Does this movie live up to all the anticipation?? Let's see what Liz thinks...
There were two other movie screenings I could have attended last night, "Takers" and "The Expendables." However, I chose to see "Eat Pray Love," because I love Julia Roberts movies, and the trailer made it look interesting. It ended up being an overall decent film, albeit a very slow-moving one.
Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts, "Valentine's Day") is unhappy in her marriage to Stephen (Billy Crudup, "Public Enemies"), and after her divorce she decides to take a year-long trip around the world. She visits Italy, where she learns how to savor food; India, where she learns how to pray; and finally, Bali, where she learns how to love again. Although these are three radically different countries and cultures, Liz finds something meaningful in each experience, and by the end of her year she is once again refreshed and ready to take on life.
There were a lot of good supporting actors in the film. Viola Davis ("Knight and Day") plays Liz's friend, newly a mother, who gives her some sound advice. James Franco ("Milk") is David, her new boyfriend after she divorces her husband, and Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") is very handsome as the new love of Liz's life in Bali. In addition, Richard Jenkins ("Dear John") plays a friend of Liz's whom she meets at the India ashram, who is from Texas.
Although Julia Roberts is at the top of her game in this movie, I would say Maybe see it. The film moves very slowly for the majority of it, and during some parts I was sitting in my seat wondering when it was going to end. The scenery from the three countries is beautiful, however, and Liz's story is an interesting one, which for some may be worth watching. Roberts has not headlined a movie for some time now, and it's a little disappointing that this had to be her "comeback" movie.
"Eat Pray Love" opens this Friday, August 13.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films.