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In recent years, August has become the month for big-screen book club adaptations—movies like The Help and Eat Pray Love. This August’s release schedule features a number of new literary adventures—beginning with director Lasse Hallström’s adaptation of Richard C. Morais’s foodie drama, The Hundred-Foot Journey.
The Hundred-Foot Journey follows a young Indian chef on his journey to culinary greatness. As a boy, Hassan (Manish Dayal) learned about food in his mother’s restaurant in Mumbai. But after losing both the restaurant and his mother to a tragic fire, Hassan and his family find themselves struggling to start a new life in a new country.
The family spends months wandering through Europe—but when their van breaks down outside a small French village, they decide to settle down and open a new restaurant. They immediately begin a feud with Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), the owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant across the street—until she discovers Hassan’s natural talent.
Rich in both culture and culinary masterpieces, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a charming drama about following your dreams—and making the journey your own. It’s a delightful treat for the senses—from the sights of the European countryside and the sounds of the culturally-blended score to vibrant dishes that are so lovingly filmed that you’ll almost be able to smell and taste each one.
The characters also add to the film’s charm. Mirren perfectly portrays the prim, proper Madame Mallory—right down to her classic French pout—while the members of the Kadam family are every bit as flavorful and spicy as the dishes they prepare. Though many of the characters tend to be stereotypes (like Charlotte Le Bon’s provincial French girl, Marguerite), they’re lovable nonetheless, with clashing personalities that give the story just the right amount of tension—and plenty of good-natured humor, too.
The problem, however, is the rambling plot. In the beginning, it seems to be about the feud between the two restaurants—but then that’s resolved, and the story heads in a new direction. Once the next conflict is resolved, it heads in yet another direction before finally coming to an abrupt conclusion. With each new conflict, the film seems to lose a little bit of its flavor—and the layers upon layers of storylines make it feel even longer than its two-hour runtime.
The Hundred-Foot Journey is still an enjoyable drama—an easy-going (albeit predictable) film that’s both savory and sweet. But the drawn-out story makes it feel like a delicious dish that’s been left under a heat lamp just a little too long: still tasty but just a bit limp.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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