Last night a friend suggested lunch and movie on my day off. She wanted to see The Hundred Foot Journey I’d never heard of it. Much to her surprise I’d not seen the trailers. Actually we’ve not watched TV for a week reading on the porch in the evening instead. I agreed to the movie and we hooked up for lunch where we had the week before.
Thus I went into the movie without an idea what it was about. I was ready for a story and boy did I get one. It’s a food unites hearts type of story. An Indian family loses their matriarch and restaurant when it is set fire during riots after an election. The patriarch takes them to Europe to found a restaurant there. After some wandering they wind up in France buying a place 100 ft across a small road from a 1-star Michelin French restaurant where Papa in all his wisdom opens their restaurant.
This is a feel good movie from Disney. It’s family affair stuff. But you know what, it works. There is a dark night of the soul, but don’t worry it’s not too dark. There is romance but don’t worry it’s not too syrupy. There is comedy but not just for the sake of going for the laugh. But most of all there is hope and faith that in the end all will turn out as it should. Being Disney of course it does.
Along the way to the inevitable happy ending we are treated to a feast for the eyes. The cinematography is breath taking from the colorful streets of India’s spice markets to the breathtaking vistas of Southern France to the I can almost taste it shots of food the eyes feast at every turn. I could smell the delicious spiciness of Indian cuisine and taste the subtle blends of the French sauces. I felt the heat and heady scents of the market as we jostled to buy fresh sea urchins in India and felt the soul healing energy as Papa looked down into the town that would be their new home, the pristine visage of an old village that blended with the slopes of the alps.
Yes it is at it’s heart about the journeys we all take. The journeys inside to find ourselves and answer our callings. The journeys we take on the outside to find a place of our own. The journey where 100 foot wide road separates them but they start out a world apart. Then how in time and shared experiences they could be a world apart but nothing could come between them. Two cultures who find common ground and mutual respect in the love of food. Because as the movie states more than once, “Food is memories.” Sometimes flavors need to blend to make new dishes and new memories for all to treasure.
If you need a soothing boost… If you want a story that’s comforting over joke filled action of next Summer Blockbuster – then this journey is for you. Take it – you’ll enjoy it. But don’t go on an empty stomach!
Mary Louise Eklund 