Sigh, Yawn, Sleep

Eat Pray Love (2010)

Dir. Ryan Murphy. Columbia Pictures, U.S.A.

In the course of the film the main characters were asked to describe a city in one word. If London is best described with 'stuffy' and Copenhagen 'conformity' the best word for Eat Pray Love is undoubtedly 'tedious'. That the full duration of the film was only two and a quarter hours is certainly surprising as, to the casual viewer it seemed far longer.

The feature, as the name suggests was split into three distinct sections set in three separate locations: Italy, India and Bali. The rigidity with which each stuck to was somewhat disappointing. The first third, which featured the consumption of such a volume of food that it would easily be mistaken for an advertisement for Sainsburys, bares little relation to either the second or third sections. Similarly the new found ability of Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) to open up and pray bares only limited relevance in the final stages.

It is often said that through film we can see as much about our own time as the narrative of the picture, this is certainly true in this instance. Roberts' character divorces her husband without attempting to reconcile their difficulties, putting self first and leaving her native New York on a voyage of self discovery. To abandon all responsibilities at the drop of a hat is perhaps a brave one, and one which seemed to resonate well with the chiefly middle aged female contingent at the showing I attended. It is, however a largely selfish one. The character stays in her three chosen communities only as it takes for her own needs have been fulfilled. Indeed in the scenes in the Indian Ashram Roberts was compelled to take on self-sacrificing, devotional work. Whether such a compulsion is a contradiction in terms is open to interpretation, what is clear is that is played no significant role in the development of either character or plot.

However the principle character did manage one act of unprompted charity. In contacting her friends she was able to collect sufficient funds to help a divorced woman and her daughter to build a home in their native Bali. A laudable act, certainly but one which was largely passive. Gilbert's friends helped, quite literally, through the cheque book alone. There was no hardship, sacrifice or even great consideration in the act. Greater involvement in the task of home building may well have been far more beneficial.

Such a view is perhaps a little churlish, but it did seem sad that someone who spent the full length of the film thinking about and developing her sense of self would use her sole act of charity in such a personally disconnected way.

Eat Pray Love did, however have some saving graces. The call to open up and be willing to meditate on what is really important in life was a valuable one to a busy society. Similarly the development of such a mentality, largely within the Ashram community, free from the potentially alienating dogmas and fixed liturgies of many clear cut, organised religions is praise worthy (although an apparent unwillingness to seek develop this understanding of faith further was disappointing).

Ultimately, however this romantic comedy was hampered by excessive length, selfish outlook, obvious plot and unsubtle script.

Rating: 1/5