Madame Mallory und der Duft von Curry

I enjoyed this movie. I thought it was well-done. But the movie seems to completely change into another movie when the son moves away. Perhaps they could have done it better as a parallel story, or just dropped it altogether, and just tried to expand the small town part instead. Overall, still an enjoyable, feel good movie.

I had not planned to watch this movie. It was just out of pure boredom that I opened my local newspaper to check for the list of movie shows in the next hour and decided to go for it. There was a show of The Hundred- Foot Journey and am I glad that I went to watch it.

The director was able to successfully depict the initial struggle of an Indian family, that has moved to France, after losing their matriarch to the fires of the local riots; their belligerent yet funny competition and subsequent truce with the owner of a local and famous restaurant right opposite theirs; and finally nurturing the talent of the Indian boy who had a gift of cooking by the very same French lady and his rise to stardom .

The film also has a touching moment that all the people staying away from their loved ones must have felt in their lives. Actor Manish Dayal did a splendid role in that scene and gave a good performance,overall. The trio of Om Puri, Helen Mirren and Charlotte Le Bon did a splendid job and kept me laughing(Puri and Mirren to be specific) and intrigued the whole time. Not a moment of boredom.

Charlote Le Bon is not only an ocean of talent, but, is insanely gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing her in more movies.

It's a well made movie. It really brings that warm romantic flair that fits the movie. But the dialogs and characters are quite uninspiring and the story line is quite predictable. It's all laid on too thick in terms of romantic, fuzzy, warm feeling and it's overloaded with clichés. There's no subtlety or layers in the characters and their dialogues. Which really is a shame, because the potential was there to be a great movie. Also I felt that Hassan had trouble carrying the movie. Yes he has puppy eyes, but his acting was quite mediocre.

So all in all it sound like a lot of critique, but it's only because the rest was so well done it deserved more. It's just that very simple but warm and cosy romantic movie for on a lazy Sunday but it just lacks any complexity to be more than that. So, just a 6.5 which on imdb. I'll go for 7 then, because after a few 'oh yeah, really?' cliché annoyances it somewhere halfway did bring me to France and their situation. It's enough to give me a warm and somewhat satisfying feeling.

When this movie was announced, I was honestly just going to watch because of Om Puri. However, the plot of the movie is so well written, Om Puri was just a extra bonus. This movie has humor that just comes out naturally, but it also shows lots of emotions. This movie hit me home and I am pretty sure it will hit home to others as well. The casting is very well picked and I really enjoyed this film with my family. It is one of those movies you can watch with your family, and just relax and enjoy. There were some plot holes and other things you might find odd, but the whole movie as a whole was well made. A R Rahman also never disappoints with the movie score.

Verdict: Well Written, Well Made, Enjoyable film. For foodies and the families of anyone.

The movie is titled "A Hundred Foot Journey", and it's not just the protagonists in the movie who will embark on a journey, but so will you, the moviegoer. You will laugh, you will smile, you will wonder, and you will be immersed in the surroundings of a picturesque small town in the mountains of France where two beautiful (and delicious!) cultures clash, mingle, and eventually harmonize. In short, you will view a Hollywood – Bollywood fusion that is done so well that you will ask for more.

The movie weaves in light-hearted humor throughout, yet honestly depicts the awkwardness and tension between the newly arrived Indian family and the local French townspeople. The struggles faced by the Indian diaspora, so prevalent in Bollywood today, is explored with sincerity and comedy. Helen Mirren was great, but for me the star was Om Puri, who pulled off the role of an immigrant father to perfection. Having grown up with an Indian father abroad, I know that the struggle of adjusting to a new country while holding dearly to your values and culture is not an easy one, and often results in a complicated mix of motives, values and ideals in those individuals. Yet Om Puri strikes a perfect note. His lines are probably the most memorable in the movie.

To summarize, the movie is a must watch!