Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling memoir becomes a tepid travelogue in this adaptation starring a radiant Julia Roberts as New York yuppie writer Liz. After visiting an elderly fortune teller (Hadi Subiyanto) in Bali, ambivalent Liz divorces her adoring husband Stephen (Billy Crudup) to embark on a journey of self-discovery, beginning with a fling with a young actor (James Franco). Blessed with money and time, Liz decides to visit Italy (for the food), India (to find God), and, finally, Indonesia again, where—unbeknownst to her—there awaits a delectable divorced Brazilian named Felipe (Javier Bardem), who's smitten at first sight. Can Liz truly balance her need for independence with her longing to be loved? Wherever she goes on this earnest, if tedious, self-help quest, shrill and self-analyzing Liz makes empathetic female friends (Viola Davis, Tuva Novotny, Rushita Singh, Christine Hakim), but her most memorable encounter is at a Hindu ashram outside New Delhi, where she bonds with a cantankerous, straight-talking Texan (Richard Jenkins), whom she accuses of “speaking in bumper stickers.” Exotic, escapist, and superficially spiritual, filmmaker Ryan Murphy's heaping portion of female wish-fulfillment is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Ryan Murphy's Journey with Eat Pray Love” (5 min.) featuring the director, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are featurettes including interviews with Murphy, star Julia Roberts, author Elizabeth Gilbert, and costar Javier Bardem (41 min. total), the “Better Days” music video by Eddie Vedder (5 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package—on Blu-ray—for a rather vapid film.] (S. Granger)
Eat Pray Love
Sony, 133 min., PG-13, DVD: $28.95, Blu-ray: $34.95, Nov. 23 Volume 25, Issue 6
Eat Pray Love
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