Eat Pray Love: Starring Julia Roberts

The movie Eat Pray Love directed by Ryan Murphy is based on the Best-Selling memoir of Elizabeth Gilbert that has the same title. According to Elizabeth Gilbert’s website, Eat Pray Love (the memoir) is about Elizabeth’s “journey alone around the world, looking for solace after a difficult divorce.” After viewing the movie Eat Pray Love, released in 2010, I realized this description is apt for both memoir and film.

Eat Pray Love begins with the main character Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) married to her first husband Stephen (Billy Crudup). She is a journalist covering a story in Bali, interviewing a medicine man named Ketut Liyer (Hadi Subiyanto). Her unusual interview with Ketut delivers a strange prophetic palm reading that as a modern western woman Liz regards difficult to believe. Ketut while reading her palm informs her she will be married twice throughout her life; one would be short and the other would be a long marriage. He further mentions she will lose all of her money, yet later regain her wealth. He foretells of her taking a long journey, and then returning to him to be taught all Ketut knows. Ketut explains to Liz how glad he will be when he sees her again and at the end of the interview gives Liz a special picture he drew for her.

Ketut’s words, however, resonate with Liz even after she returns to the United States. She tries to talk to her husband, but he dismisses the entire thing as bunk. Liz, completely unhappy in her current marriage, begins to view Ketut’s words as prophetic. Liz wonders if she is currently in the short marriage or the long one. Liz tries to imagine her current marriage as the long one. She realizes while praying that her current marriage is not the marriage she wants as the longest. This revelation of Liz’s precipitates her leaving Stephen and filing for a divorce.

Her decision to leave her husband takes her life in an unexpected direction. She ends up meeting an actor named David Piccolo (James Franco) who attends a Hindu Ashram and follows the spiritual path of a Guru (Gita Reddy) who also has an Ashram in India. Liz finds herself attracted to David. She becomes his live-in girlfriend and a participant at David’s Ashram. Liz does all she can to fit into David’s world. Her new life with David teaches Liz about a different kind of relationship; one of an older woman with a younger man.

Simultaneously, her divorce becomes a bitter battle. Liz’s funds and assets are frozen until the court decides how the money she and Stephen acquired as a married couple is to be split. Liz agrees to allow Stephen to keep the property. She does not want the house they purchased together. Sadly, the divorce not only severs the relationship she had with Stephen, but causes so much stress between her and David that they end up calling it quits in order to stay friends. David caringly asks Liz to email from time to time; let him know how she is doing on her journey.

Liz decides it is time to begin her long journey and determines a year will be the right amount of time to get herself back together. She needs time to heal from heartache and divorce. Liz plans a visit to Rome in Italy, the Ashram in India, and her return to Ketut in Bali to become his student and learn all Ketut knows. She figures four months in Rome, India and Bali will be sufficient time for her to mend. Liz expertly places her belongings in storage for the duration she is away. At the airport near New York City, Liz wishes her best friend, Delia Shiraz (Viola Davis), a touching farewell with the promise of returning to New York in a year.

The rest of the movie is about a woman’s “journey alone around the world, looking for solace.” Liz at the end finds solace as well as a stronger faith, love, new long-term friends, a new family, a better relationship, balance, peace and much more. The ending is definitely a very exciting new beginning for Liz Gilbert.

Eat Pray Love is worth the 4 hours 48 minutes. The plot was paced perfectly for the storyline. The movie flowed exquisitely. I did not feel the length of time pass. I was surprised when the film ended and looked down at my wristwatch to make certain it had been 4 hours and 48 minutes.

Eat Pray Love is rated PG-13 for its adult subject matter. This movie’s material covers serious adult-life subjects including divorce, heartache and other negatives that might be disturbing to minors who are 12 years of age and younger.

The entire cast and crew created a masterpiece. The travel scenes are worth watching this movie. This film is one of Julia Roberts’s superior works that exhibits her expert acting skills.

Eat Pray Love is for those who enjoy soul searching and uplifting with a cheery ending. If that kind of movie is your cup of tea, than place Eat Pray Love on your “must see” list.

Enjoy!