Top Five Foodie Movies

I got to thinking the other night about movies involving food, and decided to compile a list of my top five favorite foodie movies.

1. Babycakes - an obscure made-for-TV movie starring Ricki Lake as a single, overweight woman trying to win the man of her dreams, namely through food ("food is a way to a man's heart" or something like that?). Cute movie but depressing at times.

2. Like Water for Chocolate - based on a book (which I read in high school and loved), is about a young girl, Tita, who cannot marry because it is tradition for the oldest girl in the family to take care of her mother. Tita creates dishes that have a bit of magic to them and sometimes cause an uproar. I loved this book and the movie equally. I think this may be the only movie adaptation from a book that I really truly loved.

3. What's Cooking? - this movie is about a group of different people (different cultures) getting together at Thanksgiving. I loved this one, there is an air of drama but you also get to see dishes being prepared as well.

4. Soul Food - the trials and tribulations of a family going through changing times, and of course, soul food! What I loved the most was the women with their mother, showing the process of making the soul food. In a sense it reminds me of my Nana and when I used to watch her cook food in the kitchen.

5. The Joy Luck Club - While food may not be a huge part of this movie, it does have a part in it. This movie is about a group of Chinese-American women and their relationships with their mothers (their mother's history is focused on throughout this movie). This one is a REAL tear-jerker. I hadn't watched it in years until maybe six months ago and I was bawling my eyes out, thinking of my own mother, who I miss dearly (who lives 1,000 miles south of me!).

What are your favorite movies with a food theme or element in them?