I KNOW HOW TO QUIT YOU
Eat Pray Love
**1/2
Review by Paul Preston
Julia Roberts takes a “journey of self-discovery” to various parts of the world in this adaptation of the best-selling novel. Maybe a novel has more time to examine the psychological implications of a global jaunt like this, but reduced to a two hour running time, Roberts’ character seems a little rushed in her decisions, and that made the ride a little rough for me.
Roberts plays a woman who’s used to headlining blockbusters in this August release, and finds herself pairing up with men in Italy, India and Bali. It’s kind of like the “drinking around the world game” you can play at EpCot Center, but the world is real and the drinks are sex.
Truth is, in India, she doesn’t find romance (which is tough to do in the “PRAY” part of the story), but the man she does befriend there is the GREAT Richard Jenkins, who is compensated for not sleeping with Julia by delivering the best monologue of the year so far.
Before “EAT”, it all starts with her being mildly annoyed by her husband and then leaving him entirely. There are flashbacks and everything to prove what a jerk he was that one time. He is authentically desperate and heartbroken in their separation, but off she goes. Adding to the quality of the (in my opinion) undeservedly-dumped husband is another good performance by the criminally underrated Billy Crudup.
“EAT” takes Roberts to Italy, a country impossible to film non-gorgeous, where she first throws caution to the wind with overeating and a fling with a young Italian language teacher. The locals are ADORABLE and sun gently makes everything glisten. But despite her jump off the cliff, eating a crap-ton doesn’t seem much like a personal revolution.
The “PRAY” section gets a little boring, as does praying, so not much can be expected. Julia reunites with an old guru who is praying for a decent set of teeth and begins to look inside herself. This sends her to Bali, where she struggles with “LOVE”, only to realize there isn’t another word in the title to escape to.
Overall, there’s real competence on display here, especially given that it’s Ryan Murphy’s first feature, after building a name creating the not-toned-at-all-like-this “Glee”. Roberts is solid, but the film didn’t sway me from preconceptions based on what I’ve heard about the book. It’s a bit featherweight, neither diving deep into drama or comedy. Let’s just call it “EAT PRAY LIKE”.
Directed by: Ryan Murphy
Release Date: August 13, 2010
Run Time: 133 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: PG-13
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
