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Eat, Pray, Love movie review
Elizabeth Gilbert's personal transformation from depressed divorcee to healthy, balanced woman in love were recorded in her bestselling memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love." The book resonated with so many people that a movie adaptation was made, with Julia Roberts playing the lead. Filming highlighted the beauty of the locations, especially Italy and Bali. A soft focus gave a dreamlike quality, with Roberts' golden hair glowing like a halo. India didn't get as much glamor, though the chaos of the country, especially to a new arrival, was portrayed fairly accurately.
Though the movie definitely employed "pretty power," it wasn't able to really tell a story. Lost is the complexity of Gilbert's situation and relationships. We see her in New York, telling her husband she doesn't want to be married, but there's no background. The pivotal moment in her story, when she first talks to God, seems out-of-place and as if it came out of nowhere.
The rest of the movie is similar. Gilbert goes searching for herself, but as viewers we're not really sure what she's in search of -- or if she really ever finds it. Relationships don't have the weight they should, and thus Gilbert's journey is lost. Gone is the story of her building herself back up, learning to be alone, and eschewing romance in favor of nurturing her soul. People pop up, friendships are made, but none of it seems to make much sense. And while Roberts does a fantastic job of conveying pain, she doesn't have the perk that led to Gilbert's being assigned to the job of Key Hostess in her ashram in India. Thus, Gilbert's charisma is also gone, and with it any sympathy the viewer might have had for her. When there is an emotional scene, it just tries too hard -- like the awkward, pointless confession from Richard from Texas (played by Richard Jenkins).
At least it's beautiful. And not just the scenery or the Italian food porn: Roberts is surround by a cast of sexy eye candy, including Billy Crudup, James Franco, and Javier Bardem. Unfortunately the beauty of these men in contrast with the lack of character development will only serve to amplify the dreamlike, fantastical quality of the movie; rather than focus on the work that Gilbert did on herself in order to become a more aware human being (what makes the story appealing and relatable), female fans are likely to get lost in the dream of travel and sexy men. I don't suppose that's the end of the world, and it is definitely what Hollywood is for, but again, the bigger message of Gilbert's story is pretty much only conveyed in a final voice-over at the very end.
[Photo credit: Flickr user mzarzar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ina bond Aug 17th 2010 1:43PM
Agree. Also, Julia was too old for the role or her men seemed too young. The relationships were not believable, lacking in chemistry, as if they'd rushed through each scene. Liz's role needed a fresh thirty something, not a mid forties grand dame of film. Julia looked like a queen bee, with everyone else catering to her, making her look and feel good. Also, scenes like the elegant woman feeding the dog or the young girl in Naples sticking a middle finger looked like caricatures, not the real people I'd seen in my travels. And who can believe that Javier's character had not been with a woman in ten years? Please. I fidgeted throughtout a movie I really wanted to enjoy as I had the book.
Christy Aug 17th 2010 4:53PM
I haven't seen it yet, and, regardless of the reviews, it is a MUST SEE for anyone in the travel industry. But, to me, the most compelling part of the book was the chronicle of her spiral into depression during the first chapter, WAY before the eating or the praying or the loving. I would love to see that part of her journey come to life on the screen. But I do look forward to comparing the film's Italy and Bali to my own experiences.
Christine Aug 17th 2010 7:46PM
Oh Christy you are going to be sooooo disapointed! The review is acurate, maybe a little too kind. You will not see her spiral into depression, her soul searching, nor her suicidle moment. Perhaps the hardest part of Elizabeth Gilbet's journey to find herself took place in Italy where along with all the postitive aspects there was also heartache, depression and lonliness. The film made it look like a breeze.
Sadly it was a disapointing movie - there was no depth and no character development.