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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Eat, Pray, Love (Film)

by Annette Basile | October 05, 2010 16:26 | Edited October 05, 2010 17:30

While undeniably a chick flick, this is a classy one bolstered by an all-round excellent cast and well crafted script.

A New Yorker in mid-life crisis mode who goes soul searching in Rome, India and Bali? This could have gone horribly, horribly wrong. Instead, it works like a charm. Julia Roberts, who can carry a lead role in her sleep, is on form for this often witty romantic drama.

 

Based on Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, Roberts plays Liz, a writer whose marriage to Stephen (Billy Crudup) is decaying. She feels dead inside. "I have ho pulse," she proclaims - despite the fling that she has with young, sexy actor type David (James Franco), a "yogi from Yonkers." So, after an emotional prayer, it's off to Italy - Hollywood's favourite stop to enliven the landscape - for the eating component of this real life tale. The love comes much later when Felipe (Javier Bardem) comes into the picture, igniting the sparks that had possibly so far been lacking.

Eat Pray Love moves across continents, so it's essential that the audience feels the journey - both physical and emotional. Running With Scissors director (and Glee and Nip/Tuck creator) Ryan Murphy gets this right. He also avoids the temptation of making this a "Julia Roberts Vehicle." She's at the centre, but the fine supports bolster the narrative, with Viola Davis (Doubt) the stand-out as Liz's best buddy, Delia.

 

The film's biggest potential pitfall is the East-meets-West spiritual stuff with Liz meditating in India. It might have all been so dangerously hackneyed. In Hollywood's hands, material like this is often made trite and shallow, but there's substance in the well crafted script. Eat Pray Love isn't life-changing, yet there are enough pearls of wisdom about living well that those who respond to the film will want to see it again.

 

Make no mistake: this is a text book chick flick, but it's a very classy one.