Image via YouTube.
The Hundred Foot Journey, opening in theaters on Friday, August 8, will have you falling in love with southern France; it will possibly make you hungry as well.
The movie, starring Helen Mirren and Om Puri, takes place largely in the quaint and rather breathtaking French town of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val.
It's a relatively tranquil setting for what quickly becomes an all-out culinary war between the Kadam family and the owner of a French, Michelin-rated restaurant.
As you can see from the movie's trailer, Lasse Hallstrom's retelling of the Richard C. Morris novel of the same name, is simply gorgeous:
The Huffington Post's Christopher Rosen found the movie to be more ho-hum meal than delicious delicacy, but mentioned there were some fine aspects of the movie, including the beautiful scenery.
Rosen writes that the cinematography makes it seem like the vistas were too good to be true. Those thinking of traveling to the south of France will be happy to know this isn't the case:
"The isolated location of the two restaurants separated by the titular 100 feet make much of 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' seem like it was shot on a soundstage. But when Hallstrom and cinematographer Linus Sandgren travel away from the central locale, the film explodes with scenery fresh out of a post card."
Of course, the rest of the movie provides audiences a similar plight as an earlier release, Chef, more specifically; the movie will make you damn hungry:
The Boston Globe's Peter Keough has a review that will make you feel funny in every last sense of the word:
"Lasse Hallström's overdone (I lied) multi-cultural romantic comedy serves close-ups of brilliantly photographed tomatoes, peppers, and egg yolks, slow-motion montages of the sensual preparations of elaborate dishes, and the ecstatic reactions of those tasting the results. Helen Mirren as the formidable restaurateur Madame Mallory taking a bite of an omelet, for example, rivals Tilda Swinton's orgasmic mastication of a prawn in 'I Am Love.'"
My word.
The director has been releasing bite-sized treats for fans on his YouTube account. The following includes shots of the town, including proof that there is some discrepancy as to how it's pronounced:
Here is another video from Hallstrom that captures the hills just north of Toulouse, complete with ear-shattering tunes. You have been warned:
The jury is still out whether this story of culture clash is done with the seasoning of a heavy hand or the pristine subtlety of a master chef. As of this writing, the movie has garnered a 61 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with audiences decidedly more pleased than critics.
It's clear that the actors had a blast making the film, taking in some amazing settings and cooking some delicious fare.
The Sydney Morning Herald's Stephanie Bunbury spoke with the director who relayed that there wasn't the least bit of skimping when it came to bringing the environment and food to life:
"Those scenes were shot in the south of France; in the Paris studio, the interior of the Weeping Willow has been built as if it were a real restaurant, with four walls around every room and a genuine boeuf bourguignon bubbling on one of the industrial hobs, bowls of bay leaves and garlic and a tray of butterfly-cut chicken breasts ready to go into the oven. All the food in the movie is real. 'Faking it would be more complicated, I think,' says director Hallstrom."
To create this kind of movie, you need actors and set designers capable enough to reel in a cynical audience. From just the brief glimpse we have had at some of the movie's scenes, Hallstrom and company painted quite the beautiful masterpiece, utilizing brushstrokes provided by scenery in and around Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, however you pronounce it.
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