Movie Review: Eat, Pray, Love (2010)

Review Score: 4-stars, Liked it a lot!

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Romance

Places Featured: Italy, India, Bali, Indonesia

Published in 2006, Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia to search for pleasure, peace, and the balance between the two in Eat, Pray, Love was probably the book that inspired this Travel Books and Movies page. I read it AND listened to the audiobook probably more than once within the first year of publication. So, four years later, when the movie came out (and was starring Julia Roberts!), I was excited, but apprehensive about how one of my favorite books would translate to the big screen…

But, I was happy with the result and have now also watched the movie several times. It’s a pleasant romance with beautiful visuals from Italy (many gratuitous shots of food), India (colors everywhere), and Indonesia (gorgeous natural scenery). The movie attempts to capture the book’s spiritual and self-searching depth, but doesn’t quite get there…leaving a viewer who hasn’t read the book probably wanting more.

It’s difficult to translate the personal thoughts, feelings, and nuances from a memoir into a movie (especially one where that’s basically the main plotline)–Eat, Pray, Love does its best and does manage to capture many of the intimate moments through voiceovers and flashbacks. There’s a focus on the romance(s) in the movie, but there’s so much to cover, the movie only manages a superficial overview.

The movie has an all-star cast including Julia Roberts (Liz Gilbert), Javier Bardem (Felipe), James Franco (David), and Billy Crudup (Liz’s ex-husband, Steven) and they play their characters well, though sometimes a bit under-developed (again, compared to the book–sorry, can’t help it).

In its movie form, Eat, Pray, Love is an enjoyable visualization of a woman’s journey around the world and back to herself. If you enjoy the movie and/or you want something a little deeper, definitely read the book (I have an Eat, Pray, Love book review, too).