(Julia Roberts, basking under the Roman, Indian, and Balinese suns...)
CAST: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, Richard Jenkins, James Franco, Billy Crudup, Tuva Novotny, Luca Argentere, Christine Hakim, Anakae Lapia.
DIRECTOR: Ryan Murphy
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and shameless travelogue shenanigans right up ahead.
How willing and able you are to tolerate the cinematic version of Liz Gilbert's runaway bestseller, EAT PRAY LOVE, is commensurate to how much you loved the book - or if you didn't like the book, how much you are willing and able to forget about it while watching the movie. If you'll recall, the book chronicled a year in Gilbert's life as she traveled to Italy, India, and Indonesia to "find" herself in the wake of back-to-back relationship meltdowns.
There are those who view the book with a cynical eye, chiefly because it's not as if Gilbert made her travels, learned something profound, decided to write about her experiences, and then sold the project. No, she embarked on her journey under contract from a publisher. In other words, it was somewhat of a calculated move. And for a book that's supposed to be about one's emotional honesty and self-discovery, there's something about that pre-meditation that used to bug me.
Another reason I am not keen on the book is because I actually read the first half of it, and while the Italy portion was entertaining and relatable (mainly because I lived there for nearly three years), I just couldn't get into the account and stopped reading. Or, as a friend whom I will call Clark Kent exclaimed after his girlfriend made him read the book: "Oh. My. God. Do women actually think like this?!" Priceless. Fucking priceless. I could've kissed him for such a brilliant line. The guy is a genius comedian and doesn't even know it.
So... when I decided to catch the movie version starring Julia Roberts as Part 2 of a 4-Part hot date (no, not with Clark Kent - he's like a brother to me), I psyched myself to approach the task in the same way I now approach everything in life: be open to the moment and see what happens. And what happened was quite strange: I liked the film very much. Sure, it's no UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, but it did what I was afraid it wouldn't make me do: forget about the book.
The story opens with Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) jumping out of her crumbling marriage to the rather eccentric Stephen (Billy Crudup), and right into a soon-to-be-crumbling fling with the even more eccentric (and younger) David (James Franco). Evidently, Liz has never truly been on her own and decides that she needs to see what that might be like. So, against the advice of her best pal (Viola Davis), Liz decides to become an International Woman for a year. Italy, India, and Indonesia, here she comes! Presumably, the negotiation with the publisher happened sometime after she spoke to her pal and when she bought the plane tickets. And even more presumably, the publisher had great faith in Gilbert's psychic ability to predict she'd be living a grand story. Ahem.
At any rate, Liz's first stop is Rome, Italy - which is (arguably) one of the most beautiful cities in the world, filled with (definitely) the most beautiful people in the universe. And with a face like Julia Roberts, Liz has her pick of Italian stud-puppies - and can spend the next four months walking around bow-legged if she wanted to. Unfortunately, after the train wrecks of her last two relationships, Liz isn't in Italy looking for sex. Which, to me, is fucking incomprehensible. It's like going to Paris and not bothering to see the Eiffel tower. Nope, what she's there for is... food. Which is more comprehensible. Anyhow, Liz meets Sofi (Tuva Novotny), a pretty Swede who is: (1) banging a gorgeous Italian named Giovanni (Luca Argentere); (2) acts as Liz's new BFF, (2) teaches Liz to order cappucino and pastries like an assertive Roman, (3) joins her in gorging on pizza and pasta, and (4) most importantly, helps Liz shop for fat clothes when all that gorging on pizza and pasta catches up to them like a mutha-fucka.
Next on Liz's itinerary is India, where she goes to study meditation (or something) at an ashram presided over by David's guru. There she learns the following: (1) yoga is overrated, (2) meditation is boring, and (3) American women have absolutely nothing to worry about since (4) they don't get married off to total strangers by their dipshit parents the way Indian women do. Tutti (Anakae Lapia) is one such bride, and Liz provides her some moral support in face of what is sure to be a fate worse than marrying someone of your own free will - which is pretty bad to begin with (unless, of course, you're marrying Clark Kent). Liz also meets Richard (Richard Jenkins), a surly Texan who insists on calling her "Groceries" as a nickname. This is because he sees Liz chowing down like a starving cannibal in the cafeteria. What groceries have to do with Liz being a glutton is a goddamn mystery to me. Why not call her "Curry Vacuum Cleaner" or "Aloo Gobi Bottomless Pit?" I have an appetite worse than Liz's and no one has ever called me "Groceries." Ever. "Tape Worm Tool," yes. "Groceries," no.
Last on Liz's agenda is Indonesia, where the most eventful, er, events take place. For starters, in the movie's most touching thread, she befriends a Balinese woman, Wayan (Christine Hakim), who is divorced with a daughter. Apparently, divorce has a much higher penalty in Eastern cultures than the West - and usually for the woman. Wayan is practically an outcast in her country, despite being an intelligent, confident, and kind person. This sobers up Liz a bit, giving her pause about her own status as a divorcee - and making her realize she doesn't have a fucking problem in the world, after all.
Meanwhile, Liz also finally decides to get jiggy with a man. At last. I was starting to think that her vagina had decided to retire. The lucky guy who gets to open shop down there again is Felipe (Javier Bardem), a Brazilian in the "import-export" business. For Liz's sake, I hope it's not the import-export of cocaine or some other illegal substance - otherwise she'll have a lot more in common with Bridget Jones than Pretty Woman.
Anyhow, it's there in Bali that Liz is finally forced to make a decision: let someone into her heart again? Or go back to the States, safe and secure - but also empty-handed and, well, horny? Let's just say that after one romantic comedy in which Julia Roberts didn't get the guy (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING), the cinematic gods weren't about to stiff her again. And let me just say that EAT PRAY LOVE ends with a sunset - and a boat sailing off into it. And, suffice it to say, the occupants are not cocaine smugglers. You do the math.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: It's not so surprising that I ultimately succumbed to the charms of the movie version of EAT PRAY LOVE. I should have seen it coming. After all, I love the following: (1) Julia Roberts; (2) female-centered fims, (3) films about people who travel to foreign locales and are transformed by the place and people; (4) and "happy endings" - even though I believe they are more like "happy moments." After all, there is really no such thing as an ending because what we often mistake to be an ending is often just the beginning - of a new story. And that story continues on after the sunset...
And so it goes with EAT PRAY LOVE. Despite my own reservations about the book and Clark Kent's wonderfully brilliant quip about it (don't be fooled by Clark's quip, though, because the girl he marries will be the luckiest in the world - make that the luckiest girl in the universe), I allowed myself to be open to the film and where it would take me. And just like Liz Gilbert, it took me to some great places - with the best tour guide one could ask for: Julia Roberts.
There are those who complain that Julia Roberts is always Julia Roberts. You know... that unique blend of vibrant humor, earthy sexiness, cool beauty, and melancholic undercurrent. My response? So what? Her persona is so winning and unlike anyone else's that I say let her be the same from movie to movie. If it works, let it keep working. Julia's schtick doesn't get old. Unlike, say, Michael Cera who is always the same from film to film - but also annoying as all get out.
As the undisputed center of the movie, Julia Roberts infuses the role of Liz with humanity, humor, and humility. Recalling Diane Lane's voiceover in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, director and co-writer Ryan Murphy delivers similar narration here to act as a guide through our heroine's three-part journey - and the many things that occur along that journey. Some touching highlights: (1) Liz bonding with Sofi on a pizza-scarfing trip to Naples (Viva, Napoli!) then (2) shopping for jeans that will fit their, uh, fuller sizes; (3) a Thanksgiving dinner, American-style, where Liz's Italian friends bid her farewell; (4) Liz bonding with Tuttii and assuring the younger woman that she sees good things for her and her new husband; (5) Richard finally opening up to Liz about his reason for being at the ashram; (6) Felipe confronting Liz about her fear of being vulnerable and opening up to anyone; and (7) the most touching of all: Liz writing to all her friends everywhere (including the ones she met in Italy and India) to help raise funds so that Wayan and her daughter can finally have a small home of their own. If you don't tear up at this last scene, then you need to check to see if you have still have a pulse.
As for the cast around Julia Roberts, they match her scene for scene and hold their own quite nicely. Viola Davis is a refreshing voice-of-reason as Liz's best friend, while both James Franco and Bill Crudup are distinctive as the men who finally (indirectly) push Liz to go solo for a year. Tuva Novotny as Sofi and Luca Argentere as her boyfriend, Giovanni, are the most memorable players from the Italian chapter of Liz's travels.
Richard Jenkins and Anakia Lapae are the highlights of the Indian chapter. The scene where Liz tells the nervous Tutti on her wedding day that she had a vision of Tutti and her groom "looking at each other with love and kindness" for the rest of their lives is such a powerful scene I had to look away from the screen. It's like what I tell another friend whom I will call Milla Jovovich (because she looks like her) about her relationship with her boyfriend: "Always be good and kind to each other, no matter what. No matter what."
Finally, the Indonesian chapter heralds the arrival of Javier Bardem and Christine Hakim, two performers who knock their roles out of the park. Bardem could have easily been just another vanilla romantic lead, but he portrays Felipe with such unexpected vulnerability and welcome quirkiness that you can't help but wish Liz would just wake up, get over her fears, and marry him already. But the film's most rewarding relationship is between Liz and Wayan, the healer who quietly endures an enormous burden imposed upon her by a culture that apparently does not like assertive women. Watching two divorcees - divided by culture, but united by common experience - develop a genuine friendship, and then watching one help the other in a hauntingly sweet act of kindness, is both life-changing and life-affirming.
Presumably, Liz actually did rally her friends around the world to help her ostracized and impoverished new friend get a small house for her broken family to call their own. If that's the case, then I am now a loyal fan of Liz Gilbert's. I set aside all reservations I had about the book. And will read that damn thing immediately.
In the end, what Liz learned is that every journey, every person encountered, every experience lived, is a clue to what you're looking for. You just have to be open to it all. Only when you open up, will you find it.
