by Jade Turnstill
If a film focuses on relationships – especially family relationships – then there’s almost guaranteed to be a dinner scene! The meal time formula is one of the best tools to create tension, awaken awkwardness, or act as a platform for some sort of big reveal.
In reality, I am lucky enough to have a family that generally enjoy peaceful mealtimes where we discuss the occurrences of the day, but I have always been intrigued by the cliché dinner rows you see in film and TV; the family dynamics, the explosive arguments, and the sound of silence only intercepted by the metallic clang of cutlery. It’s a thing of beauty.
So in honour of the many of you sitting down to a Sunday roast with family today, here is a list of some of the best (of the worst) dinner scenes in film.
If a film focuses on relationships – especially family relationships – then there’s almost guaranteed to be a dinner scene! The meal time formula is one of the best tools to create tension, awaken awkwardness, or act as a platform for some sort of big reveal.
In reality, I am lucky enough to have a family that generally enjoy peaceful mealtimes where we discuss the occurrences of the day, but I have always been intrigued by the cliché dinner rows you see in film and TV; the family dynamics, the explosive arguments, and the sound of silence only intercepted by the metallic clang of cutlery. It’s a thing of beauty.
So in honour of the many of you sitting down to a Sunday roast with family today, here is a list of some of the best (of the worst) dinner scenes in film.
When Harry Met Sally
Surely when you think of awkward meals this is the first to come to mind, right? When Harry Met Sally takes full responsibility for one of the most cringe-worthy moments to have ever graced our screens.
Following a pretty passive-aggressive debate between Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) about his abilities to please women and tell whether they’re ‘faking it’, leads to the phenomenal, minute-long scene in the middle of Katz’s Deli. Sally’s stubbornness and absolute dedication to prove her point leaves Harry a little red in the face and the rest of the diner’s absolutely stunned.
While there have been many scarring mealtime scenes over the years, this one has definitely made a lasting impression.
Following a pretty passive-aggressive debate between Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) about his abilities to please women and tell whether they’re ‘faking it’, leads to the phenomenal, minute-long scene in the middle of Katz’s Deli. Sally’s stubbornness and absolute dedication to prove her point leaves Harry a little red in the face and the rest of the diner’s absolutely stunned.
While there have been many scarring mealtime scenes over the years, this one has definitely made a lasting impression.
Hannibal
When you think of cannibals, you often imagine crazy-eyed psychopaths, covered in blood as they ferociously chew on dismembered limbs. Then there’s Dr Lecter. None of this animalistic flesh munching, he’s far too sophisticated for that.
Dressed in a sharp suit and speaking with all the manners in the world, Hannibal cuts away parts of corrupt attorney Paul Krendler’s brain while the poor guy is still alive! With half of his head missing, Krendler sniffs in appreciation of Lecter’s fine cuisine, even complimenting the intriguing aroma, and we watch on horrified as he is fed part of his own sautéed brain. Cue Julianne Moore’s character dry heaving in the background.
A dinner experience with Dr Lecter would be filled with fancy table settings, classical music, fava beans and even a nice Chianti, but strong sedatives and his homemade delicacies would likely leave you feeling a little worse for wear. Plus what dinner favour would you bring him? His eclectic interests and expensive tastes would end up costing you an arm and a leg (ba-dum-tss).
Dressed in a sharp suit and speaking with all the manners in the world, Hannibal cuts away parts of corrupt attorney Paul Krendler’s brain while the poor guy is still alive! With half of his head missing, Krendler sniffs in appreciation of Lecter’s fine cuisine, even complimenting the intriguing aroma, and we watch on horrified as he is fed part of his own sautéed brain. Cue Julianne Moore’s character dry heaving in the background.
A dinner experience with Dr Lecter would be filled with fancy table settings, classical music, fava beans and even a nice Chianti, but strong sedatives and his homemade delicacies would likely leave you feeling a little worse for wear. Plus what dinner favour would you bring him? His eclectic interests and expensive tastes would end up costing you an arm and a leg (ba-dum-tss).
Beetlejuice
This infamous scene is full of lip-syncing, bum-shaking, hip-wiggling goodness courtesy of Tim Burton’s wonderfully weird Beetlejuice. The film focuses on a recently deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) and the Deetz family who move into their former home.
During a dinner where the discussion turns towards their haunted abode, the uptight and massively unlikable Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) suddenly starts lip-syncing to Harry Belafonte’s ever catchy ‘Day-O Banana Boat Song’, much to the dismay and embarrassment of her guests. But before they have time to judge, the whole table is up and dancing about against their will.
The awkward and robotic dance routine, the shrimp-starter monster hands, and not to mention Otho’s use of an ice bucket as a bongo drum, leaves the viewer feeling a weird mixture of uncomfortable and hugely satisfied.
During a dinner where the discussion turns towards their haunted abode, the uptight and massively unlikable Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) suddenly starts lip-syncing to Harry Belafonte’s ever catchy ‘Day-O Banana Boat Song’, much to the dismay and embarrassment of her guests. But before they have time to judge, the whole table is up and dancing about against their will.
The awkward and robotic dance routine, the shrimp-starter monster hands, and not to mention Otho’s use of an ice bucket as a bongo drum, leaves the viewer feeling a weird mixture of uncomfortable and hugely satisfied.
Meet the Parents
As far as awkwardness goes, Meet the Parents is basically a two hour long cringe-fest where every possible thing that could go wrong does, and the dinner scene is a true highlight of that.
Poor Greg (Ben Stiller) is really trying his best to make a good impression with the in-laws but there are just so many things that get in his way! Imagine your partners dad, who already hates you (and also happens to be a very intimidating Robert De Niro), settling down to read an extremely personal but bloody awful poem about his dead mother (“you gave me life, you gave me milk”), and having to keep a straight face.
That’s bad enough, but then you go and find out that your fiancé was actually engaged to someone before you? Devastating. Although this news is quickly overshadowed when you smash open said fiancé’s grandmother’s urn with a champagne cork, and the mess is quickly used as a litterbox by the family cat. Go home, Greg. Just go home.
Poor Greg (Ben Stiller) is really trying his best to make a good impression with the in-laws but there are just so many things that get in his way! Imagine your partners dad, who already hates you (and also happens to be a very intimidating Robert De Niro), settling down to read an extremely personal but bloody awful poem about his dead mother (“you gave me life, you gave me milk”), and having to keep a straight face.
That’s bad enough, but then you go and find out that your fiancé was actually engaged to someone before you? Devastating. Although this news is quickly overshadowed when you smash open said fiancé’s grandmother’s urn with a champagne cork, and the mess is quickly used as a litterbox by the family cat. Go home, Greg. Just go home.
Eraserhead
Not everyone has seen or even heard of Eraserhead, nor would it be everyone’s cup of tea (trust me), but it does feature one of the most terrifying and awkward dinner scenes in all of film history.
The film was David Lynch’s first feature length, telling the story of the lonely and depressed Henry Spencer who is left to look after his unplanned and grossly deformed child - seriously, this thing looks like a slimy Mewtwo from Pokemon – while facing a number of horrifying dreams and hallucinations. The event takes place when Henry goes for dinner at Mary X’s (Mewtwo’s mum) to meet her parents and they are, well, bat-crap crazy.
The scene isn’t even that long but it honestly feels like a lifetime passes by as you watch it, and it’s also hard to decipher what the worst bit about it is; the wriggly headless chicken which gushes blood on the table as its being carved, the creepy sexual noises that Mrs X makes during the encounter, or Henry’s god-awful Jedward hairstyle.
Shudder at the thought.
The film was David Lynch’s first feature length, telling the story of the lonely and depressed Henry Spencer who is left to look after his unplanned and grossly deformed child - seriously, this thing looks like a slimy Mewtwo from Pokemon – while facing a number of horrifying dreams and hallucinations. The event takes place when Henry goes for dinner at Mary X’s (Mewtwo’s mum) to meet her parents and they are, well, bat-crap crazy.
The scene isn’t even that long but it honestly feels like a lifetime passes by as you watch it, and it’s also hard to decipher what the worst bit about it is; the wriggly headless chicken which gushes blood on the table as its being carved, the creepy sexual noises that Mrs X makes during the encounter, or Henry’s god-awful Jedward hairstyle.
Shudder at the thought.
Step Brothers
There are so many different dinner scenes that jump to mind when you think of Step Brothers – the one with ‘the fancy sauce’ (a personal favourite), the birthday scene (Boats n Hoes, yo), the one with the divorce talk (so much cake and crying) and then the one with Brennan’s colossal ass-hat of a brother, Derek.
The first really highlights the hatred between the new, middle-aged stepbrothers, Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly), and their childish need for attention. The second is just utterly embarrassing – the business proposition, the music video, the mic echo. God. But the family meal just tops it in regards to awkwardness.
There are a number of different factors that make this dining experience so darn cringey; Derek’s lame fishing stories and sarcastic jibes (“don’t be mad at Dale for ruining the story, and possibly the evening”), his obnoxious and sassy son who honestly needs a clip round the ear, and how much of a douchey suck up Dale’s dad is. It’s just uncomfortable and hilarious and wonderfully awkward.
The first really highlights the hatred between the new, middle-aged stepbrothers, Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly), and their childish need for attention. The second is just utterly embarrassing – the business proposition, the music video, the mic echo. God. But the family meal just tops it in regards to awkwardness.
There are a number of different factors that make this dining experience so darn cringey; Derek’s lame fishing stories and sarcastic jibes (“don’t be mad at Dale for ruining the story, and possibly the evening”), his obnoxious and sassy son who honestly needs a clip round the ear, and how much of a douchey suck up Dale’s dad is. It’s just uncomfortable and hilarious and wonderfully awkward.
Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl is a bizarre film all about a socially inept young man (Ryan Gosling) who ends up in a relationship with a doll that he buys online. Already a pretty strange but rife premise.
While the film showcases a lot of positives including people’s abilities to grow and accept things that aren’t necessarily the norm, the dinner scene is actually pretty awful. Lars rocks up at Karin (Emily Mortimer) and his brother Gus’ (Paul Schneider) house, explaining that he’s met someone but that she “doesn’t speak much English” and requires a wheelchair. Cue a lot of excitement that is soon cut short when they realise that Bianca is in fact, you guessed it, a mannequin.
The couple awkwardly prepare their home for their guests before sitting down to one of the weirdest dinners imaginable. Their tense silence is only broken by the sound of loud chewing, clanking cutlery, and the odd fun fact about Bianca courtesy of Lars as he nonchalantly cuts up her food.
Eesh.
While the film showcases a lot of positives including people’s abilities to grow and accept things that aren’t necessarily the norm, the dinner scene is actually pretty awful. Lars rocks up at Karin (Emily Mortimer) and his brother Gus’ (Paul Schneider) house, explaining that he’s met someone but that she “doesn’t speak much English” and requires a wheelchair. Cue a lot of excitement that is soon cut short when they realise that Bianca is in fact, you guessed it, a mannequin.
The couple awkwardly prepare their home for their guests before sitting down to one of the weirdest dinners imaginable. Their tense silence is only broken by the sound of loud chewing, clanking cutlery, and the odd fun fact about Bianca courtesy of Lars as he nonchalantly cuts up her food.
Eesh.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
If there was ever a family to show the normality of yours, it would be this motley crew.
The original version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a huge emphasis on mental torture; yes there’s some brutality and bloodshed (though not as much as the epically gory 2003 version), but this one hugely plays on fear and psychological cruelty which makes the dinner scene just that much worse.
The last remaining girl, Sally (Marilyn Burns) awakens after a blow to the head to find herself strapped down and head of the table at one hellish dinner party; guests include the human-flesh-wearing Leatherface, his demented father, intense hillbilly brother, and their worse for wear, corpse-like granddad. The men taunt Sally - laughing at her cries, mocking her screams, getting the decrepit old man to try and hit her with a mallet – it’s honestly the thing of nightmares.
So we know this dinner scene is scary, but why is it so cringey? Well, it’s a mixture really. Obviously the old props and costumes (especially Leatherface’s mask) may be a tad retro for the modern viewer, and believe it or not but the mallet scene is actually pretty comedic, but really it all comes down to this weird ass family. The idea of this unbelievably bizarre unit who gather together around the dinner table to laugh, joke and bond in the strangest and most intense vision of ‘quality time’.
The original version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a huge emphasis on mental torture; yes there’s some brutality and bloodshed (though not as much as the epically gory 2003 version), but this one hugely plays on fear and psychological cruelty which makes the dinner scene just that much worse.
The last remaining girl, Sally (Marilyn Burns) awakens after a blow to the head to find herself strapped down and head of the table at one hellish dinner party; guests include the human-flesh-wearing Leatherface, his demented father, intense hillbilly brother, and their worse for wear, corpse-like granddad. The men taunt Sally - laughing at her cries, mocking her screams, getting the decrepit old man to try and hit her with a mallet – it’s honestly the thing of nightmares.
So we know this dinner scene is scary, but why is it so cringey? Well, it’s a mixture really. Obviously the old props and costumes (especially Leatherface’s mask) may be a tad retro for the modern viewer, and believe it or not but the mallet scene is actually pretty comedic, but really it all comes down to this weird ass family. The idea of this unbelievably bizarre unit who gather together around the dinner table to laugh, joke and bond in the strangest and most intense vision of ‘quality time’.
What Do You Think?
Did we cover your favourite awkward dinner scene, or
do you have another in mind?
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