Finally, a Definition of the Genre, and The Last Holiday

I’d like to make a case for one movie that is rarely considered a part of the “food film” genre, The Last Holiday.

In Food in the Movies Steve Zimmerman and Ken Weiss study the ways in which food has been historically used on screen. They argue that up until the 1980s food was downplayed, used more as a prop than a plot-centerpiece. In the 1980s food became a star of a certain new breed of films. Initially mostly foreign directors “discovered the visual, aesthetic, and box office appeal of food” (2). Unlike westerns or musicals, food films do not have a long history, but should be considered a genre. The authors pose criteria for the food film:

1. Food has to be an essential part of the plot which would be meaningless without it.
2. Food must be seen on screen, in close-up, at times throughout the film.
3. The preparation and cooking of food must be featured. The more detail, the better.
4. The serving of food (the eating occasion, if not the eating itself) must be shown.
5. Food must be influential in the lives of at least one of the featured characters.
To qualify as a food film, the film must contain all five elements, in varying degrees. (212)

It seems funny that there has to be ‘official’ criteria for the food film. How very academia. I have looked at long lists of food films and have yet to come across The Last Holiday. Maybe it’s not serious enough (but have you seen the ridiculous Woman on Top?). Queen Latifa’s movie is a lot of fun, and illustrates one of the main motifs in food films, self transformation. In the movie, it takes positive test for a rare disease for Latifa’s character, Georgia Bird, to do what she wants with her life--quit her job and visit the hotel with the restaurant of Chef Didier. Once a closet cook who prepares Emeril meals, but only eats Lean Cuisine, Bird becomes friends with Didier, and eventually helps him cook the New Years’ Even banquet. She discovers a zest for life in and out of the kitchen. At the end of the film, she opens her restaurant, and surprise! Emeril pays a visit.
If you’re interested in making one of Emeril’s dishes featured in the movie, give this a try.