"Eat Pray Love" Film Review
See. Watch. Enjoy. (Now on DVD)
3 1/2 Stars
Blog exclusive!
“Eat Pray Love”, adapted from the New York Times #1 best selling book of the same name, is a charming, lovely film. Julia Roberts is Elizabeth Gilbert a woman desperate to climb out of her own despair. Unhappy with her marriage to Stephen (Billy Crudup) and searching for a greater purpose in life Gilbert goes against societal convention and makes an extraordinary decision. She chooses to travel around the world for one year. Free of almost all material possessions and stressors Gilbert ventures to Rome, India and Bali in search of herself. Along the way she makes important discovers and friendships and meets the perfect man.
The films target audience, middle-aged women, will connect with Gilbert’s story. Obviously food, love, and friendship are among the reasons why. But the truest reason is that mid life crises are real and it is an easy thing to relate to if you've been through one yourself.
The filmmakers utilized the supporting cast very well. With the talent Julia Roberts brings to the table it would have been easy to burden her with carrying the movie on her shoulders. While she can certainly handle that type of pressure, the complexity of this story wouldn’t have been realized onscreen. As a result the film would have suffered. But by surrounding her with great supporting talent, including a terrific performance by Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) “Eat Pray Love” transcends the typical Hollywood star vehicle to become a celebration of strength and perseverance.
One of the weaker points in the movie is the prayer section. This part of Gilbert’s journey takes her to an ashram in India. Because of David Piccolo (James Franco) a former lover of hers, Gilbert believes that praying to an idol will unravel her self-loathing. In fact she considers herself to be very selfish because she left her friends and family behind to travel. She even believes her selfish behavior lead to her divorce.
While Robert’s displays extraordinarily depth and compassion in these scenes India's role as a vibrant character seems underscored by its representation. India is shown to be dirty and dusty, a once majestic country now covered by its own sorrow. Roberts’ acting in this section also changes. She is more somber and sulky, less bubbly and sexy. Perhaps she's compromised by her emotions or by the surrounding's of a country also in pain.
When it comes down to beauty alone the cinematography in “Eat Pray Love” is perfecto! While a bit overbearing at first the visual representation of Gilbert’s various moods and surroundings settles down. If you're the type to look for a deeper meaning in things maybe the initial onslaught of glossy lighting and distracting glare serves to highlight the superficial aspects of Gilbert's previous existence.
Even though I haven’t read the book I can confidently state that this is a really good movie. It’s evident that “Eat Pray Love” contains the right mix of ingredients necessary to warm your heart. With great character development, a splendid pace and an emotional journey you'll find this movie to be one worth seeing. And who knows maybe you will be inspired to eat, pray and love sometime down the road.
"Eat Pray Love" was directed by Ryan Murphy based on a screenplay by Ryan Murphy and Jennifer Salt based on a book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert.
©2011 Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
3 1/2 Stars
Blog exclusive!
“Eat Pray Love”, adapted from the New York Times #1 best selling book of the same name, is a charming, lovely film. Julia Roberts is Elizabeth Gilbert a woman desperate to climb out of her own despair. Unhappy with her marriage to Stephen (Billy Crudup) and searching for a greater purpose in life Gilbert goes against societal convention and makes an extraordinary decision. She chooses to travel around the world for one year. Free of almost all material possessions and stressors Gilbert ventures to Rome, India and Bali in search of herself. Along the way she makes important discovers and friendships and meets the perfect man.
The films target audience, middle-aged women, will connect with Gilbert’s story. Obviously food, love, and friendship are among the reasons why. But the truest reason is that mid life crises are real and it is an easy thing to relate to if you've been through one yourself.
The filmmakers utilized the supporting cast very well. With the talent Julia Roberts brings to the table it would have been easy to burden her with carrying the movie on her shoulders. While she can certainly handle that type of pressure, the complexity of this story wouldn’t have been realized onscreen. As a result the film would have suffered. But by surrounding her with great supporting talent, including a terrific performance by Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) “Eat Pray Love” transcends the typical Hollywood star vehicle to become a celebration of strength and perseverance.
One of the weaker points in the movie is the prayer section. This part of Gilbert’s journey takes her to an ashram in India. Because of David Piccolo (James Franco) a former lover of hers, Gilbert believes that praying to an idol will unravel her self-loathing. In fact she considers herself to be very selfish because she left her friends and family behind to travel. She even believes her selfish behavior lead to her divorce.
While Robert’s displays extraordinarily depth and compassion in these scenes India's role as a vibrant character seems underscored by its representation. India is shown to be dirty and dusty, a once majestic country now covered by its own sorrow. Roberts’ acting in this section also changes. She is more somber and sulky, less bubbly and sexy. Perhaps she's compromised by her emotions or by the surrounding's of a country also in pain.
When it comes down to beauty alone the cinematography in “Eat Pray Love” is perfecto! While a bit overbearing at first the visual representation of Gilbert’s various moods and surroundings settles down. If you're the type to look for a deeper meaning in things maybe the initial onslaught of glossy lighting and distracting glare serves to highlight the superficial aspects of Gilbert's previous existence.
Even though I haven’t read the book I can confidently state that this is a really good movie. It’s evident that “Eat Pray Love” contains the right mix of ingredients necessary to warm your heart. With great character development, a splendid pace and an emotional journey you'll find this movie to be one worth seeing. And who knows maybe you will be inspired to eat, pray and love sometime down the road.
"Eat Pray Love" was directed by Ryan Murphy based on a screenplay by Ryan Murphy and Jennifer Salt based on a book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert.
©2011 Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
Comments
Post a Comment
Feel free to share your thoughts, recommend films for me to see and more. Comment anytime.