Predictability is usually
considered to be a negative attribute in a motion picture… and there are absolutely
no unexpected turns in The Hundred Foot
Journey. But really, most of what we get on the big screen is familiar –
we’ve seen it before in other garbs. Those that study story telling inform us
that almost all stories follow the same basic pattern - they call it the “hero’s
journey”. The hero is called to some adventure and is challenged or tempted
along the adventure’s path. But aided by helpers the hero is eventually able to
pass through the abyss and is reborn through some revelation that frees him/her
from those challenges. The hero then returns home transformed and in a way that
rewards his fellow man. I wont tell you whether Hundred Foot Journey follows that template exactly… let’s just say
that it will only take a few scenes for you to see what’s coming in the rest.
But the film is so fun to watch and listen to that you’re probably not going to
be bothered much by its unchallenging nature.
Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal), the son
of an Indian restaurant family, and the family’s most interested cook, is the
hero in this myth. The family is forced to leave India and ply its trade in
foreign lands. The father of the family, played by
the great Indian actor Om Puri, chooses a small
French town to set up shop. The only problem is that their new Indian restaurant,
complete with the sights and sounds (loud sounds) and aromas of their country,
is located just across the street from a Michelin-starred French food Mecca
whose snooty mistress (Madame Mallory, played deliciously by Dame Helen Mirren)
will not tolerate the classless eatery across the way interfering with the
perfection she is striving to create. But young Hassan is something of a
culinary savant it seems (anyone tasting his cooking reacts as if hit by a
police taser) and the new restaurant soon gains a following.
As with any hero’s journey though, trials
soon come to challenge family ties, love, and life. The impediments in Hundred Foot Journey, however, are relatively timid – more steps than steeples –
and certainly manageable by any hero worth his salt (or coriander). More
interesting is the evolution of the relationship between Puri’s and Mirren’s
more mature characters – and the old pros’ performances, along with the fine
food, help carry Journey from simply
pleasant to almost satisfying.
Although the film does not strongly
test the viewers mind, imagination, or emotion, it is pretty and its charm is as
bottomless and unfailing as the supply of secret Indian spices Hassan uses to create
his masterpieces. From the French landscape to the Indian cuisine (don’t see
this one on an empty stomach), Journey
is easy on the eyes and the heart. If nothing else, Journey’s calm and curveless ride will cleanse your pallet from the relentless
action of those never ending summer blockbusters. 7.5 out of 10.
