The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) follows a family who leave India for France and open a restaurant in a village in the south. The problem is the location: directly opposite, a hundred feet away, stands a Michelin starred classical French restaurant whose owner will not accept the neighbours. The source is Richard C. Morais's novel. Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are among the producers. Helen Mirren plays Madame Mallory, who owns the French restaurant, and Om Puri plays the father, Kadam. Their movement from hostility to respect is the spine of the film, and their scenes together are the best thing in it. Lasse Hallström directed, having previously made Chocolat; community stories told through food are familiar ground for him. Real chefs consulted on the cooking scenes and the plates were prepared separately for camera. It runs 122 minutes. Good for: food films, encounters between cultures, and calm optimistic storytelling. Less good for: racism and hostility to immigrants appear but resolve too quickly; the film handles the hard part too gently. The last act moves to Paris and never reconnects with the village world it built.