Ten Deep 01.28.10: Top 10 Movie Eating Scenes

Posted by Mike Gorman on 01.28.2010

From the special gum in Willy Wonka to John Belushi's classic food scene in Animal House, 411's Mike Gorman ranks his Top 10 Movie Eating Scenes!

Reading this week's column might take a strong stomach as Ten Deep delves deep into the world of eating on film. Some of the scenes might make you hungry while others will probably induce a different reaction.

"The Top Ten Movie Eating Scenes"

Food on film is a very interesting thing. As every part of a film has purpose, so does the everyday act of eating. What might just seem like an ordinary breakfast scene between two lovers sharing a bowl of cereal could really be the clearest statement of the state of their relationship, depending on what is shown. This is what fascinates me about the use of food and eating in movies.

In the real world we often associate important memories or moments in our lives with the meals that were connected to them. It is a sense memory thing. The flavors populate our thoughts. This same thing happens more transparently on film. A cold silence at the dinner table can set one mood, while messy, melting ice creaming being licked off the arm of a young woman might evoke another.

The scenes I present to you today are intrinsic parts of the films they inhabit. They reveal truths about characters, set the tone of the films, and illustrate key plot points. Do I delve so far into this realm of film feasting because food is near and dear to my chubby heart? Perhaps, but there is something universal about these moments. We all have to eat, whether we enjoy it or not. (Really is there honestly anyone out there who doesn't enjoy a good meal? C'mon, fess up!)

You'll notice that these scenes are varied in their impact. Some focus on the sensual nature of eating, while others take a darker turn into the realm of the gross and the grotesque. Consider them a buffet for your senses prepared with care.




10. Dining with the fridge open in Nine and 1/2 Weeks

Whenever eating in film is brought up, this scene from the 1986 film seems to come to mind. It is, for many, the moment that food and sensuality became linked. Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger sit in the open door of a refrigerator and he proceeds to slowly feed her a variety of items. What could have turned into a sloppy mess evolved into one of the most erotic moments on film that doesn't involve actual sex. It makes this list because of its iconic status and the way it clearly defines the tone of the film it is in. Nine and ½ Weeks is a look at the darker, more intimate sides of relationships, and this scene fits into it perfectly. Its staying power can best be quantified by the number of times it has been copied and parodied in other films and on television programs. Something resonated with the viewers in this moment. The scene is a great example of eating taking on a more significant meaning for the characters of a film. It transcends mere sustenance and becomes a literal orgy for the senses.




9. The cherries in Witches of Eastwick

Cherries are traditionally considered a pretty sexy food. From their appearance in the scene listed above or watching someone bet they tie a stem into a bow with their tongue at a bar, these red little fruits evoke a certain mood. However, in The Witches of Eastwick they take on a completely different role. The cynical and one might say bitchy Felicia Alden, played impeccably by Veronica Cartwright, is a huge pain in Jack Nicholson's backside. He tricks his three witches into cursing her with cherries. They discuss their disdain for her and their emotions grow, and then they begin to eat the cherries. What harm could come from a simple snack? Plenty. Felicia soon finds her stomach rumbling and an explosion imminent. Her disaffected husband, long use to her rants, sits by idly as she begins another tirade against Jack and the girls. Soon she is spewing cherry pits and the slimy innards of the fruit all over her living room. Here eating is violence and attack. The act of nourishment becomes destruction in a grand fashion.




8. What is John Belushi doing in Animal House

Food can be funny too. In the classic Animal House, John Belushi's character Bluto is brash, abrasive, and foul. He lacks manners and on some levels basic communication skills. In other words, he is a brilliant comedic creation. He has several hilarious moments throughout the film but the one most relevant here takes place in the dining hall. The scene begins with Bluto making his way down the food line, intermittently cramming food into his mouth and loading up his tray. Once full he makes his way over to his friend Otter's table who was currently having a bit of a lunchtime standoff with the popular fraternity guys. They are all disgusted by Bluto's antics and Otter utters the classic line, "It's okay, just keep your hands and feet away from his mouth." Bluto then asks the table, "Can you guess what I am now?" He pops a white frosted cupcake into his mouth, then slams his cheeks spraying goo everywhere. He adds, "I'm a zit, get it?" And he is chased away by the frat guys he covered in frosting. This leads to a great food fight scene. For Bluto the eating in this scene is not really about consumption or even enjoying the food. It is about going the extra mile for the joke. It might not feel too funny to get spit on but it sure as heck was fun to watch.




7. The Chinese food in The Lost Boys

When David offers Michael Chinese food in the movie The Lost Boys he is not concerned for Michael's hunger. The charismatic head of the vampire game played by Kiefer Sutherland is merely continuing a series of events meant to disrupt Michael's sense of reality making him more susceptible to manipulation. He offers Michael the rice, which transforms into maggots then quickly back into rice. He also proffers noodles that become a squirming box of worms. He is not trying to frighten him or gross him out but to get Michael to not believe his own senses. If you can't tell the difference between rice and maggots, then maybe you might not notice that the "wine" you're sipping has a bit of an iron taste to it. When David passes Michael the ornate wine bottle, Star warns him that it is really blood. Already fooled by the earlier illusions Michael laughs off her comment and swallows deep. Eating is a common behavior and the sharing of food is seen as a good thing, not a threat. The moment is calculated to make Michael vulnerable and David succeeds. I never looked at Chinese takeout the same way again after this film.




6. Darryl Hannah eats the lobster in Splash

Sometimes the way a person eats can tell you a lot about them. In this case, Daryl Hannah's Madison dives into a delicious meal of lobster with Tom Hanks. Sounds like a very romantic food to share on a first date so of course it takes a decidedly different turn on film. Hanks' Allen Bauer is enraptured with this mysterious blond who was literally crashed into his life. In this scene eating is a revelation as Madison devours the lobster whole, shell and all. For the average person this would send up some serious red flags but Allen is a loveable dope who can't seem to see the truth being laid out before him. There is much more to Madison than meets the eyes, like a tail and some orange scales. He would discover her secret soon enough but it is this scene that lays out the dynamic of the film. There's something going on and as usual in a film of this ilk, it is our hero who is the last to know. I think Madison should at least get some credit for crunching through that shell. Ouch!




5. The pie eating contest in Stand by Me

Fat jokes are easy humor and for the most part, are still widely accepted in our culture. The fat kid is the easy target for teasing and this situation comes to a head in the film within the film Stand By Me. As Gordy tells the tale of the blueberry pie eating contest his friends sit totally engrossed in the tale of Lard Ass. Lard Ass was the fattest kid in his town, often the butt of jokes and treated by many as a freak. If this were an afterschool special, the tale would soon digress into a story of Lard Ass cutting back on his snacking and finding a wise friend who leads him through a grueling series of work outs. Soon he has his revenge on his tormentors when he reveals his new trim physique. Lucky for us the film does not lead us down such a schmaltzy path. Instead, the ubiquitous Lard Ass plots his revenge at the county fair when everyone is gathered to watch him make a pig of himself. His tormentors are just chomping at the bit ready to unleash their barbs as he swallows pies. Which, he does do but only after taking a bottle of syrup that will induce vomiting. His display of eating soon takes a dark turn as he begins regurgitating the blueberry mess. A chain reaction occurs as members of the audience start to vomit upon each other, one after another in some kind of morbid disgusting ballet. Satisfied that he has had his revenge, Lard Ass stands triumphant with an enormous smile on his face. A character that has clearly enjoyed his eating in the past has turned this favorite pastime against his entire town. The story ends there but I like to think that he followed this feat up with a nice slice of pie back at home, perhaps with ice cream, but that is just one fat kid enjoying the victory of another.




4. That special gum in Willy Wonka

First let me say that while I enjoyed Tim Burton's update of the story, I refer here solely to the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This twisted tale of poorly raised children and the parents who took every wrong turn is full of different eating moments but I would like to focus on just one. Each of the lucky golden ticket holders personifies qualities that can go wrong in the development of a person. Violet Beauregarde is the gum chewing know it all who will do anything to show up her friends and those children with her on the tour. She disregards Wonka's warning not to ingest the gum produced by the machine and soon begins a fruitful journey she never expected. In this scene it is not so much eating but chewing yet I think it holds the same relevance. Here chewing is defiance. She believes she knows what is right consequences be damned. How wrong could she be? As she enjoys the tastes of the gum and the sensations of an entire meal it becomes obvious that things are about to go horribly wrong. Soon her skin takes on a bluish tint and she inflates, no, fills with the juice of a giant blueberry. Wonka reveals that this transformation is the kink he has yet to work out in the three course meal gum process. Violet has literally bitten off more than she can chew and must be rolled to the juicing room before she explodes. Poor girl.




3. Ally Sheedy's sandwich in The Breakfast Club

Other scenes that I have mentioned highlighted eating experiences that were revealing in terms of character development or symbolic of a deeper meaning. In The Breakfast Club Ally Sheedy's Allison Reynolds is the "freak" amongst this archetypal gathering of high school students. The others, while also "stereotypes" seem easy to define at first. Allison is dark and moody, long before goth existed in the mainstream. In the memorable lunch scene, she proceeds to take her seemingly normal sandwich, deconstruct it and then rebuild it with a few unique additions. The meticulous way that she opens the pixie sticks, pours their contents on the bread and then mashes on the Captain Crunch speaks volumes about her. Could she really like these ingredients, or are they, like many of her affectations just meant to give off an image; to create a barrier between her and her peers. She clearly relishes the moment and the sandwich; for me that makes the moment not so easy to define and label, ie. the point of the film. I enjoy how the wider viewpoint of the film is played out in this smaller moment.




2. Mr Creosote's dinner in The Meaning of Life

You had to know that he was going to show up on this list eventually. Mr. Creosote's visit to his favorite French restaurant is the most memorable clip of Monty Python's amazing Meaning of Life. Here eating is not a metaphor or a window into the soul of a character. It is not about plot or growth but it is eating for the sake of eating. Creosote embodies gluttony and abandonment. He is excess given form. Creosote's behavior however evokes a dual reaction in most viewers, as it does also in his fellow diners. That is to say that while you may be grossed out with him you can also not take your eyes off of him. He reaches out to that place inside of you that wonders what if you decided one day that you would have that extra piece of pie, damn what the scale says. He tickles that part of you that has ever eaten to excess and felt like you might explode. While you allow your rational self to let you back off from your own feats of gluttonous achievement, he crosses that line for you. When he gives in and accepts that final wafer thin mint you know what is coming and cannot turn away. Perhaps I misspoke earlier; this scene is in the end about growth. Uncontrolled growth fueled by a ravenous appetite, which leads to destruction. I guess there is a moral to the story after all. Ponder it for the moment while I pause for a snack. Could you fetch me a bucket?


And lastly…




1. Big Night

I have struggled for the last week to select one scene from this wonderful ode to food and eating to cap off my top ten list and failed. I have to celebrate the joys of the entire film. From start to finish it truly is the most beautiful love letter to food ever put to film. Having to pick just one of the many fantastic scenes contained within this tale is not possible. Instead I would encourage you to prepare a homemade meal, invite over your closest friends and then share the experience of Big Night. You will want to have plenty of food handy as you will not be able to resist once you get into this story of two brothers struggling to keep their authentic Italian restaurant alive while their customers get drawn into the "spaghetti and meatball joint" across the street. In a last ditch effort to save their dream, they plan a major feast intended to draw out the support of investors. What follows at that point can only be described as a food orgy. Once finished the diners look spent, as if they are recovering from the best orgasm of their lives. That is what Big Night is about, sensory and taste overload. Even the final scene where a simple scrambled egg is prepared is powerful. The tastes and moments of this film are carefully strung together to leave you feeling as if you have just eaten the best meal of your life. A discussion of eating on film that does not highlight this film is a travesty. Trust me when I say that you will be Googling the word "Timpano" and dying to try out the recipe for yourself once you see this film!




Did I cop out in selecting an entire film for the top spot or did I leave you with a buffet of images to devour? As is with most meals, it will be up to you to take it all in and make up your minds. Did I leave out a memorable meal that warrants mentioning? Please let me know as your feedback and reactions truly are the most delicious treat this writer could digest.

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