Rent The Taste of Things (2023)

The Taste of Things - The Taste of Things review by JR

This is beautiful film for lovers of fine dining and cooking. It is not for action movie junkies!

THe film opens with about fifteen minutes of food being lovingly prepared and presented. There is minimal dialogue and no music. The scene is unhurried and calm and is beautifully photogrqphed. This sets the tone of the rest of the film which continues with gentle humour, a low-key but tender love affair, and delightful scenery. At one point the film continues past what appears to be a natural conclusion, but the extra minutes are worth it.

A gem!

Wonderful - The Taste of Things review by PL

A fantastic film. Slow but engrossing. Beautifully acted, aesthetically pleasing. Lots of silence, no music and total concentration on the subject - a loving relationship between the two main actors, guided by a shared love of food.

Think of a recent, commercial action movie - and think of the polar opposite; this is the Taste of Things.

OK Period Romance About Food! - The Taste of Things review by GI

If you love to watch the preparation of lovingly concocted dishes filtered through a soft focus interpretation of the Belle Époque period of France then this is a film for you. I found it a beautiful film to look at but ultimately quite a laborious watch as it's an ode to the delights of food and thus a quest for the pleasure in the subtleties and delights of being alive and yet it lingers just too long over every detail. The story follows Dodin (Benoît Magimel), a gourmet chef, who lives on his reputation in relative luxury inventing subtle ways to prepare traditional dishes. He is aided by Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), his cook for the past twenty years who can interpret his ideas and prepare the dishes exactly as he envisaged them. Dodin is in love with Eugénie and desperately wants to marry her but she is reluctant. Her recent fainting episodes suggest a potential malady that concerns Dodin. As a romance this lacks a zest of passion and as a narrative about food it has to be of interest otherwise it's a film that leaves you a bit empty. There is a charm to the film and the two leads perform admirably but for a film that is over two hours long it doesn't exactly grab the attention.