Eat Pray Love (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
I haven't read 'Eat Pray Love'. Shocker. But really, why would I? I am a 30 yr. old male with little interest in a middle-aged woman's personal issues. Having said that, I have seen the film (based on the memoirs by Elizabeth Gilbert, & directed by Ryan Murphy), & aside from some disjointed, choppy transitions from life segment to life segment, I basically enjoyed myself enough for a tepid recommendation. Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts), a writer of sorts, is going through a mid-life crisis -- simple as that. She is anxious & bored with her upper-middle class NYC lifestyle & needs a major overhaul. As her best friend (Viola Davis) tells her, 'you sound like an indecisive college student!' And so, she divorces her too-devoted husband (Billy Crudup), & jumps into a haphazard fling with a 28 yr. old actor (played by James Franco). She's not content with him, either; and is frustrated that she doesn't quite know why. Again, mid-life crisis. Everyone has one.
Having spent some time in Bali (a year prior), she decides to drop everything & head overseas to find herself - or re-discover herself - or find God - or ... whatever calms her the hell down. Her 1st stop is Rome, where she spends 4 months learning Italian, indulging in fine food, & making friends. She then flies off to India, to live in an ashram for 4 months, & learn how to meditate (something she had a derivative interest in thanks to the James Franco character). There, Liz meets Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins), whose revelations about his own sad life show her that she may not have it quite so bad; & maybe enlightenment is not far away. Finally, she travels back to Bali for her final 4 months; where she receives guidance from a fortune teller named Ketut, & falls for a sexy, recently self-assured Brazilian named Felipe (Javier Bardem). She had not been looking for love, nor he. But it found them both. Felipe is in a position to accept it. But is Liz?
You know, many people lose themselves during the course of their lives. I find myself lost, at times. Confused. Searching for something that may not be there; or yet to see what's been there all along, etc. THIS is the appeal of the movie. Sure, the narrative here is tipped heavily to the female side of the scale; but guys can relate on their own emotional plane. For Liz, each country is meant to repair her soul, & she immerses herself in each culture. i.e., she wants to enjoy eating again - go to Italy. She feels the need for God in her life - go pray in India. She needs inner peace & balance - find love in Bali. I get it. It's a sweeping, romantic concept. But it apparently happened to this woman in real life, so we must accept it as truth.
My main concern with this film is: while it is beautifully rendered (warm cinematography, exotic locales, great music), & while the acting is impressive ... the aforementioned transitions from place to place and frame of mind to frame of mind is choppy. There are too many cutaway scenes. And though the film is already a trying 135 min. long, I feel like it needed to be a half hour longer or maybe made into a mini-series to appropriately flesh out the places she sees, incidents she experiences, & wonderful people she meets. I accept (whether I want to or not) everything that happened to Liz Gilbert, I just found it hard (at times) to feel what she was feeling because it's always difficult to convey someone's emotional journey onscreen; whereas it's accepted & understood more thoroughly on paper. I 'saw' Liz's pain & transformation (via Julia Roberts), but didn't always feel it. And that's a shame.
All that said, I was transported away for 2 + hours; forgetting my life issues & watching someone else's for a while. Yes, Liz Gilbert's road to self-forgiveness (over her past mistakes) & search for God comes across as a bit self-centered. But I've seen Julia Roberts onscreen many times, & I liked 'her' Liz. Even if I couldn't empathize with Liz, I feel like - through Julia - I know the Liz types. Privileged, self-absorbed, but real. At age 42, Julia has never looked better. And I found her performance to be - if not complex enough - warm, appealing, & really, quite good. She is the movie. Richard Jenkins is fantastic; particularly when he confesses about his relationship with his son. And Javier Bardem can do no wrong. He's great as Felipe. And I teared-up at a poignant moment btwn. him & his son. Yes, tears again. I can't defend it {haha}. Other minor characters are interesting, but they're given too little screen time for much effect.
Some critics have referred to the lead character as deplorable & unrelatable. I think that's a cheap shot. Sure, I don't identify to Liz. And yeah, after repairing her soul & gaining perspective, she kind of comes full circle to where she began (if you think about it). But one can observe & surmise a person, their faults, their strife, & their redemption without looking for a reason to hate. You know, I'm sure 'Eat Pray Love' is not as resonant as the book. I don't really care about Liz's divorce, dissatisfactions, or queasy spiritual awakening. And the movie is far from perfect. But the film gave me a well-acted, breezy, sumptuous, cinematic escape. And I can't honestly say that I disliked anything about it, either.
Having spent some time in Bali (a year prior), she decides to drop everything & head overseas to find herself - or re-discover herself - or find God - or ... whatever calms her the hell down. Her 1st stop is Rome, where she spends 4 months learning Italian, indulging in fine food, & making friends. She then flies off to India, to live in an ashram for 4 months, & learn how to meditate (something she had a derivative interest in thanks to the James Franco character). There, Liz meets Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins), whose revelations about his own sad life show her that she may not have it quite so bad; & maybe enlightenment is not far away. Finally, she travels back to Bali for her final 4 months; where she receives guidance from a fortune teller named Ketut, & falls for a sexy, recently self-assured Brazilian named Felipe (Javier Bardem). She had not been looking for love, nor he. But it found them both. Felipe is in a position to accept it. But is Liz?
You know, many people lose themselves during the course of their lives. I find myself lost, at times. Confused. Searching for something that may not be there; or yet to see what's been there all along, etc. THIS is the appeal of the movie. Sure, the narrative here is tipped heavily to the female side of the scale; but guys can relate on their own emotional plane. For Liz, each country is meant to repair her soul, & she immerses herself in each culture. i.e., she wants to enjoy eating again - go to Italy. She feels the need for God in her life - go pray in India. She needs inner peace & balance - find love in Bali. I get it. It's a sweeping, romantic concept. But it apparently happened to this woman in real life, so we must accept it as truth.
My main concern with this film is: while it is beautifully rendered (warm cinematography, exotic locales, great music), & while the acting is impressive ... the aforementioned transitions from place to place and frame of mind to frame of mind is choppy. There are too many cutaway scenes. And though the film is already a trying 135 min. long, I feel like it needed to be a half hour longer or maybe made into a mini-series to appropriately flesh out the places she sees, incidents she experiences, & wonderful people she meets. I accept (whether I want to or not) everything that happened to Liz Gilbert, I just found it hard (at times) to feel what she was feeling because it's always difficult to convey someone's emotional journey onscreen; whereas it's accepted & understood more thoroughly on paper. I 'saw' Liz's pain & transformation (via Julia Roberts), but didn't always feel it. And that's a shame.
All that said, I was transported away for 2 + hours; forgetting my life issues & watching someone else's for a while. Yes, Liz Gilbert's road to self-forgiveness (over her past mistakes) & search for God comes across as a bit self-centered. But I've seen Julia Roberts onscreen many times, & I liked 'her' Liz. Even if I couldn't empathize with Liz, I feel like - through Julia - I know the Liz types. Privileged, self-absorbed, but real. At age 42, Julia has never looked better. And I found her performance to be - if not complex enough - warm, appealing, & really, quite good. She is the movie. Richard Jenkins is fantastic; particularly when he confesses about his relationship with his son. And Javier Bardem can do no wrong. He's great as Felipe. And I teared-up at a poignant moment btwn. him & his son. Yes, tears again. I can't defend it {haha}. Other minor characters are interesting, but they're given too little screen time for much effect.
Some critics have referred to the lead character as deplorable & unrelatable. I think that's a cheap shot. Sure, I don't identify to Liz. And yeah, after repairing her soul & gaining perspective, she kind of comes full circle to where she began (if you think about it). But one can observe & surmise a person, their faults, their strife, & their redemption without looking for a reason to hate. You know, I'm sure 'Eat Pray Love' is not as resonant as the book. I don't really care about Liz's divorce, dissatisfactions, or queasy spiritual awakening. And the movie is far from perfect. But the film gave me a well-acted, breezy, sumptuous, cinematic escape. And I can't honestly say that I disliked anything about it, either.