Full confession: I didn't read "Eat Pray Love," Liz Gilbert's travelogue/memoir of her search for meaning. But I've seen and discussed and read much about the book, and the story has resonated. I'm a big fan of inner peace.
That said, director Ryan Murphy, who in previous works ("Running With Scissors," "Glee," "Nip/Tuck") has deftly handled material with sharp and difficult content, considerably softens Gilbert's story, giving it more of a summer movie tone and a glossy Hollywood ending, one that I don't think was Gilbert's intent.
Not that she should be unhappy with the film (and I've read she isn't); "Eat Pray Love" is lovely in many ways. It's vibrant, visually gorgeous and has wonderful supporting performances and a great lead in Julia Roberts.
The story begins with Roberts as Gilbert, a writer and freelance journalist who realizes that she's just going through the motions in her marriage. Husband Stephen (Billy Crudup) seems nice enough, but a bit of a flake; he's unable to settle on a career path. At the moment, he's a baker. Next up: possibly a graduate degree in education.
Once Gilbert decides it's over, she jumps into what's clearly a rebound romance with David (James Franco), a younger struggling actor. That's part of Gilbert's problem: She jumps into relationships and becomes submerged. But she's finding that losing herself feels oppressive instead of sweet. Soon that relationship starts to go south.
She needs to get away, so Gilbert decides to take a yearlong trip to Italy, India and Bali to find emotional balance.
Murphy (who also wrote the script with Jennifer Salt) does a good job of connecting the three parts of the narrative. Voiceovers, journal entries, letters home and flashbacks help carry the viewer into each country and new experience in a way that doesn't feel false.
Each part, too, connects. You cannot leave this film without longing for your own sojourn, hoping you'll meet people half as interesting and have experiences as rich. (And with men each more beautiful than the last. Honestly, Roberts was one of the least attractive people in this movie.)
In Italy, Gilbert falls in with a group that teaches her the value of the moment, eating heartily and without body image loathing. In India, there is Richard (Richard Jenkins), nicknaming her "Groceries" and giving her gruff, critical words so she can learn forgiveness. And in Bali, there is her guru Ketut, played by Hadi Subiyanto, and Javier Bardem as Felipe, a divorced businessman.
You never forget you're watching Roberts in the role; she's just one of those actors whose star power prevents that. But the part suits her perfectly. She brings the weight and wisdom of her life as mother, wife and adult woman to inform this part and settles comfortably into the portrayal.
Jenkins gives another stellar performance, playing Richard with heart and humor. Bardem is utterly irresistible - it's just ridiculous. His Felipe is manly and vulnerable and a little endearingly dorky.
The flaw in the story, I think, is that Gilbert doesn't seem to start in a very deep hole of despair. Her marriage, as portrayed in the movie, ends sadly but not horribly, and then she's on to a new man. In fact, she seems to take the break-up of that romance harder than she does the marriage. She speaks of being saddened by her union's failure, but it seems solvable the way the rest of us do it: chocolate, booze and time. There seems no need for an existential search.
That makes her journey seem more a recovery from a love hangover than a near-suicidal bout of depression, or a spiritual crisis. And the movie sets you up so you only can root for the most Hollywood of endings.
As a friend I took along to the screening so perfectly said, "In the book, she saves herself and happens to fall in love again. In the movie, she learns to fall in love again.
"Not a bad thing, but not nearly as satisfying."
