Overview
A simple act of kindness leads to a transformative culinary experience that changes lives forever.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- witty
- warm
- quiet evening
- food film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a charming, melancholy, and spiritually resonant literary adaptation whose performances and humane exploration of art, belief, and generosity make its central feast unforgettable.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Babette uses her lottery winnings to create an extraordinary French feast that changes the emotional atmosphere of the rigid congregation.
The sisters and their congregation organize their lives around the deceased minister's austere religious teachings in nineteenth-century Jutland.
Babette spends her entire lottery prize on a meal that allows her to express her identity as a chef while repaying the sisters' kindness.
The congregation's suspicion of pleasure gradually gives way during Babette's richly prepared feast.
Films like Babette's Feast, and why
Chocolat
shared themes of culinary communion, spiritual renewal, and community reconciliation in a restrained period drama
The Quiet Girl
shared melancholy, religious questioning, and transformative hospitality within an intimate European setting
The Taste of Things
shared focus on food, artistic devotion, and the emotional bonds formed through an elaborate communal meal
The Remains of the Day
shared themes of compassion, sacrifice, and grace in a gentle, humanist literary adaptation
Movie Details
- Director
- Gabriel Axel
- Release Date
- 1987-08-11
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (456)
Cast
- Stéphane Audran
- Bodil Kjer
- Birgitte Federspiel
- Jarl Kulle
- Jean-Philippe Lafont
- Bibi Andersson
- Ghita Nørby
- Asta Esper Hagen Andersen
- Thomas Antoni
- Hanne Stensgaard
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Babette's Feast about?
- A French refugee chef brings grace, pleasure, and long-denied possibility to an austere Danish religious community through one transcendent feast.
- What is Babette's Feast like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Babette's Feast as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Babette's Feast violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Babette's Feast.
- What did critics think of Babette's Feast?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a charming, melancholy, and spiritually resonant literary adaptation whose performances and humane exploration of art, belief, and generosity make its central feast unforgettable.
- Which films are like Babette's Feast?
- Films with a similar feel include Chocolat, The Quiet Girl, The Taste of Things, and The Remains of the Day.
- How long is Babette's Feast?
- Babette's Feast runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Babette's Feast?
- In United States, Babette's Feast streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
