By SETH HYNES
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Lebon
Rated PG for mild themes and infrequent coarse language
THE second big culinary movie of 2014 after the intimate road-trip movie Chef, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a pleasantly eccentric mishmash with broader cultural resonance.
When an Indian family of cooks, led by Papa (Om Puri) and his ambitious son Hassan (Manish Dayal), move to rural France to set up an Indian restaurant, they enter a spirited rivalry with Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), the strict manager of a classy French restaurant across the street.
The Hundred-Foot Journey is nothing ground-breaking, but it’s an endearing and touching film with nuanced characters.
The feud between Papa and Mallory offers some good laughs, and it’s gratifying to see the walls between them – both cultural and personal – slowly dissolve to make way for harmony.
Charlotte Lebon is radiant as Marguerite, Hassan’s love interest and later competitor in Mallory’s kitchen.
Another positive aspect of the film is that it never places French or Indian cuisine on a pedestal; both traditions are shown to have their own strengths and virtues.
But where The Hundred-Foot Journey shines is in Lasse Hallstrom’s lush visual direction and use of symbolism. The delectable cooking serves as a catalyst for the drama and romance, and is deftly used to represent euphoria, community, innovation and even violence.
Whether you enjoy Indian food or not, The Hundred-Foot Journey is easy to swallow and an uplifting time at the movies.
