The Hundred Foot Journey
2.5/4
Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon
Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Some Violence, Language and Brief Sensuality
There a few really good "food" movies out there: movies that create such wonderful images of food and cooking that you wish you could touch the screen and dive into the feast. Some examples include the indie hit "Big Night," and the early Ang Lee masterpiece "Eat Drink Man Woman." The highly talented Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom has tried to create another entry in the genre, and while it certainly has its pleasures, it doesn't have enough juice to succeed. Pun intended.
The Kadam clan is a family of culinary geniuses. They owned a very successful restaurant in India until an act of political violence cost them the restaurant and the life of the matriarch. Papa (Puri) has decided to pack up everything and head to Europe. He eventually decides to buy a restaurant in a small French province, but doesn't realize that it's across the street from Madame Mallory (Mirren), a restaurant owner and a culinary wizard herself. Mallory doesn't take kindly to competition, and when Papa refuses to be bullied away, it becomes all-out war between the two restaurants. Meanwhile, Papa's son, Hassan (Dayal), is quickly becoming a superb chef in his own right, and is smitten with Marguerite (Le Bon), the girl who rescued them when their car broke down on the edge of the village. Making matters worse is the fact that Marguerite is Mallory's sous chef.
"The Hundred Foot Journey" is meant to be a feel-good melodrama like 2011's surprise hit, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." This is the kind of thing Miramax used to make before it went belly up. It's a very safe and unoffensive movie that concentrates more on acting and character development rather than special effects, so in that way, it's a welcome change from what's usually showing at the multiplex these days: special effects extravaganzas ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" or any other generic comic book movie) or raunchy comedies ("Neighbors" or "A Million Ways to Die in the West"). Sadly, while it's a change of pace, it's too vanilla to really stand out, and contains a fair amount of problems of its own.
The acting is very good, although anyone who knows who Helen Mirren and Om Puri are probably guessed that already. Mirren can (and will) do just about anything, and while this isn't a particularly challenging role for her, she doesn't sleepwalk through it. The role demands that Mirren is able to speak French (or English with a French accent), and be both a bitch in an apron and a motherly romantic. Mirren has no trouble with any aspect of her role. When we're supposed to hate her, we want to see her suffer intense agony. When we like her, we wish her all the best. Om Puri is not as well known on this side of the Atlantic, but he is a star in India, and has made a number of art-house hits, like "East is East." Puri is every bit Mirren's equal, playing the role with wit, pathos, and empathy. He loves his family and is passionate about cooking and believing that people will like his restaurant when they try it. He may be a little out-of-touch culturally and isn't above dishing out a bit of pain to the harridan across the street, but he is persistent and in the right. It doesn't take us long to get on his side.
The other couple in the film is Hassan and Marguerite. They make a cute couple, and the actors portraying them display a handsome amount of chemistry (as do Puri and Mirren, by the way). Dayal is effective as the young man whose talents may take him away from his family, but the true find is Charlotte Le Bon. She's a true scene-stealer from the minute she appears on screen. Her life and wit make the character quite endearing.
The film's flaws lie at the hands of Hallstrom himself. While the film is competently told and has moments that really land (there are some amusing bits here and there, particularly a balcony argument that is the antithesis of "Romeo and Juliet"), but Hallstrom's approach feels bland. It's too broad and too safe. Tonally, it's uneven, which is ironic since the successful mixing of opposing tones is one of Hallstrom's trademarks (see "Chocolat" or "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" for examples): sometimes it's too dark while others it's too light. The film is also about 15 minutes too long; it never seems to want to end, even though there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
This is not a bad movie by any means. Adult moviegoers looking for something more mature (only in the sense of its material...there's absolutely nothing inappropriate for children here, but they will most likely be bored out of their minds) will find something to enjoy here, but it will work better on Blu Ray when expectations are lower.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon
Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Some Violence, Language and Brief Sensuality
There a few really good "food" movies out there: movies that create such wonderful images of food and cooking that you wish you could touch the screen and dive into the feast. Some examples include the indie hit "Big Night," and the early Ang Lee masterpiece "Eat Drink Man Woman." The highly talented Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom has tried to create another entry in the genre, and while it certainly has its pleasures, it doesn't have enough juice to succeed. Pun intended.
The Kadam clan is a family of culinary geniuses. They owned a very successful restaurant in India until an act of political violence cost them the restaurant and the life of the matriarch. Papa (Puri) has decided to pack up everything and head to Europe. He eventually decides to buy a restaurant in a small French province, but doesn't realize that it's across the street from Madame Mallory (Mirren), a restaurant owner and a culinary wizard herself. Mallory doesn't take kindly to competition, and when Papa refuses to be bullied away, it becomes all-out war between the two restaurants. Meanwhile, Papa's son, Hassan (Dayal), is quickly becoming a superb chef in his own right, and is smitten with Marguerite (Le Bon), the girl who rescued them when their car broke down on the edge of the village. Making matters worse is the fact that Marguerite is Mallory's sous chef.
"The Hundred Foot Journey" is meant to be a feel-good melodrama like 2011's surprise hit, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." This is the kind of thing Miramax used to make before it went belly up. It's a very safe and unoffensive movie that concentrates more on acting and character development rather than special effects, so in that way, it's a welcome change from what's usually showing at the multiplex these days: special effects extravaganzas ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" or any other generic comic book movie) or raunchy comedies ("Neighbors" or "A Million Ways to Die in the West"). Sadly, while it's a change of pace, it's too vanilla to really stand out, and contains a fair amount of problems of its own.
The acting is very good, although anyone who knows who Helen Mirren and Om Puri are probably guessed that already. Mirren can (and will) do just about anything, and while this isn't a particularly challenging role for her, she doesn't sleepwalk through it. The role demands that Mirren is able to speak French (or English with a French accent), and be both a bitch in an apron and a motherly romantic. Mirren has no trouble with any aspect of her role. When we're supposed to hate her, we want to see her suffer intense agony. When we like her, we wish her all the best. Om Puri is not as well known on this side of the Atlantic, but he is a star in India, and has made a number of art-house hits, like "East is East." Puri is every bit Mirren's equal, playing the role with wit, pathos, and empathy. He loves his family and is passionate about cooking and believing that people will like his restaurant when they try it. He may be a little out-of-touch culturally and isn't above dishing out a bit of pain to the harridan across the street, but he is persistent and in the right. It doesn't take us long to get on his side.
The other couple in the film is Hassan and Marguerite. They make a cute couple, and the actors portraying them display a handsome amount of chemistry (as do Puri and Mirren, by the way). Dayal is effective as the young man whose talents may take him away from his family, but the true find is Charlotte Le Bon. She's a true scene-stealer from the minute she appears on screen. Her life and wit make the character quite endearing.
The film's flaws lie at the hands of Hallstrom himself. While the film is competently told and has moments that really land (there are some amusing bits here and there, particularly a balcony argument that is the antithesis of "Romeo and Juliet"), but Hallstrom's approach feels bland. It's too broad and too safe. Tonally, it's uneven, which is ironic since the successful mixing of opposing tones is one of Hallstrom's trademarks (see "Chocolat" or "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" for examples): sometimes it's too dark while others it's too light. The film is also about 15 minutes too long; it never seems to want to end, even though there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
This is not a bad movie by any means. Adult moviegoers looking for something more mature (only in the sense of its material...there's absolutely nothing inappropriate for children here, but they will most likely be bored out of their minds) will find something to enjoy here, but it will work better on Blu Ray when expectations are lower.
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