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Author, screenwriter, journalist, and food lover Nora Ephron died last evening in New York at the age of 71. A statement from her family said she had lost a battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
Ephron was best known for her witty romantic comedies set in big cities filled with really smart people who can’t find love until it bites them in the ass. Several of her screenplays, including Sleepless in Seattle, Silkwood, and When Harry Met Sally, garnered Oscar nominations.
Though Ephron was known for her sometimes snarky battle-of-the-sexes banter, she was also known for her food scenes. Which makes sense when you think that most people talk, date, fight, melt down, and fall in love over a meal, a drink, or a cup of coffee.
As a tribute to Ms. Ephron, we’ve put together five of her best food-related movie scenes. She will be missed, but the characters she created will live on.
Heartburn
Nora Ephron’s book and movie were based on her marriage to newsman Carl Bernstein. Starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, the movie was pretty much the dissection of a marriage falling apart — plus food. In this scene, Meryl and Jack sing every song they can remember that are about babies — in between bites of pizza:
You’ve Got Mail
Set in the early days of internet when cavemen still dialed up AOL, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan hate each other..until they fall in love, latte in hand. In this clip, Tom Hanks muses on Starbucks and why it’s so damn popular.
Julie & Julia
Nora Ephron adapted Julie Powell’s memoir to the screen at the age of 68. Essentially two films in one, the showstopper is when Meryl Streep, channeling Childs, wonders what she should do with her life. “What do you like to do?”, her husband, played by Stanley Tucci asks. “Eat. I love to eat.”
Back in modern times, the other Julie, blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams), tries to cook a lobster…which proves much more difficult than she ever thought it could.
When Harry Met Sally
In this iconic scene, Sally (Meg Ryan) infers to Harry (Billy Crystal) that he might not be the stud muffin he thinks he is. When he doesn’t exactly get the picture, Sally decides to demonstrate…in the middle of a busy delicatessen….loudly. We’ll all have what she’s having!
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