Eat Pray Love (Columbia Pictures)
Watch Snooze Leave
Julia Roberts new film Eat Pray Love, which is based on Elizabeth Gilberts best selling novel of the same name, is a two and a half hour study in navel gazing. It is slow and studied and will likely drive most of the men in the audience crazy. Even with Julia Roberts lighting up the room with her smile, when she deigns to flash it, this is a movie targeted for a specific audience and it aint The Expendables crowd.
When we first meet Liz Gilbert she is in Bali on a writing assignment. She meets with teacher Katut Liyer (Hadi Subiyanto). He makes some prophesies about her life and tells her to return in a year. She goes home and ends one relationship and starts another one. It also tanks so she takes off for four months in Italy (thats the eat part).
After four months she goes to India and lives in an ashram (this is the pray part). Finally she goes back to Bali (this is the love part). All of this is to show her growth spiritually and emotionally. It all gets old quickly. I kept thinking about that famous scene in Moonstruck when Cher slapped goofy Nicolas Cage up the side of his head and told him to Snap out of it! Im not advocating violence but someone needs to tell Liz (Roberts) to snap out of it.
The movie is packed full of beautiful location shots and there is also a lush soundtrack to enhance the mood. There is also good acting on display from Roberts and the four men in Lizs life. Billy Crudup is immature but sincere as her husband Stephen. James Franco is ethereal and artistic as her lover David.
Javier Bardem is all romance and wisdom as her second lover Felipe. Most impressive of all is Richard Jenkins who is compassionate and vulnerable as her friend Richard from Texas. Jenkins has the most touching scenes with Roberts and their compatibility flows off the screen.
Roberts has not been seen in a strong role on screen in some time. Her last films Duplicity and Charlie Wilsons War were not blockbuster hits. In this film Julia is the star and the one on whose shoulders the film rests. She looks good in the movie and she still has that irrepressible laugh, but the character she is playing is not one who draws you into her world. The audience finds itself watching her at arms length.
The movie is rated PG-13 for strong profanity and brief nudity.
Those who are students of meditation, soul-searching, and chanting will latch on to this film with enthusiasm. Those who arent will find the film to be tedious and tiring. We may be told to eat pray love but we are more likely to watch snooze leave.
It is great to have Julia Roberts back in a major film but couldnt it have been a romantic comedy that she does so well
I scored Eat Pray Love a triple whammy 5 out of 10.
