Movie Review: The Hundred Foot Journey
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Hassan Kadam is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. When Hassan and his family, led by Papa, move to a quaint village in the South of France with the grand plan of opening an Indian restaurant in the picturesque countryside, they are undeterred by the fact that across the road stands a Michelin starred classical French eatery. However upon encountering the icy proprietress, Madame Mallory, the Kadam family realise they may have bitten off more than they can chew. ~ Google
Take your mum.
Take your grandma.
Take your Great Aunt Helen who gets uncomfortable when anything that looks like S-E-X pops up onscreen.
I can almost guarantee they will love it. I did. Although I had a weird craving for Butter Chicken afterwards, can’t imagine where that came from … no, wait, it would be the glorious shots of brightly coloured spices and lush fresh ingredients, cutting away to beautiful faces with eyes closed in ecstasy as they sniff delicious aromas.
But this is no international version of Masterchef.
It is a Lasse Hallström film. His films are not full of action, nor are they weighed down with worthy messages. However, he does touch on sensitive subjects in a way that is not cheesy or condescending – for example, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape with Johnny Depp and Leonardo Dicaprio, covered family loyalty, obesity and mental issues without waving a flag or slowing down a good story.
This film begins with tragedy but does not wallow in it. It looks at racism, sexism and ageism without ever preaching to the audience. In fact, you may leave thinking ‘what a lovely film’ and only later realise that some quite touchy subjects were covered. No S-E-X though, just romance and a hastily buttoned tunic that suggests unbuttoning may have been involved.
Hallström is no stranger to food porn onscreen … he made Chocolat, also with Johnny Depp – mmmmmmmm. He has form for presenting romantic moments without schmaltz too. Ewan MacGregor bringing a sandwich to Emily Blunt in his Salmon Fishing on the Yemen is still one of the great romantic gestures for me.
In this film, Hallström plays with both social and racial divides. The young couple at the centre of the story are so incredibly attractive and each frame of the film so lovingly staged it is just a joy to watch their story unfold.
Theirs is not the only story though, every member of the Kadam family has their own arc and it is a pleasure to see Helen Mirren in ANYTHING. Her frosty foodie is a delight, proving that a journey can be made in both directions. Om Puri is more animated than he usually is and the French countryside – well, I am buying my airline ticket tomorrow!
The story is based on a book of the same name by Richard C. Morais, which was described as ‘a cross between Ratatouille and Slumdog Millionaire’ in one review and in some ways that is actually a fair description! The book certainly provided the film with very good bones.
This film will not change the world but it will give you a charming evening of cinema and a little food for thought.
Roslyn Hull saw this film as a guest of Dendy Cinemas, Canberra.
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