If there is one thing in this world that can get my mouth watering faster than anything else, it’s watching someone else eat pizza. As soon as I see someone else’s teeth bite into a fresh slice of pizza and pull the gooey, melted cheese away from the crust, every inch of my body fills with food envy. However, the only thing more painful than seeing someone else eat pizza is seeing someone else eat pizza that you can’t physically have, i.e. through the big screen. Therefore, for some crazy reason I’ve decided to torture myself by compiling a list of five of the greatest pizza scenes in film history. So get ready to drool, cause this one’s going to be a doozy.
Selena (1997)
In this scene from Selena, the infamous pop singer (played by the incomparable Jennifer Lopez) scarfs down a couple of slices while explaining how she answers questions about her diet. “‘Selena, how do you keep that trim figure? Every girl wants to know!’ Well, I eat medium pizzas all by myself. With lots of pepperoni, that’s important.” Now THAT’S a diet I want to be on.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
In this scene from the 1982 teen classic, Spicoli (Sean Penn) orders himself a pizza in the middle of class only for Mr. Hand (Ray Walston) to confiscate it and eat it in front of him. Let me tell you, there is no feeling worse than seeing someone else eating your pizza. I feel for you, Spicoli, I do.
Eat, Pray, Love (2011)
Julia Roberts is no stranger to pizza—especially of the mystic variety—but she reaches new heights when she bites into an authentic slice of Neapolitan margherita pizza. The gooey pieces of melted mozzarella basically ooze of the screen and into our mouths. Overcome with euphoria she states, “I’m in love. I’m having a relationship with my pizza.” We’ve all been there Julia, we’ve all been there.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
When I first saw the scene in which Tony Manero (John Travolta) struts away from Lenny’s Pizza with two slices of pizza stacked on top of one another, all while the Bee Gee’s disco classic “Stayin’ Alive” plays in the background, I was pretty sure that I would never find a cooler moment in my life, and to be honest, that statement has held true.
All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
Sometimes it takes an animated movie to fully show the true beauty of food. In this scene, Charlie introduces the concept of sharing to the young pups, all while singing and dancing around with a slice of pizza on his head. When he starts to pull apart the pizza to ration it out, the cheese basically drips off of the crust and into the mouths of the puppies—that’s cinematic gold, right there.
Julian Plovnick
Julian is a die-hard dairy lover from the Boston area, working for culture this summer as an editorial intern. When not studying English at Vassar College, Julian can be found binge-watching Top Chef (quiz him on any season and he’ll know the elimination order, no joke), refilling his coffee IV, or researching new ways to incorporate ricotta into his life.
