Happy Thanksgiving: Food On Film

Happy Thanksgiving! I pick out to praise with some of my favorite food on film moments. Bon Appetit! Sugar High: "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971) Though the much loved and romantic "Chocolat" will pop into many a sweet tooth's head, I find that film much too corny and not really all that scrumptious when it comes to whetting my yearning for sweets. And yes, yes, I know the chocolate in said film is of a finer quality and, I presume, magically enhanced sooner than the magnetism of Juliette Binoche, but please. When it comes to wishing Halloween came twice a week (or twice a day), it's all hither "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." The story of five lucky kids winning a visit to the famous and magical sweets factory run sooner than the wild and weird Willy Wonka (a tremendous Gene Wilder) is a confectionary dream that turns nightmarish once the kids (sans Charlie) reveal their varied and insufferable personalities. But no matter how many of the children endure dire consequences for their gluttonous temptations, we still want, as the song goes, sweets. And be relevant to on -- cut these kids a intrude. One of Wonka's rooms is entirely edible. Would you be acting normal after shoving your face in a river of chocolate? Best Restaurant Order: "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) Nope. Sorry. I'm not going with the obvious -- "When Harry Met Sally." First off, oppositely to popular opinion, Meg Ryan's fake orgasm, "I'll have what she's having" -- diner display is the least funny moment in the otherwise charming romantic comedy. And secondly, no one beats Jack Nicholson in the inappropriate, though in full understandable restaurant behavior department. The masterful film (directed sooner than Bob Rafelson) really has little to do with food, but it tops our list simply for Jack's iconic way of ordering a side of toast. Nicholson plays a slumming oil rigger/talented pianist who embarks on a trek to visit his dying father with a saucy girlfriend (Karen Black) and, at one point, two surly female hitchhikers in tow. The four make quite a tall order when a seen-it-all waitress won't hook the rules ("no substitutions") on a breakfast order of a "plain omelette, no potatoes, tomatoes instead, a cup of coffee, and wheat toast." When the waitress insists she can only breed Nicholson a roll or an English muffin, he asks the perfectly reasonable question, "You make sandwiches don't you?" and proceeds to order a chicken salad sandwich, hold the butter, mayonnaise and lettuce. But where to hold the chicken? "Between your knees," Jack famously and disdainfully coos. I never tire of this moment. And right now I'd really enjoy some wheat toast. Prison Food: "Goodfellas" (1990) From stirring the Sunday sauce just right (no matter if helicopters and cops are on your tail), to dinner with Joe Pesci's ma (in point of fact Scorsese's), to shoving the mailman's head in a pizza oven, there's no shortage of delicious and murderous food sequences in Martin Scorsese's stylized "Goodfellas." But the primo moment has to be when the bosses go to a prison so cushy, not even Martha Stewart could have conceived it. As Ray Liotta genially narrates, we watch the delivery of a ridiculously plentiful jumble of food -- delicious, hearty Italian food -- to the delight of the drooling but discerning jailbirds. The topper is when Paul Sorvino slices strips of garlic with a razor leaflet to such thin, such translucent perfection that when you see it gently associate with the olive oil and sizzle in the pan, you can practically smell the delectability. Makes you want to go to jail...only as a mobster of course. Another Reason You Shouldn't Eat at the Olive Garden: "Big Night" (1996) "Big Night" is a filling, high calorie, good for you movie in more ways than one. The story of two Italian brothers, Primo (Stanley Tucci -- who directed the film alongside Campbell Scott) and Secondo (the poignant Tony Shalhoub), attempting to save their wonderful New Jersey restaurant is funny, touching, musical, heartbreaking, sexy and yes, of course, give painfully mouthwatering. The brothers contend persuade over just how to save their establishment in a greedy world that doesn't be fond of for quality and artistry. But, after learning jazz great Louis Prima will be stopping around, they set out to create the ultimate multiple-course Italian meal. The centerpiece dish is Timpano, a layering of meat, pasta and pastry that requires two days of preparation, but all of the picture's food is staggeringly delicious. Though our favorite scene is the film's finale, a quiet moment where the fighting brothers wordlessly forgive one another over the simple role of of making eggs and eating bread. If you think having an emotional response to food is a sinful thing, then Big Night will remind you that it's exactly what makes us human. And happy to be humming. French Kiss: "Babette's Feast" (1987) Babette (Stephane Audran) is some family cook. The French woman, who originally fled Paris after her son and husband were killed, has worked for a family in Denmark for 14 years, preparing food with little zest. But when she wins a lottery, she decides to use her winnings on crafting an elaborate "real French dinner" for her employers in honor of their deceased father's 100th birthday. What transpires is an overwhelmingly tasty, exotic and even, at one point, scary French meal (the sisters suspect Babette might be a witch in one scene). As a result of her luscious meal, filled with French delicacies that'll make even food philistines wish to sample the country's cuisine, all kinds of emotions are revealed, prejudices are infringed and the family is bonded. All You Ever Wanted to Know About Chicken but Were Afraid to Ask: "To Catch A Thief "(1955) For most people who enjoy a good meal (and a good roll in the hay) food and sex are so inexorably linked, we're frequently uncertain what's more tempting. In simple terms -- which would you rather gorge on? The greatest sushi you'll ever eat in your life or the greatest sexual gymnastics you'll ever perform with ... let's just say a young Brigitte Bardot? I'd probably pick the sushi, but what if Bardot was the chef? That's where movies happily be relevant to into play. Though there are many exemplar food and sex films and moments, including the egg incident from "In the Realm of the Senses," the fridge raiding sequence from "9 ? Weeks" and the "I can't fancy it is butter!" milestone of "Last Tango in Paris," our favorite has to be Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief." Eating their chicken lunch picnic, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are at their most sensual and human when the question of which piece of chicken arises. When he asks, "You want leg or breast?" and she answers "You make the selection," it's a true double entendre. She's flat out just telling him he can have both of...all of it. Just As Good: "Cool Hand Luke’s" Paul Newman eating fifty eggs in one hour. Catherine Deneuve's rabbit insanity in "Repulsion." The maple syrup moment in "To Kill A Mockingbird." Charlie Chaplin eating his shoe in "The Gold Rush." Mickey Rourke’s popcorn surprise in "Diner." The great rare steak stand-off in "Mommie Dearest." James Cagney shoving a grapefuit in Mae Clark's face in "Public Enemy." Woody Allen and Diane Keaton attempting to cook lobster in "Annie Hall." Chianti, Fava Beans and liver from "The Silence of the Lambs." The drugged, demonic chocolate "mouse" served to Mia Farrow in "Rosemary’s Baby." Read more from my Greatest Food Moments piece at MSN.