THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (2014)

Starring

Helen Mirren, Om Puri and Manish Dayal Directed by

Lasse Hallström

Based on a best-selling novel, director Lasse Hallström – whose previous foodiefilm effort was the Johnny Depp movie Chocolat – returns to the food genre with this pleasing, predictable and very pretty film. The film follows a grieving widower who has decided to move his entire family to a rural French village to open up an Indian restaurant. But the raucous fun that comes with his restaurant isn’t meshing with the genteel sophistication of the Michelin-starred French restaurant across the road. Rivalry ensues, and of course soon after comes friendship and love. It’s a feel-good film that manages to hit the right notes with insights into French and Indian cuisine and a little message about how the acceptance of multiculturalism into one’s cuisine can broaden the horizons of culinary arts.