DVD Reviews

Eat, Pray, Love

• Rating:
• Director: Ryan Murphy
• Starring: Billy Crudup
• Details: US/133mins PG

Your enjoyment of this big screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoirs will depend on two things; are you in touch, or looking to get in touch with the real you, and do you take Oprah Winfrey's afternoon rhetoric seriously? If the answer to both of those questions is a resounding 'yes', then there's every possibility that you'll enjoy Julia Roberts attempting to find herself for two-and-a-half-odd hours. If you're a fan of the book, you'll be privy to the obligatory Hollywood omissions which may cause a ripple effect and ruin the whole thing for you. Those attending on the star power of the cast alone will probably find the whole thing grating.
Roberts is Liz Gilbert, a woman who, on the surface, seems happy with her a life; she's a successful writer, has a handsome husband (an underused Crudup) and a beautiful home. But Liz is miserable with her existence and decides one night to do something about it. Divorcing her bemused husband is the first step, hooking up with James Franco's intense actor the second, and taking a year out to travel around the world is the final step to a better her. That year she spends a few months in Italy, sampling some of the finest food; travels to India to download some spirituality; and finally hits up Bali to find balance.
There was a genuine rawness to Gilbert's emotion in the book, and how she wrote, but here, there's no such thing. It looks like she woke up with a bad case of indigestion one night and decided to up sticks. Glee and Nip/Tuck creator Murphy just seems afraid to make his lead in any way real. Roberts smiles a lot, thinks a lot, and runs into a succession of hot men. But very few conversations she has throughout the film are anything more than horribly indulgent. It's not until Richard Jenkins shows up do we really feel like we're getting anywhere, and even then there's a whole lot of pondering to go.
Roberts struggles in the lead role, and is rarely convincing. If she was so passionate about the source material she should have ensured that it was adapted with care, and not Hollywoodised to death. She may argue that the essence of the work is on screen, but her Liz, although admirable for her brazen independence and brave decisions she makes, still just comes across as someone with no real problems, who runs away from those she created herself.
It's not all bad. Jenkins is predictably watchable and elevates every single scene he's in, while Viola Davis has some funny moments as the cynical best mate. However, none of the few positives can disguise the fact that this is a slight production professing to have depth it doesn't even begin to offer the substance for.

Review by Mike Sheridan