Movies good enough to eat

Meryl Streep delivers another great performance as celebrated French chef Julia Child (at right) in the new film "Julie & Julia," while Amy Adams co-stars as the real-life housewife who sets out to cook every recipe in Child's first cookbook.
"Julie & Julia" bounces back and forth between Child's time learning to cook while in France in the 1950s with her diplomat husband (Stanley Tucci) and a few years ago when an American woman decides to blog about her experiences trying to make all the recipes in Child's first French cuisine cookbook.
The Southland's own Jane Lynch also co-stars as Child's sister, and she's getting a lot of buzz and even some Oscar talk for her performance.
Hollywood loves to make movies about working people, but cooking is one of those occupations that filmmakers have broached only occasionally.
There have been lots of movies about restaurants, such as "My Dinner with Andre," but the focus wasn't on the food or the cooks.
The Whistlestop Cafe is central to the story in "Fried Green Tomatoes," there was too much other action to call it a movie about cooking.
"Waiting" is a funny comedy about the goings-on at a trendy chain restaurant but again the food was secondary.
"The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" has a lot of elements of a cooking movie including an incredible cannibalism scene but doesn't quite make the cut.
If cooking or food is your passion, here are six films available on video and DVD that I think you'd like. Bon appetit!

"Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe" (1978) -- George Segal and Jacqueline Bisset star in this timeless whodunit about a killer who is bumping off the great chefs of Europe. Robert Morley steals the movie as a food snob. I don't think you'll figure out who the killer is until he (or she) is revealed.

"Tortilla Soup" (2001) -- Hector Elizondo is a master Mexican food chef raising three daughters (Jacqueline Obradors, Elizabeth Pena and Tamara Mello) and coming to grips with the realization he will eventually lose all three. Other stars include Raquel Welch.

"Spanglish" (2004) -- Adam Sandler is a great chef who just wants to run his restaurant but his insecure wife (Tea Leoni) scrambles things for everyone when she hires a Mexican woman (Paz Vega) to be their housekeeper. Other stars include Cloris Leachman.

"Big Night" (1996) -- Two brothers (Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci) in 1950s New Jersey pin their hopes for saving their Italian restaurant on a special dinner for singer Louis Prima in this underrated gem. Other stars include Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossalini, Liev Schreiber and Allison Janney.

"Chocolat" (2000) -- A small French village will never be the same after a single mother (Juliette Binoche) moves in and opens a chocolate shop. Other stars include Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina and Judi Dench.

"Caffeine" (2006) -- A battle of the sexes breaks out among the staff at a London cafe in this under appreciated British comedy. Stars include Marsha Thomason, Mena Suvari, Katherine Heigl and Breckin Meyer.