Director Lasse Hallström is in the “nice” movie business. With a knack for drama (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Cider House Rules) and romance (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Chocolat, and two Nicholas Sparks adaptations), the Swedish filmmaker routinely braves the dangerous waters of sentimentality to tell stories of nice people surviving not-so-nice realities.
The Hundred-Foot Journey is quintessential Hallström. A fairy tale of compassion and good taste, the adaptation of Richard C. Morais' novel is assembled from familiar ingredients into dramatic comfort food. The conflict between two feuding restaurants -- a Michelin-starred establishment known for haute cuisine and a tattered Indian food upstart struggling to make it work across the street, exactly 100 feet apart -- comes and goes, never that dire, never tainting the warm and fuzzy confection Hallström whips up from his recipe book. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, Hallström designs The Hundred-Foot Journey to provoke smiles, tears, and stomach growls. It's not filling, but it's tasty.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire