Reviewed by Kate Rodger
Regarded by its fans as somewhat of a Bible for the modern woman, Eat Pray Love has been a chick-lit sensation, and is beloved by many. This means the usual built-in audience theory applies, with the enormous box office appeal of Hollywood darling Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman/Closer) thrown in to up the ante.
All chick-flicks need some decent eye candy to please the masses and the box office, and Spanish hottie and Oscar-winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men/Before Night Falls) leads that charge, with some much welcomed back-up from James Franco (Pineapple Express/Milk) and Billy Crudup (Almost Famous/Watchmen).
So the story for the uninitiated few, and a true one no less, sees journalist Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) chucking in her New York marriage and life for a year in Rome, India and Bali, in order to "find herself". Enough said.
From a cinematic perspective, the one clever move these filmmakers made was getting the budget to shoot on location. We start off in New York City before an emotional epiphany or two leads us on to a trip to Italy to eat, India to pray, and finally Bali, for some love.
Gilbert encounters all sorts of characters on her journeys, the most resonant of which is Richard from Texas, who she befriends in an Indian ashram. The main reason Richard becomes the most memorable is because of the class actor who plays him – Oscar-nominee Richard Jenkins (North Country/The Visitor). He becomes the dramatic centre-piece for this somewhat lacklustre movie, and a definite highlight.
Gilbert finally arrives in Bali, and its here she meets Felipe, and where the “love” chapter of this story unfolds. Bardem has an air of gentle resignation about him in the role. It's one he could play in his sleep and you sense he might be doing exactly that.
While Eat Pray Love was a little too indulgent and bland for me, it's far from offensive and certainly pretty. For those who loved the book (I did not), I suspect this lengthy adaptation may mostly deliver. It will also work on some level as a postcard travelogue, with some gorgeous destinations captured in their big screen glory.
Three stars.
Eat Pray Love
:: Director: Ryan Murphy
:: Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Tuva Novotny
:: Running Time: 140 mins
:: Rating: M - Contains Offensive Language
:: Release Date: October 14, 2010
:: Trailer: Watch here
