The 10 best chef movies to get you fired up in the kitchen Jordan HoffmanThu, March 19, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC 0 Expert chefs on film: Nicolas Cage in 'Pig,' Stanley Tucci in 'Big Night,' Remy the Rat in 'Ratatouille'Credit: David Reamer/Neon /Courtesy Everett Collection; John Clifford/Samuel Goldwyn/Courtesy Everett Collection; Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection Dinner and a movie... they just go together naturally. But as one gains maturity, there comes the realization that there are better restaurants than McDonald's and better films than Minions.
The 10 best chef movies to get you fired up in the kitchen
Jordan HoffmanThu, March 19, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC
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Expert chefs on film: Nicolas Cage in 'Pig,' Stanley Tucci in 'Big Night,' Remy the Rat in 'Ratatouille'Credit: David Reamer/Neon /Courtesy Everett Collection; John Clifford/Samuel Goldwyn/Courtesy Everett Collection; Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Dinner and a movie... they just go together naturally. But as one gains maturity, there comes the realization that there are better restaurants than McDonald's and better films than Minions. (For many of us, this comes around age 40.)
Luckily, access to quality movies abound in the age of streaming. We here at Entertainment Weekly would like to light the stove of that inspiration with a collection of films that focus on great culinary achievement. As such, here are 10 chef movies to get you fired up in the kitchen.
Babette's Feast (1987)
Stéphane Audran hard at work in the kitchen in 'Babette's Feast'Credit: John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty
Winner of the Academy Award for what was then called Best Foreign Language Film, this Danish movie, based on an Isak Dinesen story, is set in a 19th century village populated by uptight religious people. A French refugee has spent years making unfussy meals for a pair of sisters. After winning a lottery, she begs the town to let her throw a luxurious feast.
Despite worries that such opulence is sinful, the sisters allow it. What follows is a seven-course act of generosity and openness that transforms the town. Vegans will not love the part involving foie gras, but hopefully they'll see the wider picture.
Where to watch Babette's Feast: HBO Max
Big Night (1996)
Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Driver, and a bunch of tomatoes in 'Big Night'Credit: Samuel Goldwyn/Courtesy Everett Collection
Stanley Tucci's onscreen love affair with Italian cooking started here in this marvelous low-budget passion project that he co-wrote and co-directed. He stars as a 1950s restaurant manager working with his older brother (Tony Shalhoub), a brilliant and uncompromising chef betting it all on an elegant Italian ristorante. He meets requests for simple plates of spaghetti with scorn.
Their only chance for survival is word-of-mouth from a celebrity, and soon there are rumors that Louis Prima will be in the area. They prepare an enormous, free evening of gorgeous food… and then the unexpected happens. Big Night was a sensation, and introduced most audiences to the timpano, an elaborate baked pasta dish that needs to be seen to be believed.
Where to watch Big Night: Amazon Prime (to rent)
Boiling Point (2021)
Chef Stephen Graham in the middle of an intense night in 'Boiling Point'Credit: Saban Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
This 90-minute thriller was all shot in one take, which is as difficult as searing a tuna from just one match. The film stars Stephen Graham as a head chef on an overbooked night, dealing with the typical headaches of running a high end restaurant and an unexpected visit from a health inspector. (Both the stakes and the steaks are raised, har har har.)
The funniest parts involve a table of obnoxious influencers who have picked the wrong night to be a nuisance. Not so funny is a diner's very dangerous allergic reaction.
Where to watch Boiling Point: Amazon Prime
Chef (2014)
John Leguizamo, Jon Favreau, Bobby Cannavale, and Roy Choi go over the menu in 'Chef'Credit: Merrick Morton/Open Road Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Starring and directed by Jon Favreau, this is a great, life-affirming story about a talented chef abandoning the world of snobby restaurants to open a food truck. After a very funny social media meltdown, and subsequent firing by his boss (Dustin Hoffman), Carl (Favreau) discovers a love of Cuban cooking and embraces a more populist style.
This all leads to a showdown with the food critic who initiated his "downfall." Do not watch this while hungry, as you will require a Cubano sandwich immediately.
Where to watch Chef: Netflix
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Jiro Ono, left, the legendary subject of 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'Credit: Magnolia
Though I, the author of this list, don't really understand enthusiasm for sushi (it's an adequate delivery system for protein, but not a food I crave), I recognize that for many it's a way of life. It certainly is for Jiro Ono, a sushi chef whose restaurant is considered the finest in the world, even though it's tucked away in a subway station.
While watching this delightful and beautiful film, one is easily convinced that even simple items like a bowl of steamed rice can become fine art in the right hands. There's a level of craft and dedication here normally found at, say, NASA, not restaurants. It's one of the most extraordinary looks at a place of business ever recorded.
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Where to watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi: Amazon Prime
Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros (2023)
Two chefs at Le Bois sans feuilles, featured in Frederick Wiseman's 'Menus-Plaisirs - Les Troisgros'Credit: PBS
The four-hour French documentary Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros is an expansive, rich repast of a film that luxuriates in conversational ease and exploration. It examines of one of France's most beloved restaurants soaks up every contour of the enterprise, from picking out wines and cheeses, to handling reservations, to crafting each night's menu.
There's no plot other than "this is how it's done," but it concludes with a celebration of all that makes life worth living. This was the final, perfect film for director Frederick Wiseman, who was already past 90.
Where to watch Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros: Weta+
Nonnas (2025)
Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, Lorraine Bracco, and Talia Shire redefine home cooking in 'Nonnas'Credit: Jeong Park/Netflix
Nobody ever cooked as well as your grandmother, even if all she did was pour you a bowl of Rice Krispies. This heartwarming, somewhat-based-on-a-true-story tale centers on Vince Vaughn risking his life savings to open a restaurant that recaptures the special bond between old Italian women and food.
Featuring Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, and Brenda Vaccaro flinging tomatoes at each other in the kitchen before learning to work together, Nonnas is a very agreeable, very New York movie that will leave you craving a nice Sunday gravy.
Where to watch Nonnas: Netflix
Pig (2021)
Nicolas Cage and his prized truffle pig, before the poor thing gets stolen, in 'Pig'Credit: David Reamer/Neon /Courtesy Everett Collection
Certainly the weirdest movie on this list, the Nicolas Cage-led Pig plays like a violent revenge thriller… until it doesn't. It's about a (former) high-end chef, now a hermit, whose prized truffle pig is stolen. He descends from the mountains looking for his lil oinking buddy, suddenly a man possessed by one single purpose.
The unexpected tonal shift between his reclusive serenity and haute cuisine is just one of the satisfying twists in Michael Sarnoski's low-budget gem. The movie also works as a declaration of higher values like authenticity and honesty — something you may not expect at first when watching Nic Cage screaming about a pig.
Where to watch Pig: Netflix
Ratatouille (2007)
Remy the Rat picks out his herbs and spices in 'Ratatouille'Credit: Pixar/Disney
Ayyy, good ol' Remy the Rat! When was the last time you saw this? Maybe it's been a while. He hides under the chef's hat and pulls on the guy's hair and "drives him" in the kitchen. Cute! Then there's the scene with the mean critic who is thunderstruck with a Proustian rush of flavors. Very meaningful. The opening song, "Le Festin," is very good, too.
But rats don't belong in a kitchen. Yes yes, we know this is a kiddie movie, but we need to firmly establish the difference between art and reality. This is just pretend!
Where to watch Ratatouille: Disney+
Tampopo (1985)
Ken Watanabe and Ryutaro Otomo in 'Tampopo'Credit: Everett Collection
One of the all-time great zany films, Tampopo is about a widow struggling to run a ramen shop, who teams up with a truck driver to help turn the place around. Their training sessions are shot like a martial arts film, and the movie is eager to take as many tangents as possible when introducing the characters. (One might say all these ingredients blend together to make a delectable broth!)
This was a surprise international hit at the time, when off-the-wall Japanese entertainment didn't regularly break through in the West. Many famous chefs point to this film as being their first exposure to lavish cuisine cinema.
Where to watch Tampopo: HBO Max
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Published: March 19, 2026 at 07:45PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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