Serious Movie Lover

Soul searching for the rich and beautiful

EAT PRAY LOVE (2010/IN THEATERS) Everyone knows someone who loves this book and everyone knows someone else who hated it and/or couldn’t finish it. As a movie viewer who had not read the book, one of the big problems I experienced with the film came right out of the gate: what is SO BAD about the main character’s marriage? And a related question…what the hell is she looking for? I gather the book answers both these questions quite well and presents a real-life accounting of a three-year-painful-ending to a ten-year-unsatisfying-marriage, which inspires the author to travel the world for a year in search of spirituality and herself. But we get none of this deep background in the movie. Instead we get her husband, portrayed very briefly at the start of the film (by Billy Crudup—one of my faves, I confess) being goofy and unfocused and not interested in globe-trotting with his famous author-wife. Later, in a pivotal scene, he makes an argument for commitment and tolerance. “I took a vow,” he says. “Work with me, don’t run away,” or words to that effect.

But Liz Gilbert, the wife and author in real life, played here by Julia Roberts, comes off as a person who always runs away…and keeps looking for….what exactly? The movie is hard pressed to answer that question. Liz runs from her marriage to a new boyfriend, an actor in her God-awful play, but so attractive—hey, he’s James Franco after all. She runs from him as well…straight to Italy. Why Italy? We have no idea but she sure does enjoy the food and the company and the cinematographer has a field day. Liz admires the Italian ability to take pleasure from doing very little and enjoying life as it comes, but she still sits outside looking in. Next up is India, where she experiences the rigors of religious practice in an ashram (an experience inspired by her James Franco actor boyfriend whom she has dumped via email while in Italy). Here she meets Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins) who speaks in aphorisms—very irritating—and works up to his big confessional scene. But…not to worry–the ashram soon gives way to a gorgeous house in Bali, where Ms. Gilbert reconnects with a toothless wiseman played with real charm by Hadi Subiyanto (just to be clear, the film opens with this same character predicting the future for Ms. Gilbert—a future which, of course, has come true). And here she meets Javier Bardem, who portrays the world’s most sensitive and attractive man ever. Naturally, her instincts tell her to run away again, but ultimately thanks to some good advice from the wiseman, she sails away with him on the boat to happiness, a scene intercut with shots of her actor boyfriend happy on stage in New York and her husband now happily remarried with a baby. Good grief.

Javier Bardem

The movie is not as bad as this review makes it seem but on the whole it is tedious. Could it have been shorter somehow? I’m sure the filmmaker (Ryan Murphy) felt he owed it to all those fans of the book to show as much as possible and heaven knows the scenery is beautifully shot. Julia Roberts is actually good in the role (really) and shows some range, but ultimately I think we get tired of her character’s endless soul searching. Great travelogue though.

Grade: C+ Nice try and some scenes really work. But ultimately hard to stay engaged or feel sympathy for this self-centered person.

BTW: So convenient to have the right wardrobe for each country!! You do wonder where her money is coming from, but then, perhaps the dollar was strong when Ms. Gilbert was really traveling.