Review of The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) by Zachary P — 25 Aug 2014

I work at a ski resort. In my former capacity there, it was my responsibility to shovel a fair amount of snow, and after I was done, it was good to take a break, sit in front of the fire, and drink a cup of hot chocolate before going about other duties. THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY is this cup of hot chocolate. Objectively, it is nothing special. However, it makes you feel warm inside, like there's something good about life, and even if you forget about it a little while later, you can't forget how *nice* it felt.

The film starts out fairly strong. An Indian family, through a series of misfortunes, comes to France to seek their new fortunes as restauranteurs. It's hard to figure out who the main character is at first, but we quickly learn it is the grown son, Hassan, a genius cook. Helen Mirren plays their arch-nemesis, a Frenchwoman who owns the restaurant across the street, but who has the means to give Hassan a chance to further his talent. This sustains the film through its second act, and while the plot meanders, the cast is engaging enough that it doesn't matter.

Once Hassan's talent is furthered, however, nobody has anything to do, and the final act lags considerably, almost to the point of being unnecessary. It is here that Helen Mirren shines. She carries the film to its end, and where it could have been tedious, she, and the actors she bounces off of, keeps it interesting enough that we mostly decide that the bathroom can wait till the end. The meandering plot concludes, and we leave.

But we leave satisfied. It is ironic that the film was no Michelin three-star affair, but perhaps it only needed to be comfort food.