Julia Roberts finds herself - and we rediscover her considerable talents - in a rare “movie-is-better-than-the-book” travel adventure, Eat Pray Love.
Screenplay by director Ryan Murphy and Jennifer Salt redeems the navel-gazing memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. Revealing an inner adventure that drags at first, the film soon falls into natural rhythm as a world traveler faces her inner demons and searches for love.
Best of all, Eat Pray Love stars a Julia Roberts who shows up in nearly every scene. Abundant screen time allows Roberts to inhabit her character Liz, weave us into her anger and frustration, and reveal a radiant, smiling beauty. There’s no trace of the tight-assed Anna of Closer or Tess of Ocean’s Eleven. Instead we could be watching Mystic Pizza’s Daisy Arujo all grown up.
Roberts seems to be playing herself in the film which avoids becoming preachy or too New Agey. Instead Liz meets an array of honest, memorable characters as she learns to love herself during trips to Italy, India and Bali.
“Ruin is the path to transformation,” Liz finds. After a bitter divorce from sarcastic dreamer Stephen (perfectly played by Billy Crudup), she leaves a rebound-relationship with actor David (James Franco). Tarrying too long in New York City with her literary agent (Viola Davis), Liz finally she sets out, broke and alone.
The film’s rich atmosphere and scenery in all three countries is pleasurable. How big the world is, and how it puts our personal struggles into perspective.
In Italy, Liz indulges in food and abstains from sex. It’s her time to be in relationship with herself. She ruminates about her romantic failures while wolfing down Pizza Margherita in Napoli and enjoying prosciutto topped melon with a motley crew of natives and expatriates. The philosophical group, including new friend Sofi (Tuva Novotny), share interesting times, including a morning-after Thanksgiving turkey with extended family. What Liz takes away from her stay is gratitude – for her friends and for life.
A few pounds heavier, she heads to India and the ashram of David’s guru. Plunging herself into a regimen of chanting, vegetarian meals and 4:00 a.m. meditations, she meets Richard from Texas (raw, honest Richard Jenkins, a likely nominee for Best Supporting Actor). Filled with fear and skepticism, Liz is shown meditating just enough to give us the idea: accept whatever happens, and move on. Rushita Singh is memorable as a teenager who’s being forced into an arranged marriage.
Bali is where Liz reunites with a wise, eccentric shaman Ketut (irresistible Hadi Subiyanto) and befriends a healer Wayan (soulful Christine Hakim). It isn’t long before warm-hearted divorcee Felipe (Javier Bardem) nearly collides with the soul searcher. Roberts and Bardem are magical together onscreen.
Eat Pray Love is part of a new Hollywood tradition: the blockbuster film about self-discovery. The screenplay reportedly struck a chord with Roberts. The film’s team of producers includes Brad Pitt (Seven Years in Tibet; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
Eat Pray Love reveals an authentic side of Julia Roberts while it shows us how the real can become sublime.
If you like Eat Pray Love, you might enjoy: I Am Love; Wild Grass; Another Year.
Eat Pray Love 2010 / PG-13 / 2 hours, 15 minutes
Cast Overview: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins, James Franco, Luca Spaghetti
Director: Ryan Murphy
Genres: Self-Discovery, Adventure, Travel, Romance
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