Eat pray sorta-like?

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Starring Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, James Franco and Billy Crudup Courtesy photo

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August 19, 2010

Sean McBride The Port Arthur News The Port Arthur News Thu Aug 19, 2010, 09:18 AM CDT

— I am a big fan of Julia Roberts. I think she lights up any movie that she touches, and I will watch her perform in just about anything. That being said, I’m a bit surprised that her latest endeavor left me so lukewarm. Even more surprising, “Eat Pray Love” is based on a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I had been looking forward to seeing the movie version ever since I heard Roberts was attached to star.

Perhaps my expectations were too high. I certainly didn’t dislike the movie; it simply wasn’t the homerun that I and many of the book’s other fans were expecting.

Based on the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, Roberts stars as a 30-something woman who finds her life in crisis. She’s just ended her marriage, and when an affair with a hunky guy (James Franco) doesn’t work out, our heroine decides to take a year off. She will travel the globe and attempt to find some meaning to her life.

In the novel, this plays out like a true spiritual quest. In the movie, it’s more like a fun travel adventure with Julia. First stop is Roma, where we learn about the value of taking the time to enjoy great food. As somebody who spent four hours outside the Vatican one day munching on bruchetta, I could relate completely. The second stop is India, where a guru played by Richard Jenkins is supposed to teach us about the power of prayer — something that’s completely internal and not cinematic at all. More than any other section, this is where the book far-outpaces the movie.

Finally, it’s off to Bali, where Javier Bardem stops by for some end-of-movie lovin’. Bardem’s another charismatic actor, and his performance completely re-energizes the movie. I wouldn’t call it a great love story, but there’s enough here to get the audience out the door with a happy buzz. Then again, if you’re a fan of the novel, you might be buzzing about how the film just doesn’t quite catch the spirit of the book.

There is plenty to love about “Eat Pray Love.” The scenery is breathtaking, the life lessons are noble and Roberts is a luminous presence up on the screen. “Eat Pray Love” is enjoyable to watch, but it’s also over-long, a little hamfisted at times with its messages, and simply not the film that so many fans of Roberts and the book were hoping for.

“Eat?” yes.

“Pray?” No.

“Love?” sorta.

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in “The Port Arthur News” and seen weekly on KFDM-TV and KBOI 2-TV. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kboi2.com.

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