memoir of the same name. Whether you dream of pasta, pizza, curry or naan, you can salivate over any of them in this film, which follows Liz from Italy to India to Bali on a journey of self-discovery following a difficult divorce.
The film’s cinematography captures the essence of her delicious meals in such detail that audiences can almost taste them themselves, which plays a significant role in communicating Liz’s rediscovered love for life’s simple pleasures. She also delivers a moving monologue about refusing to let an obsession with calories keep her from enjoying incredible food. Directed by Ryan Murphy, Eat, Pray, Love skillfully combines lush visual storytelling with an exploration of themes such as self-discovery, spirituality, and the pursuit of happiness.
Watch Eat, Pray, Love on Netflix.
This Emmy-winning FX and Hulu series is a runaway hit for its depiction of the chaotic energy of a real gourmet kitchen. Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is a Michelin Star-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago and transforms his brother’s beloved but decrepit sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment. Real-life chef Courtney Storer creates the incredible dishes on this show, which all look so delicious you can almost smell them through your screen. In addition to its stellar cast, which features Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bacharach and Abby Elliot (among others), The Bear also shines a spotlight on real chefs like Matty Matheson, Christina Tosi, Christopher Zucchero and more.
The culinary artistry showcased in The Bear is a visual feast, elevating the series beyond traditional kitchen drama. It’s a tribute to the craft of cooking, in all its beauty and its ugliness. Should you watch it? “Yes, Chef!”
Watch The Bear on Hulu.
If you’ve ever wished you were a better chef but felt too intimidated to step into the kitchen, think back to Ratatouille‘s theme: “Anyone can cook.” Remy (Patton Oswalt), a rat, has a passion for flavor that emanates from the screen in this heartwarming animated movie. When he befriends Linguini (Lou Romano), a food-lover who lacks much in the way of cooking skill, the duo team up to form an unstoppable (albeit unconventional) culinary team.
Ratatouille captures the essence and artistry, beautifully depicting food and the passion of the people who make it. From the sizzle of fresh vegetables to the aromatic wafts of prepared dishes, every scene is a testament to the film’s love for the culinary arts. Characters are seen treating ingredients with reverence, showcasing not just the technical skills required to prepare exquisite meals but also the creativity and love that go into creating extraordinary cuisine. No matter where you come from, Ratatouille seems to say, the culinary arts belong to you, too.
Watch Ratatouille on Disney+.
