The film is recommended.
Alright, call me jaded when it comes to romance! A group of friends and I recently went to see Lasse Hallstrom's The Hundred Foot Journey. They loved it. I, on the other hand, found it passable but bland. The conventional storytelling lacked any real surprises and the film rigidly follows the recipe for crowd-pleasing entertainment, especially for the elderly Marigold Hotel set.
The simple plot pits the class war struggle between two restaurateurs; a snotty French aristocrat,the ever-so-talented Helen Mirren, and an irascible Indian type, played by Om Puri, commonly known as Papa. Papa sets up shop just across the street, a hundred feet to be exact, from Madame Mallory. Of course, there is immediate conflict and xenophobia also sets in. Let the food wars promptly begin.
Also added to the mix are two younger chefs, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), loyal sous chef to Madame M., and Hassan (Manish Dayal), son of Papa, whose love for food will be outweigh by their love for love by the final reel. Nothing new here. Nothing remotely exciting either. Both actors are charming in their roles.
The various culinary results certainly look sumptuous. In fact, the parade of colorful foods and dinner servings continually upstages most of the characters and the entire predictability of the film. Yet The Hundred Foot Journey remains entertaining, mostly due to its engaging cast, some clever dialog, and Hallstrom's gift for direction. The director knows how to make a well-crafted film. He can make the most mundane seem interesting, as he does here.
With its screenplay written by Steven Knight that is slightly malnourished and in search of some needed garnishments to hide its lack of originality, The Hundred Foot Journey is still satisfactory fare. Diverting and pleasing. It's just not all that filling. GRADE: B
Visit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.com
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com
Alright, call me jaded when it comes to romance! A group of friends and I recently went to see Lasse Hallstrom's The Hundred Foot Journey. They loved it. I, on the other hand, found it passable but bland. The conventional storytelling lacked any real surprises and the film rigidly follows the recipe for crowd-pleasing entertainment, especially for the elderly Marigold Hotel set.
The simple plot pits the class war struggle between two restaurateurs; a snotty French aristocrat,the ever-so-talented Helen Mirren, and an irascible Indian type, played by Om Puri, commonly known as Papa. Papa sets up shop just across the street, a hundred feet to be exact, from Madame Mallory. Of course, there is immediate conflict and xenophobia also sets in. Let the food wars promptly begin.
Also added to the mix are two younger chefs, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), loyal sous chef to Madame M., and Hassan (Manish Dayal), son of Papa, whose love for food will be outweigh by their love for love by the final reel. Nothing new here. Nothing remotely exciting either. Both actors are charming in their roles.
The various culinary results certainly look sumptuous. In fact, the parade of colorful foods and dinner servings continually upstages most of the characters and the entire predictability of the film. Yet The Hundred Foot Journey remains entertaining, mostly due to its engaging cast, some clever dialog, and Hallstrom's gift for direction. The director knows how to make a well-crafted film. He can make the most mundane seem interesting, as he does here.
With its screenplay written by Steven Knight that is slightly malnourished and in search of some needed garnishments to hide its lack of originality, The Hundred Foot Journey is still satisfactory fare. Diverting and pleasing. It's just not all that filling. GRADE: B
Visit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.com
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com