Film Review

A Review on "Eat, Pray, Love": 

         No Hopes, No Dreams, and No Money

Margot Radding

W/C: 668

       At first, Julia Roberts draws you in (as she always does). This time around, she's a divorcée going through a midlife crisis where she travels to Italy and India. In reading this little summary on the movie's website, I was immediately excited. There is just something so fantastic about watching someone who hasn't pursued anything in life. Julia Roberts has the job and the apartment and the husband; but she just doesn't have herself. Watching her wallow in misery reminds you that, "Damn, I have no dreams either." (And probably no apartment or job on top of that). The first half hour of Julia's wallowing is spent at little dinner parties and a beautiful sky rise office, where she often complains to her best friend, the token black woman of the movie. Though not too far into the movie, I found myself wallowing in my own misery, thinking thoughts like, "I'm seventeen and I haven't done anything. Justin Bieber had six albums out by now. I'm a whole year older than Malala Yousafzai and I haven't done much to stop the Taliban, let alone Chris Christie. Miley Cyrus already hit her midlife crisis." "Eat, Pray, Love" reminds you that you haven't moved out of your bed since 3 p.m.

     But then you pause the movie to get a snack. Clearly, you're barely interested.

     By the time you're paying attention again, Julia is in Italy where she finally let's herself go. A ten-minute scene is dedicated to her enjoying a plate of spaghetti. Apparently that dish was off limits while she was wallowing. At this point, you realize you brought more snacks with you to watch the movie; so you put them down so you can feel the fireworks Julia must be feeling. There wasn't much to appreciate about this love affair with pasta, however, because the camera work makes you feel as though you're on a terribly unfortunate date. The camera zooms in so that Julia's face fills the screen while she tries her best to gracefully eat forkfuls of spaghetti, half in her mouth, the other half dangling out. Opposed to focusing on her symbolic personal breakthrough, all I could watch were those dangling pastas. I had the same disgust one does when you can't quite slurp all your spaghetti so you try to slice the entire forkful with your teeth until the ends fall back on the plate. During this entire part of the movie, Julia sets free and allows herself to eat whatever she pleases, while magically remaining stick thin and stunning.

Julia Roberts attractively eats spaghetti for ten minutes 

    After Italy, Julia is filmed taking a taxi through what appears to be a rough part of India. You see malnourished children on the streets, litter everywhere, and stray cows and dogs roaming about. I believed that, finally, this woman was finding true purpose. She would volunteer. She would stop wallowing and start giving. But she drives away and waves to the starving toddlers. Then she buys a house. 

    Tedious is the only way to describe the events that occur between this purchase and the end of the film. Julia prays then mediates then struggles to meditate then prays again. Despite the lack of excitement, the movie truly did get me inspired and excited. I desperately felt the urge to get out of the house and make a difference. I found myself thinking about what I would do abroad, and what my host family would be like. But then I had the depressing realization that there's just a little money in my midlife crisis fund. I would love to go on some extravagant soul search; but I'll end up just buying a leather jacket and some Doc Martins.

      "Eat, Pray, Love" did leave me with a sense of excitement. I finished the film ready to find my purpose. But with no hopes, no dreams, and no money, it looks like we'll all be wallowing for a while.