I enjoyed this movie. I thought it was well-done. But the movie seems to completely change into another movie when the son moves away. Perhaps they could have done it better as a parallel story, or just dropped it altogether, and just tried to expand the small town part instead.
Overall, still an enjoyable, feel good movie.
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glynne419 August 2014This movie is filled with the joys and sorrows that accompany a full life. The acting is excellent. I could not fault a single actor. Even those delivering one liners seemed divested in the story. The photography and music are spectacular. A. R. Rahman showed even more depth and diversity than usual in his deep and varied score, and I kept wishing that I could freeze frame some of the amazing shots from the film so that I could take them home to use as inspiration for a painting. Plus, food has never looked more yummy! The story is touching and kept my interest from beginning to end. The messages contained within are subtle but definitely there, and they are positive and uplifting, which is a welcome change in today's challenging world. I fell in love with it all! Kudos! Kudos! Kudos to all!
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jorieware8 August 2014This movie is well-constructed, beautifully filmed, and rich in diversity. The story is poignant and heartwarming. Its a wonderful movie especially if you enjoy cooking movies. The critic in our local newspaper gave the film two stars out of 5, saying it was slow and too schmaltzy. A bit schmaltzy maybe, but who doesn't like a good love story centered around food. The characters were perfect and seeing Charlotte Le Bon for the first time was breathtaking. Helen Mirren was her normal fabulous self. the Indian cast was excellent. Besides Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey do not invest or make 2 star movies. We plan to see this movie again since the writing was so good we may have missed something.
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Kirpianuscus8 January 2019I do know the adapted book. But the film is obvious a delight. Sure, the temptation of critic is not small but the basic virtue of film is to be lovely. Not convincing, not complex. Just lovely. And it has few atu who are more than significant, from the performances to the flavors escaping from screen. It has, in same measure , a seductive "spice" - the meet between Hellen Mirren and Om Puri. Short, it represents a real delight. The photography is one of proofs.
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Deux_Vega2 September 2020It's a well made movie. It really brings that warm romantic flair that fits the movie. But the dialogs and characters are quite uninspiring and the story line is quite predictable. It's all laid on too thick in terms of romantic, fuzzy, warm feeling and it's overloaded with clichés. There's no subtlety or layers in the characters and their dialogues. Which really is a shame, because the potential was there to be a great movie. Also I felt that Hassan had trouble carrying the movie. Yes he has puppy eyes, but his acting was quite mediocre.
So all in all it sound like a lot of critique, but it's only because the rest was so well done it deserved more. It's just that very simple but warm and cosy romantic movie for on a lazy Sunday but it just lacks any complexity to be more than that. So, just a 6.5 which on imdb. I'll go for 7 then, because after a few 'oh yeah, really?' cliché annoyances it somewhere halfway did bring me to France and their situation. It's enough to give me a warm and somewhat satisfying feeling. -
pefrss8 August 2014The only thing which bothered me a little bit about this movie was that the restaurant owner of a French restaurant somewhere in the countryside is played by an English actress. And I love Helen Mirren. There are some weird language situations which do not make sense. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this little comedy about two of my favorite foods. I could not decide on which side of the street I wanted to eat.
As a senior citizen myself I am always happy when a movie is carried by people my age. And boy do Helen Mirren and Om Puri carry this movie. If you want to spend pleasant two hours in the company of entertaining people and pictures of delicious food, you will have a good time seeing this movie. -
bob-the-movie-man10 September 2014The Hundred-Foot Journey is based on the novel by Richard C. Morais. It tells the story of the combative relationship between an Indian family, headed by 'Papa' (Om Puri), who opens a traditional Indian restaurant called "La Maison Mumbai" in a rural French village directly opposite the Michelin 1-star restaurant run by the fanatically focused Madame Mallory. Given the proximity of the two establishments - and ignoring the fact that the "100 feet" should be "30.42 metres" - conflict on both a commercial, class and racial basis is inevitable.
Against the odds (the French, after all, are not famous for liking curries) the new business is successful thanks largely to the culinary talents of Papa's prodigal son Hassan (Manish Dayal). Love interest for Hassan appears in the form of Marguerite (the charming Charlotte Le Bon); one of Madame Mallory's sous chefs.
Will the Indian restaurant survive? Will the icy Madame Mallory thaw? Will Hassan and the recently widowed 'Papa' find love and happiness? Will Madame Mallory gain the long sought after second Michelin star?
This is a perfectly pleasant film, which will probably be loved by older cinema-goers whose complaint is "they don't make them like that anymore". Well they do, and this is it. And there's nothing wrong with that. If you enjoyed "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", then I predict that you will also enjoy this film. A gentle tale, gently told, with co-producers including Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.
Most of the acting is good, with Puri and Mirran both playing off against each other well. Puri has a long and distinguished career in Indian cinema dating back to the mid-70's, but has had a few parts in western films including "Charlie Wilson's War" and "West is West". Mirran plays haughty and aloof very well.
The music score from A.H. Rahman is atmospheric and fitting and a particular strength of the film is the cinematography of the French countryside by Linus Sandgren ("American Hustle") which is lush and seductive.
But I have two main criticisms of the picture.
Firstly, the screenplay by Steven Knight is so linear you could make a spirit level from it. I haven't read the novel to see if this is true to the book, but - aside from a traumatic event in the opening minutes - there is nothing surprising to be found in the story. This is not meant to be a spoiler, but everything you expect to happen does!
Secondly, and a much more irritating failure, is in the use of language in the film. The majority of the speech is in English throughout, with Helen Mirran - who I understand speaks pretty good French - adopting a Franglaise accent. I heard an interview with her recently where she confessed to wanting to speak the film in French and use subtitles, but this was rejected by the studios on the grounds that 'Americans don't like sub-titled films'. (If true, this seems highly disparaging towards the intelligence of the sort of US filmgoers that would go to see this type of film). In my opinion if all the french scenes had been in french and the Hindi scenes in Hindi, with a common language of English used for the cross-culture communications, the film would have been so much more convincing. As it was, the conflict generated one of the most ridiculous lines of dialogue in a 2014 film so far: Madame Mallory chastising her head chef for reciting the words of 'La Marseillaise' in french in front of her 100% french employees - "Now again, in English, so we can all understand"!
Directed by Lasse Hallström ("Chocolat", "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen") this is a pleasant, un-challenging and stress-relieving way to spend two hours in the cinema. However, make sure you go in well fed else you will get very very hungry!
(If you enjoyed this review please see my library of other reviews at bob-the-movie-man.com and sign up to "Follow the Fad". Thanks). -
richard-17878 August 2014I can't believe no has has reviewed this already. I just saw it, and had a great time.
There's really nothing not to like. It's a standard story of a clash between two cultures, French and Indian cooking in this case, but rather than just playing it out as that, we see the young Indian chef take an interest in French haute cuisine and experiment with how he can mix one with the other. The head of the haute gamme traditional French restaurant located in the same small French town, played by Helen Mirren, doesn't just fall in love with Indian cooking, as you would expect to happen on a made-for-TV movie about this topic. She grows to appreciate what Indian cuisine can add to classical French cuisine.
She also has certain important French Republican values that make her a more interesting character. She does not hesitate to try to ruin the opening of the rival, Indian restaurant. But when that restaurant is attacked by racists with cries of "France for the French," part of the current Nationalist discourse, she fires the person she believes to have been involved in it and publicly washes away the Nationalist graffiti sprayed at the entrance to the Indian restaurant. (This is one of the many important scenes that are new with the movie and have no equivalent of the novel.) The characters are not caricatures, in other words.
There are times when the movie reminded me of Ratatouille - the in-kitchen rivalry between sous-chefs, for example. (Almost the entire subplot dealing with Hassan and Marguerite is also new with the movie and not in the novel. The novel does mention, largely in passing, that Hassan becomes romantically involved with the sous-chef, Marguerite. But she is never developed as a character in the novel, does not play any significant role in Hassan's development as a chef - it is Mme. Mallory who gives Hassan the cook book, not Marguerite - etc.)
There were times when you could see the next step too far in advance. It's not a perfect movie.
There were also things implied in the movie that never got developed. Mirren's upscale French restaurant is in a typical 19th-century bourgeois villa. The Indians establish their restaurant in what is as clearly a southern French farm building, yet nothing is done with the contrast between bourgeois cooking that has become detached from the basic country cooking that would have taken place in that farmhouse and that has always been at the basis of the greatest French haute cuisine. (That's a theme developed nicely in Ratatouille, with the explanation of the title dish.) The novel touches on that theme from time to time, but never does anything with it either, and in fact seems to forget about it for long stretches. It's not a well-constructed novel. The movie script is much better, frankly.
That the movie does not develop this theme is particularly surprising because the very clear architectural contrast between the two restaurants is also new with the movie. In the novel, the Indian family opens their restaurant in another 19th century bourgeois house, described repeatedly as a "mansion," very similar to the one occupied by the two-Michelin-star traditional French restaurant. They are located across from each other, as in the movie, but in the middle of town, not out in the country. If the director - or whoever - of the movie decided to shift the locale so that he could put the Indians and their restaurant in what is very clearly an old farm house, why was this symbolism not developed?
There are, in fact, many very significant changes from the novel, interesting ones. Among other Academy Awards for which this movie should at least be nominated is Best Adaptation of Previously-existing material, or whatever that award is called. The script of this movie is very intelligent, but also very different from the section of the novel from which it was derived.
All the acting is good to first class.
It's a feel-good movie, yes, but a well-made one. Better, for example, than "Chef", which deals with some of the same issues, but not as well.
Go see it. But be prepared to leave hungry ;) -
SnoopyStyle23 May 2015The Kadam family is a family of cooks in Mumbai. They escape political turmoil to London as refugees. However the vegetables there has no soul and they set off to find better ingredients. Their brakes fail near the small town of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val and Papa Kadam sees it as a sign from his dead wife. He insists on buying the abandoned restaurant directly across the road from Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren)'s Michelin Star restaurant. His son Hassan falls for Mallory's sous chef Marguerite.
I love Om Puri as the father. I love that the family is embarrassed by his determination. Helen Mirren is fine as this character and I'm glad that she gets some depth later on in the movie. Manish Dayal is good. Charlotte Le Bon is rather bland although she's very pretty. There is a bit of food porn which is good. However director Lasse Hallström may have directed one too many Nicholas Sparks movie because that style and sensibility does infect this slightly. With Om Puri and Helen Mirren leading the way, this is lovely and inoffensive movie. -
nishp200415 August 2014The movie is titled "A Hundred Foot Journey", and it's not just the protagonists in the movie who will embark on a journey, but so will you, the moviegoer. You will laugh, you will smile, you will wonder, and you will be immersed in the surroundings of a picturesque small town in the mountains of France where two beautiful (and delicious!) cultures clash, mingle, and eventually harmonize. In short, you will view a Hollywood – Bollywood fusion that is done so well that you will ask for more.
The movie weaves in light-hearted humor throughout, yet honestly depicts the awkwardness and tension between the newly arrived Indian family and the local French townspeople. The struggles faced by the Indian diaspora, so prevalent in Bollywood today, is explored with sincerity and comedy. Helen Mirren was great, but for me the star was Om Puri, who pulled off the role of an immigrant father to perfection. Having grown up with an Indian father abroad, I know that the struggle of adjusting to a new country while holding dearly to your values and culture is not an easy one, and often results in a complicated mix of motives, values and ideals in those individuals. Yet Om Puri strikes a perfect note. His lines are probably the most memorable in the movie.
To summarize, the movie is a must watch! -
paulsamuel-4817725 April 2020This movie was a good family entertainer. The location, ambience, good portrayal of every character and above all the food, made this movie a worth watch. Loved the portrayal of Helen mirren and Ompuri. Music plays a vital part, which elevated the movie. Just felt a bit dragged towards the climax, especially when the story moves away from the small beautiful town and goes towards Paris. But overall a perfect feel good movie which could be watched during a rainy noon.
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When I first noticed the ratings on IMDb, my expectations before watching the movie were substantially toned down. I went to the movie with a rather unassuming frame of mind, hoping something good would come out of from the two hours I planned to spend.
But, I must say that ratings do not hand down the justice the movie deserves. The story is set in south France, and narrates a clash of two beautiful cultures via its respective culinary grandeur. Further embellished into the story line are two very beautiful actors. Overall, the movie leaves a very refreshing taste in the end. The entire movie has a very subtle and harmonious tone, with no significant ups or downs, clash or surprises. Its a very easy to watch, light movie that can be enjoyed with the entire family.
I feel this movie presents an excellent characterization of the type of globalization our society has come to bear. Unfortunately, as embodied by the reviews and ratings, it appears the western audience is not yet ready to embrace a non-western, non-Caucasian actors. I hope this changes soon. -
After his wife (Juhi Chawla) dies in a spate of religious violence, the patriarch of the Kadam family (Om Puri) moves his family to Europe, where they finally settle in a small town in France. Papa Kadam finds a plot of land, which he spontaneously buys without consulting his children. Papa Kadam plans to build an Indian restaurant on the plot of land he just purchased. There is a fly in the ointment, however, and the problem is that a world renowned French restaurant resides 100 feet away from the place where Papa Kadam wants to open his Indian restaurant, and the people in the small French village have never eaten Indian food before. The owner of the French restaurant, Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) thinks her new neighbors are noisy and plans to crush the new competition to her restaurant. Papa has a secret weapon, his son, Hassan (Manish Dayal) has learned all his mother's recipes, and a pretty sous-chef, named Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) from Madame Mallory's restaurant helps Hassan learn French cooking. Can Hassan and his skill as a chef challenge the award winning French restaurant 100 feet away?
The 100 Foot Journey is a decidedly mixed bag of a movie. It handles the lighthearted themes of the competition well, it handles the heavier themes of immigrants in a new land, and a son trying to gain the acceptance of his father well, but it takes too long to develop the main character, every character should have a dramatic arc, but the main character in this movie, Hassan, seemed very gradual in learning about cooking and life, and that was to the movie's detriment. The movie has its share of ludicrous scenes as well, like the ubiquitous montage, where the Indian restaurant goes from an idea to a fully functioning restaurant complete with Taj Mahal-esque wooden façade, in the span of the montage. The Indian restaurant goes from empty to a full house on the first day, that would certainly never happen. There is a clunky romance between Hassan and Marguerite, that seems forced, and the ending is predictable. It tries hard to be The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but is not nearly as good.
The acting ranges widely in this film. Helen Mirren is very good, and she modulates her performance from nasty, uptight competitor to likable, helpful friend, and she does it so subtly, that it's fun to watch the transformation. Indian actor Om Puri has the deep voice and the gravitas to pull off the patriarchal role well. Manish Dayal is unfortunately dull and flat as Hassan, in a role than needed charm and a light touch, his performance comes off as heavy handed, and since he is the center of the movie, his performance drags the movie down. Charlotte Le Bon is vibrant and pretty, she doesn't have the acting chops of Marion Cotillard yet, but she was refreshing to watch. Unfortunately, Dayal and Le Bon have no chemistry, and that hurts the movie as well.
The cinematography is wonderful, the beautiful shots of that picturesque village in France made me want to visit there. The external shots of a vegetable market in India were inviting and full of color. But the movie is too long, and the pacing is too slow, a half hour of this movie should have been edited out.
One final note, there was nobody in the theater to watch this, save an elderly couple, who were decidedly not Indian. If Indian people do not support Indian themed movies made in Hollywood, there will be no more Indian themed movies in Hollywood. This movie was only made because of the success of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, if studios see no profit in movies like this, they won't make them.
For more reviews to whet your appetite, journey to my blog, reviewswithatude.wordpress.com. -
The first half of the movie is very engaging with a good mixture of drama, comedy and cute romance. But the second half become dull. The movie is so intensely based on the rivalry between Om and Helen that it's hard to believe how easily they are allowed to patch up. Plus the romance between Dayal and Le, while cute in the beginning, turns out un-convincing, there is lack of chemistry and their characters are shallow. Overall the viewer knows what will happen in the movie, after the first hour.
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siderite23 December 2014You know when small children paint something it is usually a collection of people and items that caught their eye, something without much sense, but it looks kind of flashy. This film is exactly like that: a movie about passion in cooking, a clash of cultures, romance, all in the beautiful French country side and starring Helen Mirren. But the movie has no soul. It doesn't teach anything, it doesn't make the viewer empathize with any of the characters and everything that is happening seems to be cut and paste scenes from successful movies in the past.
I would have called a movie like that average, after all there are a lot of formulaic films that work because their recipe works. If nothing is added to the formula, but the movie still entertains, then it is average. However this film failed in a really bad way to make me feel anything about its main subjects: food and romance. The romance was clumsy and hard to believe and at no time I was inspired by any of the food ideas in the film. And I am a sucker for food movies!
Bottom line: just mixing together functional bits from other films doesn't a movie make. If you pay an actress like Mirren to play in your movie and make the effort to do nice shots of rural France and fresh food and all that, at least write a script yourself. This movie failed miserably to make me feel anything but boredom. -
sohom41610 August 2014When this movie was announced, I was honestly just going to watch because of Om Puri. However, the plot of the movie is so well written, Om Puri was just a extra bonus. This movie has humor that just comes out naturally, but it also shows lots of emotions. This movie hit me home and I am pretty sure it will hit home to others as well. The casting is very well picked and I really enjoyed this film with my family. It is one of those movies you can watch with your family, and just relax and enjoy. There were some plot holes and other things you might find odd, but the whole movie as a whole was well made. A R Rahman also never disappoints with the movie score.
Verdict: Well Written, Well Made, Enjoyable film. For foodies and the families of anyone. -
jadepietro11 August 2014The 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 -
sushant040614 August 2014I had not planned to watch this movie. It was just out of pure boredom that I opened my local newspaper to check for the list of movie shows in the next hour and decided to go for it. There was a show of The Hundred- Foot Journey and am I glad that I went to watch it.
The director was able to successfully depict the initial struggle of an Indian family, that has moved to France, after losing their matriarch to the fires of the local riots; their belligerent yet funny competition and subsequent truce with the owner of a local and famous restaurant right opposite theirs; and finally nurturing the talent of the Indian boy who had a gift of cooking by the very same French lady and his rise to stardom .
The film also has a touching moment that all the people staying away from their loved ones must have felt in their lives. Actor Manish Dayal did a splendid role in that scene and gave a good performance,overall. The trio of Om Puri, Helen Mirren and Charlotte Le Bon did a splendid job and kept me laughing(Puri and Mirren to be specific) and intrigued the whole time. Not a moment of boredom.
Charlote Le Bon is not only an ocean of talent, but, is insanely gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing her in more movies. -
ferguson-610 August 2014Greetings again from the darkness. Comfort food gets its name from the level of familiarity and satisfaction it brings us. It's the opposite of "Innovation. Innovation. Innovation" that plays a role in this story as we follow the culinary advancement of the young chef Hassan. Director Lasse Hallstrom long ago mastered the art of tapping into the emotional heart strings of viewers (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, An Unfinished Life, Chocolat), so his films can easily be viewed as the movie version of comfort food ... they deliver what's promised with no unwanted surprises.
From the novel by Richard C Morais, the screenplay by Steven Knight (Locke) serves up exactly what we expect and satisfies our taste for slick and sweet entertainment with characters who are both likable and learn their life lessons quickly. Even the backstory of tragedy that brings Kadan family from India is told in a near painless (and improbable) flashback manner as the family goes through customs.
While their travels and heartbreak could have been the story, we instead are front row for the cultural battlefield of snooty French restaurant vs friendly Indian family home-cooking ... 100 feet apart. A snooty French restaurant with a Michelin star requires the ever-present condescending high society Madame Mallory as the movie's "villain". Of course, when played by Helen Mirren, we know immediately that bad will turn to good. The driving force behind her transformation is Papa, played superbly by Om Puri. Stereotypes abound, but at least there is some humor blended so as not to be overcooked.
The real basis for the movie is the extraordinarily talented young chef Hassan (played by Manish Dayal). His skill in the kitchen folded in with his overall niceness make it impossible for Madame Mallory or her sous-chef Margueritte (Charlotte Le Bon) to avoid taking notice in their own ways.
The cultural differences certainly could have been played up and further examined, as could the backstory of all involved - the Indian family and Madame Mallory. An added level of depth and mystery could have been added if, say Catherine Deneuve had been cast in the Helen Mirren role (box office draw obviously played a role in her casting). More detail could have been provided for Hassan's time in Paris as well as what occurs with his Papa while he is away.
Instead, the movie and the story go exactly where we expect it to go, providing the level of enjoyment and satisfaction that we demand from our comfort food. And there's nothing wrong with a big serving of that from time to time. -
dmaire1221-222-445159 August 2014Helen Mirren and Om Puri, Manish Dayal, worked so well on the screen together . It was a treat to watch and with all the big name movies out the same week it was definitely a treasure . The casting and the writing and directing was perfect . It was well worth the ticket watching it in the show . If you make it out to the theater in the next few weeks here is one treat I can promise you wont be disappointed in . The storyline works along with the cast making it come to life . It has all you need to feel good , comedy, drama , and a good ending . So if you are looking for something this weekend for something new and different this is it .
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juneebuggy27 October 2019This was fine, enjoyable with great locations, nicely shot, good story, fantastic acting from Om Ouri , Helen Mirren and Manish Dayal. It just didn't move me in any way and I felt indifferent about the movie as a whole although there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
The plot follows the Kadam family who leave India for France where they open a restaurant directly across the road from Madame Mallory's Michelin-starred eatery. The teenage son finds work with his dad's culinary enemy and with a war between the two eateries brewing he merges French and Indian cuisine with delicious results. There is a bit of romance here but no surprises plot wise. Just a nice feel good movie. -
robertverrege9 August 2014The famous director, Lasse Hallstrom has done it again,creating this masterpiece. A delight that will please all the senses with a backdrop of Southern France thrown in for eye candy. Talented, respected, British star Mirren is at her best showing her uncanny ability in artfully playing a French woman with impeccable taste, in this funny but moving romance of haute-cuisine. The ensemble Bollywood cast with star Om Puri and fresh new faces of handsome Manish Dayal and beautiful Canadian Charlotte La Bon are added to this charming film based on love, food, marketing, cultural differences and acceptance. Mirren shows us she is a worthy match with American Merle Streep in their quest for challenging roles. With Spielberg and Winfrey behind this project is it any wonder it could be anything less than a success? Surely one of 2014's "must see" films.
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sesht9 August 2014Hallström'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. -
VickiHopkins10 August 2014This past week, I went to see The Hundred-Foot Journey with a friend of mine. I ordered my usual small bag of popcorn and small drink costing me a total of $10.05, plus my $7.75 ticket price for the 1:45 p.m. show. It's easy to equate the value of a movie based on what I've paid for refreshments and a ticket. Since this was a whopping $17.80 excursion, The Hundred Foot-Journey was worth about $7.50 in my opinion.
I'm not saying the movie doesn't have some good qualities, which it does. The story focuses upon a family from Mumbai, who have suffered loss and are looking for a new life. They are restauranteurs and cooks. After losing their establishment and a family member, they travel from India to London. Eventually, they move to France, complaining about the quality of vegetables in the U.K. While traipsing about the countryside looking for a place to live, the brakes on their car fail. The head of the family, Papa Kadam, takes it as a sign that the nearby town is the place to live. Papa decides to purchase a run-down restaurant one hundred feet across the street from Madame Mallory's famous French restaurant, in spite of his family's objection.
The movie is about a clash of not only cuisine, but one of of ethnicity between people. Madame Mallory is not pleased with her new neighbor, who upon opening night raises the Maison Mumbai's bright Taj Mahal entrance. A tit-for-tat battle ensues between Madame Mallory and Papa Kadam, which leads to an unfortunate incident of an attack upon the Kadam family restaurant.
Manish Dayal plays Hassan, the son who has a gift for cooking. Eventually, Madame Mallory admits that he is talented and agrees to hire him at her restaurant to further his career. A peaceful co-existence between the madame and papa ensues as the two of them begin to learn and accept each other in spite of their ethic differences.
The premise of the story is a good one with a theme of co-existence and acceptance of others unlike yourself. It also contains the elements of competition, of course, when each party has their own goals. Madame Mallory seeks another star for her restaurant, Papa a new life for his family, and Hassan the chance to become a renowned chef. However, somewhere during the movie, I found it bland. The film lacked a certain spice. It was intellectually tasteful, but the heartfelt emotion you expect from the story felt like a lukewarm plate of food.
Helen Mirren, who is never bad in anything she does, made Madame Mallory's character. Along with Om Puri, who played papa, they delivered a good mix of banter. There is a side element of romance between Hassan and another cook hundred feet across the street, but nothing like a spicy dish of Indian food. -
arcdanku12 December 2014This movie was definitely enjoyable, it is a very lighthearted happily ever after movie. It is fast paced, and generally well-acted. However, there are so many fairy tale aspects to it that I couldn't take it anything more than feelgood but forgettable. Among the things that stretches credulity: the Indian family was supposed to have lost everything, but seems to have plenty of money to travel around in France and buy property. The romance between Hassan and Margeurite is so forced as to be laughable, especially an attractive French girl being single, unattached, almost virginal throughout the movie (never does she have a male companion until Hassan comes & then she's all over him!) Also, let's be realistic, this is 2014, Indian spices and cooking is not that exotic in Europe, and just the addition of spices won't make someone a top chef in record time. So yes, there are a lot of areas which are fairy-tale like, but still there's a lighthearted charm that kept me watching the whole movie without feeling it was too shallow.