Review of Eat Pray Love (2010) by Lukechristiansc — 19 Dec 2015

This isn't a chick flick, it is about self-discovery, even though that Roberts (which is an odd casting chose) who looks nothing the real Elizabeth Gilbert, Roberts performance is incandescent and does a great job as the character.

Co-writer director Ryan Murphy (Running With Scissors) makes this film adaptation artsy and bright also makes the food look like ecstasy, Murphy and his screenwriter Jennifer Salt (Tempo) make this spiritual, relaxed.

Writer Elizabeth Gilbert (played Julia Roberts) has reached a life crisis, without her husband Steven (Billy Grudup) realizing it they arrived in different and diverging places in their lives, Liz wants out of their marriage.

While Liz and Steven are going their divorce papers, she meets an actor David Piccolo (James Franco) who meet while he's performing a stage play. After meeting him, her biggest problem she realizes is herself, earlier when a Balinese medicine man Ketut (Hadi Subiyanto who is amazing) gave her foretellings.

So she maps out her journey. So Liz goes on an adventure to self-discovery first it's Italy where she she learns how to love food again the way she use to love it, then India to learn how to meditate and get some spiritual peace in her life, she meets Richard (Richard Jenkins) they start a friendship.

The last part in her self discovery journey is Bolly, where she meets again Ketut to thank him, also give more insights in her life. As she was planning her geographic plan, she meets Felipe (Javier Bardem) they run into each other, they are both divorced they have a few things in common.

Things don't go quite as planned. She gets lost by the end of her stay. Despite the Hollywood cliche's and the Hollywood film making, at times this feels like a different movie. Only in this movie in the middle, Jenkins gives his best Oscar performance despite his little screen time.

The pacing is great at times a little bit rushed, it's predictable but who cares that's what Gilbert made out to make in her novel at times it's original. The character development is socko, Murphy and Salt successfully put character development in Jenkin's character despite his screen time and so does Bardem who is phenomenal.