The festive family cookout is one of the more endearing tropes in the Fast and Furious franchise, a beat closely related to the series’ longstanding “family” meme — it’s mostly true Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) mumbles something about the importance of family to his friends right before they all drive off to suplex a tank.
Repetition over the course of 10 films has turned these scenes into a wry comedy, and yet until 2023 Fast X, the films they play with utmost sincerity. A while, she goods sincere – and perhaps the best proof that this scattered crew really has a family feel. In fact, I believe a Fast and Furious movie lives and dies by its cookouts. The best cookouts aren’t necessarily the best movies, but the quality of a particular Fast family cookout is a big contributor to the base of the ridiculously over-the-top action that’s meant to be the main draw.
I also just really like grilling with some homies, and if a fast paced movie doesn’t do this, I get it terribly angry. I’ve been upset a few times, folks.
10. The fate of the furious
This is of course a subjective list, and The fate of the furious is a hard-hitting cookout because it exemplifies all of my particular Fast family complaints. First of all, it’s at the end of arguably the weakest movie in the series, though it fights F9 for that shame. It also eschews the working-class theater of the other Fast and Furious cookouts, which take place on a Manhattan rooftop in an upscale setting. And while I generally agree with the extremely loose definition of “family” in these films, I don’t fully buy former villain Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) breaking bread with the gang, as much fun as he is to be in the to have nearby.
9. F9: The fast saga
Image: Universal Pictures
This cookout gets points for reuniting Han and Sean tokyo drift, along with a few other supporting players from previous films, such as Don Omar’s Santos from Fast & Furious. However, the spread is terrible. Try if F9 perhaps to distract me with Coronas, I am puzzled by what looks like a single plate of meat and a lot of of greens, with barely any carbs in sight. This is not a judgment, but a call for balance. (That bottle of what appears to be a French brand condiment? I’ll be judgmental on that one.)
My real offense to this scene, however, is the sad state of this grill.
Image: Universal Pictures
Look at those pies suspicious store bought and ready made, and I am confident they will come out dry. And with the meat being so raw, I should be able to see the taste from here, friends. Dust off those patties! The corn? Anyway, the most important part comes after you grill it.
I expect better from the Fast family. As you’ll see from other entries on this list, these people should know what they’re doing at a barbecue.
8. 2 Fast 2 Furious
There is no cookout in this one. Why isn’t it at the bottom of the list? Because it has Tej’s garage instead, a waterfront party that doubles as a fascinating artifact of the very different vibe these movies had in the early installments. 2 Fast 2 Furious was the first highlight of the franchise: “Family” wasn’t a buzzword yet, because these movies still had too much debauchery to get out of their system.
Here’s why this party scene rules: It’s a high point in the early 2000s. It features women in bikinis partying, men peacocking in front of the crowd, and money being wagered on stupid jet ski races. It’s a scene that’s more interested in Chris “Ludacris” Bridges than the character he’s playing. Ludacris who starred in this movie was one big deal at that time – look one of his music videosand you’ll find that the intended audience for the rapper and these movies is essentially the same.
7. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Another one with no boiling point, Tokyo Drift gets a pass thanks to a scene where Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is having lunch at his new high school cafeteria in Tokyo. Folks, I want to eat anything here, even if Bow Wow shows up immediately afterwards to be ignorant about it.
6. Fast and furious
In Fast & Furious, the gang is hardly a gang, and they’re also the most wanted by authorities they’ve ever been, so kicking it isn’t really an option. Instead, Dom, his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Brian (Paul Walker) order takeout together. This scene is short, but sweet – one of the few times Mia and Dom read like real siblings, and Brian like the man who earned his place in their family. The extended family doesn’t fully gather around them until the next movie, but it’s because of a scene like this that it all comes together so well.
5. Fast X
As you can see in the image at the top of this post, there’s a respectable spread here, with Rita Moreno as “Abuelita” at the head of the table where she belongs. Howevershe is also my complaint about this scene as Dominic tells his son that she made her “famous maduros” and I can’t see them. When you zoom way in that shot, you can see them in the frying pan next to her. But if you’re going to shout famous maduros, you to have to give them a hero shot.
Apart from that, there’s a good variety of food here, and I’d happily pull up a chair after bringing back a tres leches cake bought from the man my parents know. (This never includes desserts. I’d be a great asset.)
4. Furious 7
The highest Fast movie with no real cookout, Furious 7 trades a barbecue for a beach get-together that doubles as a bittersweet farewell to the late star Paul Walker, and that’s enough for me. The Fast and Furious movies have returned to this source of sentiment in just about every film since, but none of them feel quite as serious as this one, even though the family remembers to say grace over dinner.
3. Fast five
More of a cook-in than a cookout, Fast FiveThe big party is a pre-heist moment of camaraderie, giving it a looser vibe that sets it apart from the crowd. So far Dom’s crew haven’t been family, but this meal has made them one – because the food (sadly barely visible!) is secondary to the reveal that Mia and Brian are expecting a baby. It’s an effective beat to hit before this movie moves on to show the gang is up to something really ridiculous robbery in his last act.
2. The fast and the furious
Many Fast and Furious franchise tropes weren’t really established until recent entries in the series, but the cookout isn’t one of them. In fact, it’s a disservice to the scene to call it a trope here, which does a lot to make Dom human – in this movie, the entire crew is basically a bunch of lovable thugs who lure hero Brian O’Conner away from his police badge . The Fast and the Furious is not packed with character work, but it does show that how people break bread together – and who they choose to break it with – says a lot about them.
1. Fast and Furious 6
The platonic ideal of a Fast and Furious cookout. Fast and furious 6 is the perfect mix of old and new Also using the franchise’s impressively tangled continuity to raise the family feeling as a unit. Tej and Roman are grilling together! The gang is finally back in LA after being on the run for almost the entire series! Together they have conquered a lot, And they have good food! Tej remembers slathering the chicken with sauce! (There is chicken! Meat variety is So important.) Have some booze on hand to drink, and hopefully to baste. And Roman, of all people, delivers the best grace in the entire franchise, taking the time to thank God himself for fast cars.