Review - Eat Pray Love
"God's not interested in watching a performance of how a "spiritual person" looks and behaves. The Quiet Girl who glides silently though the place with a gentle, ethereal smile -- who is that person? It's Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St Mary's. Not me."
This line, from the second act of Eat Pray Love pretty much stands as the best possible review of the film. You can smell the deep sincerity of the book while watching the film, which utterly fails - until one scene near the end - to deliver a deeply honest moment.
The pieces of the puzzle all feel pretty much right on. Casting was fine. They had a great cinematographer. It's an interesting story.
But while this is a big step from his first feature... while I love his TV shows... Ryan Murphy is still unable to deliver honest emotion on the big screen. The movie ends up being exactly what it's origins wanted not to be... a travelogue with a whinny, seemingly wealthy, white woman who spends all of her time complaining when all she needs to do it to appreciate everything the audience is watching her have.
Dave Poland reviews 'Eat Pray Love'
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter