Eat, Pray, Love, the Movie

I actually have to disagree with those that say that Eat, Pray, Love is a boring movie that isn't good. I think this movie was well made, and that Julia Roberts does an excellent job in the role. It is a bit long and did drag a bit in places but overall I enjoyed the film and I am glad that I went ahead and saw it.

Plot: This movie is all about a woman's midlife crisis. Liz, Julia Roberts, wakes up in the middle of her life and nothing is right or so it seems. She suddenly realizes that she no longer loves her husband and she decides to get a divorce. She then dates a young actor (rebound anyone?) who introduces her to a following of a certain guru of India. Liz, who is a travel book author, suddenly realizes that her life isn't working. She is no happier divorced and she sees her life going nowhere. She remembers an incident in Bali which inspires her to take a year out of her life to "find herself" or at least something that inspires her. She decides to travel to Italy (for the food), India (to meet the guru) and then to Bali to speak with the medicine man she saw years ago. Along the way she discovers herself with the unlikely help of people she meets along the way. Each person has something to teach her including Richard from Texas who is at the guru's temple atoning for a life wasted as an alcoholic, and Felipe in Bali who also suffered through a divorce and is shy as Liz about loving and trusting again. This movie is all about life, love and self discovery. If you have been down Liz's road at some point in your life then you will relate to and probably enjoy this film. If not, I suspect you will think that this is one boring chick flick.

I really like the plot and script of this film. The script is important in this movie because there is not a lot of action in it, so the words are important and nicely written I think. I haven't read the book as of yet so I don't know how it compares to the movie. However, I like the film whether it is a close approximation of the book or not, and it is based on a true story. This is a story that may be written too many times in this day and age as women struggle with what they really want in life. We are told as women that we should have a husband and a family when what we really want is something else. This movie takes us on a journey to search for that something else.

Julia Roberts is excellent in this film. She has a lovely expressive face and a great laugh. She is perfect for this role as a woman in search of something to fill her life whether it be food and friends or religion. I also liked Richard Jenkins as Richard from Texas who really makes an impact on Liz with his story about his wasted life. He sort of wakes her up and get her to think about her life and how she lives it. He was a great in your face character. Richard was splendid. Javier Bardem also plays an excellent character as Felipe. The man who shows Liz what love really is. He also has a very expressive face which is pivotal for his role as well since in this introspective film you need to see what people are thinking on their faces.

Overall, I enjoyed this film but I am a 30 something woman who had to evaluate her life after a really nasty divorce, so this movie speaks to me. I only wish I had the money to spend a year in Europe to discover myself again. I do see, however, how this movie does not have universal appeal and to those of you that have not been down this road, this movie would seem like a really slow chick flick. I would recommend that you not see this film in the theater but wait for DVD instead. There are no special effects in the film that give it that extra something in the theater. It's a story film and its story will be just as good on your home TV as it is the movie theater.