Food, Coming Soon to a Cinema Near You

Summer 2014 will bring the requisite sequels, superheros, monsters, and a Tom Cruise sci-fi movie in which he runs a lot and the future happens. But there’s a pleasant surprise this year: Hollywood is finally catching up to foodies.

Moviegoers have ample opportunity to work up an appetite in a dark, air-conditioned food desert this summer. Here’s a list of the entres:

Chef

Jon Favreau takes a break from making summer blockbusters like Iron Manand Cowboys & Aliens to make a small(er) budget film about regular folks dealing with life-stuff in the vein of his earlier work (Swingers and Made). The premise is perfectly suited to food truck fanatics: a chef loses his restaurant job and rocks meals on wheels in the streets of Los Angeles. Big name co-stars like Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Dustin Hoffman suggest Favreau called in a few favors.

Le Chef

If timing is everything, Le Chef‘s is unfortunate. The Jean Reno-starring comedy has essentially the same title as Favreau’s film and — if you substitute a food truck for an exciting new sous chef who specializes in molecular gastronomy — pretty much the same plot. Le Chefhas been making the rounds since 2012 in search of a release date and its producers probably could have chosen a better one. That said, Jean Reno is the man. Always.

The Trip to Italy

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon could just sit down for a conversation at a dinner table and we’d watch it. Wait, that’s the entire concept behind this movie! And it’s a sequel! This has already happened!

This time the lads eat six meals in six Italian cities. In between meals, they talk about themselves mostly, but also women. And yes, there are more brilliant impressions of Michael Caine. In fact, IFC has already released an aperitivo:

The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journeystands to be the summer food festival’s pice de rsistance. Based on Richard Morais’ best-selling book, the film tells the story of two neighboring restaurants in a small French town. One is established, traditional, and Michelin-rated; the other is Indian, unorthodox, and run by a family of immigrants. There’s competition, cultural clashes, and forbidden love. The film stars Helen Mirren, is directed by Chocolat‘sLasse Hallstrm, and is produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah. Bet against this one only if you hate your money.