EAT PRAY LOVE (2010)

We were all expecting great things from the movie Eat Pray Love, even though we know from years of experience that the movie is never as good as the book. Still, we hoped, we prayed that this time would be the exception. Sorry. Director Ryan Murphy, like so many directors before him, could not accomplish that feat. Elizabeth Gilbert's book contains spiritual experiences and lessons and other details that cannot be or would take too long to be portrayed on film. And, if you've recently read the book, you will be griping about things that aren't said in the movie in exactly the same way, or that don't happen in the same sequence, or characters that are missing or combined or whatever. But if you've read it long enough ago to have forgotten a few details, or you never read it in the first place, you might just enjoy this one. For the viewer who is just a viewer and not a reader, the movie is quite satisfying with its glorious cinematography, sensitive lighting, evocative imagery and gorgeous scenery.

That being said, the film is too long. This is because the first quarter is spent exploring the end of Liz's marriage, her affair and her divorce with too much extraneous stuff. Like the book, the movie really gets interesting when Liz lands in Rome. Here, the director manages to translate to us all the lusciousness of the city: its history, its language, its people and of course its food. We fall in love with it all just as Liz does and find ourselves never wanting to leave that cinematic reality. But then she whisks herself off to an ashram in India where we don't really get the impact of the spiritual connection that we imagine occurs (and know occurs if we've read the book). Finally there's Bali, where situations and happenstance will really seem jumbled around to the devoted book reader. However, for the viewer who is just a viewer and not a reader, the movie is quite satisfying with its glorious cinematography, sensitive lighting, evocative imagery and gorgeous scenery. And finally, there's the acting, which is what truly makes this film for both the devotee and non-devotee of the book. Julia Roberts is luminous. She gets Elizabeth Gilbert; she inhabits her, she seems to understand her on every level. She was the perfect choice for the role and it was absolutely providential that she was available and agreeable to doing the part - in fact was probably aching to do it. Her emotions are right there on the surface and she doesn't rely too heavily, as she sometimes does, on all her Julia Roberts charm. All the supporting actors are excellent as well, namely Richard Jenkins as "Richard from Texas"; Javier Bardem as Felipe, Liz's lover in Bali; Billy Crudup as Steven her husband; James Franco as David, her yummy but heartbreaking love interest in New York; Viola Davis as her agent, Delia; and especially Hadi Subiyanto as Balinese medicine man Ketut. The important thing is that the film leaves you with the same overall feeling that the book does, glowing and happy and warm, though perhaps not quite as fulfilled. To sum up: If you are passionate about the book and expect an exact replica, don't see it. If you just want to see the memoir come to life (or were too lazy to read it) and are not picky about the details, definitely do.  
(By the way, to know where to find that amazing-looking fried artichoke that Liz was eating in Rome, check out my blog post on the subject at searching4sincerity.blogspot.com)

Movie reviewed by Georgina Young-Ellis

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