Hallström's back, and how.
Focusing lovingly on the tale to tell, not giving any of the characters short shrift, he takes his time with the unfolding of the plot, simple as it is, giving each of his characters (not all though) a nice chance to breathe.
Simply put, this is a tale about various fishes-out-of-water, come to make a fortune of their family business in an idyllic setting, landing there without meaning to, and settling down to quite an interesting time, a la a Swiss family Robinson adventure.
The movie has been beautifully shot, apparently by the same person who also lensed 'American Hustle', and though this is set in contemporary times (as evidenced by the presence of cellphones and the Paris-set portions).
The score, that starts off with a few routing pieces earlier, matures and gradually becomes probably one of the most subtlest things that AR Rahman has ever done, and that IS a very good thing indeed, esp. a far cry from the relatively-inferior 'Million Dollar Arm'.
What has been lovingly captured is the life journey wrought by the main lead, the scion of the Kadam clan, Hassan, efficiently essayed by Manish Dayal. His arc with Marguerite is the life of the movie, though the trailers have been focusing more on Om Puri and Helen Mirren's relationship arc. I'm sure that might help it's box-office, and this might just be one of those instances where I don't mind the fact that the marketing department ruined the movie by focusing on the wrong thing too much. His arc with Marguerite also captures the real-life competitive spirit that people working in the same kitchen feel for one another, along with the grudging admiration that quickly turns into jealousy at the drop of a hat.
This is not quite the food porn many may have expected, not in the lines of a 'Babette's Feast' or even 'Chef' or 'Mostly Martha / No reservations'. The tale being told is also relatively lightweight, and doesn't hamper its progress, save for the last 10-15 minutes, where I felt that all the makers, including the writer, faltered in understanding the kind of a resolution the movie needed, choosing instead to wrap things up too neatly, but weakly with just a whimper.
Dayal does not hit a false note anyplace, and is ably supported by Charlotte Le Bon, along with Mirren and Puri as the secondary leads in whose tale we're unfortunately not as invested in, and this is more to do with the helmer choosing where to focus on. Hallström also chooses not to flesh out other members of the Kadam clan, or Mirren's household, and this is to the movie's detriment, IMO. Movies are strong only if they choose to interpret multiple perspectives, while continuing to stay focused on the leads, and this does not happen much. The racist angle also fritters away much too conveniently, but it might be argued that such things happen in real-life as well.
All in all, though it's far from perfect, a real good time at the movies.
Focusing lovingly on the tale to tell, not giving any of the characters short shrift, he takes his time with the unfolding of the plot, simple as it is, giving each of his characters (not all though) a nice chance to breathe.
Simply put, this is a tale about various fishes-out-of-water, come to make a fortune of their family business in an idyllic setting, landing there without meaning to, and settling down to quite an interesting time, a la a Swiss family Robinson adventure.
The movie has been beautifully shot, apparently by the same person who also lensed 'American Hustle', and though this is set in contemporary times (as evidenced by the presence of cellphones and the Paris-set portions).
The score, that starts off with a few routing pieces earlier, matures and gradually becomes probably one of the most subtlest things that AR Rahman has ever done, and that IS a very good thing indeed, esp. a far cry from the relatively-inferior 'Million Dollar Arm'.
What has been lovingly captured is the life journey wrought by the main lead, the scion of the Kadam clan, Hassan, efficiently essayed by Manish Dayal. His arc with Marguerite is the life of the movie, though the trailers have been focusing more on Om Puri and Helen Mirren's relationship arc. I'm sure that might help it's box-office, and this might just be one of those instances where I don't mind the fact that the marketing department ruined the movie by focusing on the wrong thing too much. His arc with Marguerite also captures the real-life competitive spirit that people working in the same kitchen feel for one another, along with the grudging admiration that quickly turns into jealousy at the drop of a hat.
This is not quite the food porn many may have expected, not in the lines of a 'Babette's Feast' or even 'Chef' or 'Mostly Martha / No reservations'. The tale being told is also relatively lightweight, and doesn't hamper its progress, save for the last 10-15 minutes, where I felt that all the makers, including the writer, faltered in understanding the kind of a resolution the movie needed, choosing instead to wrap things up too neatly, but weakly with just a whimper.
Dayal does not hit a false note anyplace, and is ably supported by Charlotte Le Bon, along with Mirren and Puri as the secondary leads in whose tale we're unfortunately not as invested in, and this is more to do with the helmer choosing where to focus on. Hallström also chooses not to flesh out other members of the Kadam clan, or Mirren's household, and this is to the movie's detriment, IMO. Movies are strong only if they choose to interpret multiple perspectives, while continuing to stay focused on the leads, and this does not happen much. The racist angle also fritters away much too conveniently, but it might be argued that such things happen in real-life as well.
All in all, though it's far from perfect, a real good time at the movies.