The Hundred Foot Journey Movie Blurb by Shale August 9, 2014 Today I went to this PG rated movie because the trailers looked interesting. It had Helen Mirren in it with a bunch of Indian actors portraying a clash of cultures. It is a romantic drama in a way except by the rating there are no sex scenes or even implied scenes of the lovers getting out of bed fully dressed. However, there is a scene of a riot in India where someone dies a horrible death. Go figure the MPAA. The movie is based on a novel that Oprah Winfrey liked, so she, Steven Spielberg and Juliet Blake produced it. It is about the art of cooking and the appreciation of the various flavors of food and opens in Mumbai with the Kadam family running a restaurant. This is where we learn that young Hassan (Rohan Chand) is a regular Remy from Ratatouille. He has a nose and palate for flavors. After a riot the Kadam family immigrates to England and then to France. They eventually wander into a small French village and find a rundown property on the outskirts that Papa (Om Puri) decides will make a restaurant. Hassan (Manish Dayal) is now the family cook, having been taught for years by his mother. Hassan Cooking The only problem is the established, one-star restaurant 100 feet across the road, run by the no-nonsense Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). Madame Mallory Grills Her Cooks Initially she is taken aback by the alien culture, but you know she has to come around eventually. In fact, tho she tries not to admit it at first, she knows that Hassan has a gift that many chefs never achieve as he manages to successfully merge Indian flavors with European. Cooking Traditions Merge OH yes, there is a love interest in this story. Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) is a sous chef for Mme. Mallory, who takes a liking to the exotic young Indian chef and teaches him a few pointers about classical French cuisine. When he gets an internship with Mme. Mallory, there is a bit of a competition between the two that threatens any romantic notion. (standard rom-com formula) Cooking Competitors I liked the movie as did 64% of the aggregate reviewers at Rottentomatoes and 84% of audiences.
