The Hundred-Foot Journey appeases the senses

By Lisa Goudy

There’s a new recipe for delight and success to be found in The Hundred-Foot Journey.

It tickles the tastebuds in a way that’s fresh and familiar. Through well-paced scenes and important character interaction and development, the film leaves the viewer feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Image source: http://www.ravenfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hundred-foot-journey-quad.jpg

Directed by Lasse Hallström and based off the book by Richard C. Morais, the film follows the Kadam family, who own and operate a family restaurant in Mumbai, India. Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a young and promising chef. After a fire consumes everything they have, the family moves and, at the insistence of Papa Kadam (Om Puri) eventually lands in France to start up their restaurant once more.

However, complications arise because across the street, only 100 feet away, is a French restaurant with a coveted Michelin Star. Widowed owner Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) does not like the competition and soon a war erupts between the two owners.

The film brings a refreshing mix of comedy, especially evident in Papa, and drama as the characters evolve on their journey. The result is a heartwarming batter for a perfectly baked film.

All of the actors did exceptionally well in their roles. Mirren is refined and polished as usual. Although she puts on a French accent, it comes across as realistic, especially when she speaks a few lines with ease in French.

Puri is wonderfully cast as stubborn and humorous, but he shows his capability to showcase more dramatic or emotionally serious scenes on more than one occasion.

The relationship and growth between Dayal’s character and Charlotte Le Bon’s character, Marguerite, a French woman who helps the Kadam family when their car breaks down outside the French village.

The on-screen chemistry between the two is apparent, through the good times and the bad, and watching those character develop is heartfelt and believable.

Dayal’s character goes through a lot in this film and his elation and his loneliness are extremely well done.

The landscapes for the film are beautiful, giving some breathtaking shots. The narrative presents a combination of two very different cultures and ways of doing things. From different styles of culinary techniques to various mannerisms, two cultures are depicted on screen.

There are a lot of food-centric movies out there and this one stands apart as it deals with issues far greater than cuisine.

By the end of the film, there is a light and earnest feeling. Having watched conflict, having laughed at the comedy, having felt torn up in the sad moments and enveloped in the romances, the whole picture comes together as a light and happy story about family, love and culture.

This is one recipe that agrees with the tastebuds and is pure enjoyment from beginning to end.