The Hundred-Foot Journey

Based on a novel by Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey details the conflict that ensues within a small French village after a family of immigrants opens an Indian restaurant across the street from a well-regarded (and very snooty) Michelin-starred eatery. It’s an appealing premise that is, at the outset, employed to typically slick (yet watchable) effect by Lasse Hallström, with the filmmaker employing a brisk pace that’s heightened by eye-catching visuals and a roster of affable performances. (In terms of the latter, Manish Dayal delivers an impressively charismatic turn as the movie’s protagonist.) The inclusion of a few questionable elements notwithstanding (ie this hardly seems like the sort of story that requires a moustache-twirling villain), The Hundred-Foot Journey ultimately boasts a first half that’s just about as engaging and breezy as anything within Hallström’s erratic filmography. And yet there does reach a point at which the movie begins to palpably spin its wheels, as scripter Steven Knight attempts to pad out the narrative by emphasizing a series of subplots that simply aren’t all that compelling (ie the “journey” indicated by the title pales in comparison to the aforementioned family’s restaurant-related exploits). It’s rather disappointing to note, then, that The Hundred-Foot Journey grows more and more uninvolving as it progresses, with the final half hour, which is wholly unable to pack the emotional punch that Hallström is striving for, suffering from an almost incongruous feel that wreaks havoc on the movie’s increasingly tenuous momentum (ie it feels as though two separate films have been artlessly crammed together). It’s a shame, really, as The Hundred-Foot Journey certainly possesses a number of positive attributes, with the film’s good intentions ultimately unable to compensate for an overlong running time and needlessly prolonged narrative.

** out of ****