The moment I watched the trailer for The Hundred-Foot Journey, I was hooked. I am a food lover and an even bigger fan of competitive cooking shows. The Hundred-Foot Journey seemed like such a perfect fit for someone like me, so without reading any reviews or critic's comments, I watched the film, and it was a delightful amalgam of comedy, drama, and romance. I haven't read the original novel by Richard C. Morais, but if it's anything like the film, I assume it's quite wonderful.
Let's get to it:
The film is about the Kadam family who travels to Europe for asylum from Mumbai after their family restaurant was burned down, losing all their belongings and their mother. When Papa's (Om Puri) car breaks shortly after crossing the border to France, the family is forced to stay in a nearby French village, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, under the care of kind passerby Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), who is a sous chef at an upscale restaurant. Hassan (Manish Dayal) develops feelings for her, which is not reciprocated. During their stay, Papa buys an abandoned building in the outskirts of the village to turn into an Indian restaurant, which is coincidentally located right across a Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Saule Pleureur. The widowed owner of the restaurant, Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) is outraged by the competition and their blatant disregard for French culture and aims drive the family out of the village. However, the feud between Papa and Madame Mallory is halted when her head chef torches the restaurant, burning Hassan's hands. After firing him, Madame Mallory attempts to fix the vandalized restaurant, so Hassan offers to cook her an omelette for her kindness, and she immediately hires him to work for her kitchen after tasting his creation. With a heavy heart, the Kadam family lets Hassan work in Le Saule Pleureur, where his distinguished talents earned the restaurant another Michelin star after 30 years. In the midst of all this, the romance between Madame Mallory and Papa begins to bloom. Word about Hassan spread throughout Paris and he accepts a job at an upscale Parisian restaurant that practices molecular gastronomy. Hassan quickly rises to the top with his innovative Indian-inspired dishes and becomes a national celebrity. However, his work has been heavily affected by thoughts of his family and Marguerite, so he flies back to Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val where he is romantically reunited with Marguerite and promises to earn a third Michelin star for Madame Mallory.
This movie isn't The Avengers or a high-budget action-packed film we're so accustomed to. This is a film about passion, love, and work, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. Its humor is spread too thin, but when it hits, it hits hard and nails it. The film is sweet in all the right places and finishes off beautifully, but with that said, it's extremely predictable. It plays on the age-old and overused trope of raw talent; from the slums to the stars.
Everything about the film is a cliche. From the car breaking down, to the beautiful girl that helps them out in the middle of nowhere, to the prodigal son returning to his family. There's nothing surprising or intellectually stimulating about this film, and the only thing that The Hundred-Foot Journey hits out of the park is the mouthwatering array of Indian food. Surely, if you are not a fan of Indian food before, you will definitely be after this film.
Visually, the film looks beautiful. Director Lasse Hallström is best known for his recent work in Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, Dear John, and Hachiko: A Dog's Tale. All aesthetically pleasing films, and this one is no exception. It's simple and direct enough as to not distract you from the content of the film, unlike Wes Anderson whose cinematography and set design is an artwork in and of itself to the point where the dialogue and acting is second to the framing and style. But I digress.
The casting was spot-on. Everyone carried their own weight, and there was never a moment where I cringed at the absurd delivery of a line. Obviously, Helen Mirren was incredible, but when is she isn't? Surprisingly, the rest of the cast did incredibly well, even Charlotte Le Bon, in her first English-language film, did great. Manish Dayal, whose work prior to this had been relatively small, nailed the part. I have no complaints here.
This is a lighthearted film; it's something that you watch during your weekly movie night with your partner (which I did), but it's not something that you would outwardly recommend to a friend. You could mention it in passing like, "I watched The Hundred-Foot Journey last night, it was really good!" but it's not a film you would rave about on Facebook. It's a good film, that's that. A fairly predictable plot with nothing too special about it, but it does hit all the right notes to make a relatively entertaining film. I give it a 7.3/10. Funny, sweet, and mouth-watering. Certainly a feel-good film I would watch again over dinner.
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