Buzz
Movies and spaghetti: two timeless pleasures that bring us comfort. When spaghetti appears in a film, it often holds a deeper significance than just a meal; it can serve as a plot device, a symbol of character development, or a thematic element. In this list, we highlight ten great movies where spaghetti plays an essential role. Where specific scenes are unavailable on YouTube, trailers are provided for your viewing pleasure.
10. A Night at the Opera 1935
There’s nothing quite like the bittersweet nostalgia you feel when watching a classic film and lamenting, 'Why can’t movies be made like this anymore?' A perfect example of this sentiment is A Night at the Opera, the Marx Brothers' comedic triumph. This film boasts an unforgettable musical number featuring Allan Jones singing a heartfelt solo, Chico Marx dazzling with his piano skills, and Harpo Marx bringing his signature harp performance to life. And it all begins with a heaping plate of spaghetti.
In keeping with the Marx Brothers' recurring gag of seeking out food (similar to other comedy trios like The Three Stooges), the scene unfolds as they stow away on a ship bound for New York from Italy. Famished, they are delighted to discover a grand banquet of spaghetti, served from an absurdly large bowl, complete with meatballs and sauce. They stare in wonder at their feast, smiling with sheer joy, unable to do anything but indulge. It's the perfect moment to kick off a lively song-and-dance sequence, all while the audience, too, feels a sense of satisfaction. The spaghetti scene is only one of the many reasons why A Night at the Opera frequently ranks among the most beloved and critically lauded films of all time.
9. Elf 2003
Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, an elf raised in the North Pole, in his first adventure in the family genre. After realizing that he’s not suited for elf work, Buddy embarks on a journey to reconnect with his biological father (James Caan) in Manhattan. The film follows Buddy’s hilarious and heartwarming experiences in a new world, leading to some comical fish-out-of-water moments.
In one memorable scene, Buddy prepares an unconventional breakfast: spaghetti loaded with sprinkles, marshmallows, M&Ms, maple syrup, and chocolate fudge pop tarts. He devours it with his hands, embodying a deeply childlike innocence that is both funny and essential to his character. This moment, absurd yet endearing, captures Buddy’s essence—more than just bizarre or childish, he is the true spirit of Christmas.
Sadly, the emotional climax of the film is undercut by the appearance of CGI reindeer, which distracts from the otherwise heartfelt ending. You can view the clip here.
8. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2009
The Spaghetti Tornado. Just two words. But these words hold an extraordinary power, especially when spoken by Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) during his first encounter with the wild and chaotic Spaghetti Tornado. He exclaims, 'Mama Mia.' It says it all, really.
In a moment of sheer disbelief, Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader), the inventor, can only utter two words as he faces the overwhelming sight of a Spaghetti Tornado: 'Mama Mia.' What else is there to say?
7. I Love You to Death (1990)
In this dark comedy, Tracy Ullman portrays a woman who finds out her Italian husband (Kevin Kline) has been repeatedly unfaithful. Her response? She plots to murder him. Her attempts, however, are hilariously unsuccessful, leaving her husband blissfully unaware of the danger, and this forms the movie's comedic backbone.
One of her schemes involves poisoning him by preparing a massive spaghetti dinner, laced with two entire bottles of sleeping pills mixed into the sauce. She watches him eat, expecting him to drop dead, but he doesn’t. Amidst the ridiculousness, we also notice that her character is a Slav, not Italian, which adds a subtle layer of potential cultural critique, especially as the in-laws exchange insults in their native languages. Nonetheless, the rampant immorality in the film contributes to its humor. A memorable moment includes Kevin Kline telling one of his girlfriends, 'I’m Italian, I can’t make love to a woman with a German Shepherd in the room. It’s awkward for him.'
6. Se7en (1995)
Se7en takes a dark plunge into the horrific, stretching the concept of 'Murder-by-Spaghetti' to an unimaginable extreme. The premise is simple: Detectives played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are investigating a series of murders. Freeman is nearing retirement and isn’t fond of Pitt’s cocky demeanor. At their first crime scene, they discover a grotesque sight: an obese man bound with barbed wire, his head submerged in a bowl of spaghetti. Nearby, a bucket of vomit and human excrement lies under the table. After speaking with the coroner, they deduce that the man was tortured by being forced to eat endless cans of spaghetti at gunpoint, causing his organs to rupture, ultimately leading to his death from internal bleeding.
The killer behind this gruesome act follows a methodical pattern based on the Seven Deadly Sins, with the first victim representing Gluttony. The subsequent murders align with the other sins: Greed, Lust, and so on, each as grotesque as the last. However, it is this initial crime that sets the disturbing tone for the entire film, reflecting the bleak and unsettling view that both detectives hold towards the oppressive urban setting they inhabit.
5. Tampopo (1985)
In this Japanese film, a comedic scene plays out in a restaurant where cultural differences humorously intersect. A Japanese woman teaches a group of young girls the proper etiquette for eating spaghetti. She demonstrates how to properly use a fork and spoon, showing them how to twirl the noodles elegantly, then bite and chew in the most refined manner.
At another table across from the dining area, a Western man is served a plate of spaghetti. He overhears the lesson on proper etiquette and tries to follow the instructions, attempting to eat his spaghetti the way the Japanese instructor describes. However, his patience quickly runs out, and he starts scooping up the noodles, slurping them loudly. The Japanese women are initially stunned and embarrassed, but after a few moments, they realize that his method is more efficient. Eventually, they all abandon the formal technique in favor of slurping, including the instructor. This memorable scene is effective even without subtitles.
4. GoodFellas 1990
In the film, Italian food is used to symbolize the lavish lifestyle of the mobsters. This is perfectly captured in a line from the movie's final scene. Ray Liota, a former mobster turned narrator, reflects on his new life in the witness protection program, lamenting, 'I can’t even get decent food! Right after I arrived, I ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce, but they gave me egg noodles with ketchup. I’m just an average nobody.'
This sentiment is contrasted with an earlier scene where Liota and his mob associates prepare a sumptuous meal while incarcerated on 'Mafia Row.' Despite their imprisonment, they enjoy the privilege of cooking their own meals. In one memorable moment, Pauly Cicero carefully slices garlic paper-thin with a razor blade, while Liota enters with fresh bread, cheese, and two bottles of wine. Though the scene doesn't focus specifically on spaghetti, it still highlights the importance of pasta in their lives.
In another striking scene, food and lifestyle are intertwined when Ray Liota, amid a high-stakes drug deal, calls home to ensure his little brother is stirring the tomato sauce on the stove to prevent it from 'sticking.' This attention to detail reflects the deep connection between food and personal life. It's worth noting that Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for Best Director for this film, though the award was ultimately given to him for The Departed.
3. Lady and the Tramp 1955
It’s hard to find another moment in Disney's extensive collection that is as charming, creative, tender, iconic, and downright romantic as when the cocker spaniel and schnauzer mix in Lady and the Tramp accidentally draw each other into a kiss by slurping the same strand of spaghetti. It’s their first official date, set under a starry sky with music playing, and they remain unaware of the impending kiss until the last possible moment when their lips meet! While the ethnic stereotypes in this scene are somewhat problematic, it remains nearly perfect in every other aspect.
What’s fascinating is that despite how great this moment is, it becomes entirely irrelevant that the characters are dogs rather than people. This is no small feat, but perhaps their non-human status is what makes the scene so universally relatable to viewers of all ages. It truly stands out as one of the greatest gems in the Disney universe.
As a side note, this memorable scene was later parodied in the 1993 film Hot Shots Part Deux, where Charlie Sheen mimics the action by pushing a meatball across the plate with his nose. Though largely a forgettable film, this particular parody manages to honor the original in its own quirky way. The scene was also referenced in the show Married... with Children, where Buck the dog takes a female dog to the back of an Italian restaurant (the same place Al Bundy visits to beg for food).
2. Problem Child 2 1991
To truly appreciate the spaghetti scene in this movie, you need to see it through the eyes of its intended audience: adolescent boys. Bean Healy (John Ritter), a single dad, is out on a kind of double date with his girlfriend Annie and her daughter Trixie, along with his son Junior. At the restaurant, Junior and Trixie spot their school principal, Igor Peabody (Gilbert Gottfried), sitting at a VIP table with his scantily-clad date. The kids decide to stir up some trouble. Using a spoon, Junior launches a meatball across the room, landing it in the cleavage of Peabody’s companion, where it gets lodged. As Peabody awkwardly tries to retrieve it, Trixie hurls another meatball at him, hitting him in the head. Enraged, Peabody screams, 'You rotten kids! You should be locked in cages!' Ben, Junior’s dad, defends the kids, and soon the entire restaurant descends into a chaotic spaghetti food fight, complete with pies.
This scene marks a key turning point in the film’s plot and character arcs. Prior to this moment, Junior and Trixie mainly saw each other as rivals, both locked in a power struggle with their parents. However, after the food fight, the two children team up for the first time, and the audience can see the deep loyalty that has developed between the four characters, highlighting just how perfect they are as a family.
1. The Apartment 1960
In a charming little moment, Jack Lemmon prepares dinner for Shirley McLane in his apartment. As he sings and dances in the kitchen, he uses a tennis racket to strain the spaghetti over the sink. As if this act of typical bachelor ineptitude wasn’t enough, McLane comments, 'You’re pretty good with that racket,' to which Lemmon replies, 'Wait ‘til you see me serve the meatballs!' Classic.
