By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Year: 2014
The
Hundred Foot Journey (India/United
Arab Emirates/USA; 122
min.)
directed by:
Lasse Hallström
starring:
Helen Mirren; Om Puri; Manish Dayal; Charlotte Le Bon; Amit Shah;
Farzana Dua Elahe; Dillon Mitra
|
 |
|
Thom says: “Director
Hallström was responsible for ONCE AROUND (1991) & THE CIDER
HOUSE RULES (1999) (that I saw with a lady that changed my life), both
films scored my highest rating so it shouldn’t come as such a huge
surprise that I loved this charmer so much. He received international
fame for his MY LIFE AS A DOG back in 1985 and he’s been on a bit of a
roll since then although not all his films are as consistent. His
sentimental nature lends itself perfectly to this story about the
Kadams, an Indian family fleeing the violence at home that has
destroyed their restaurant business.
“They arrive in France where a chance automobile accident spurs them to
settle in the French Riviera town of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val where papa
Kadam (the always reliable Om Puri, one of India’s greatest exports to
the world of international cinema) purchases the restaurant across the
street from the haute cuisine, Michelin-starred, destination restaurant
where Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), the charming lady that rescues the
Kadams after the accident, is sous chef. This restaurant is owned and
run by the haughty, snobbish Madame Malory (Helen Mirren) who initially
is viciously mean to the immigrant family, trying everything in her
power to make their fledgling restaurant fail, although she draws the
line at racism.
“Will the handsome son of papa Kadam ever fall in love with the
beautiful Marguerite? Will his cooking skills that are growing by leaps
and bounds ever gain the interest of the evil Madame Mallory? Will the
Indian restaurant succeed on its own? Can there possibly ever be a
romance between old class talents like Mirren & Puri? Will Helen
Mirren give another flawless, skilled performance that will have people
talking for years to come? Will we learn a delirious amount of
information about cooking that will have you buzzing as you leave the
show? My current, and very recent fascination with TOP CHEF (I’ve
watched the first five seasons in 6 weeks) also attracted me to this
film. The fun Bollywood cast members are all delightful, although it
was a little hard to explain that in the three years over the period
that the story took place none of the younger kids aged a day. It’s all
very corny but in my fave way. 5 cats“ |
|
