Hundred-Foot Journey - Another foodie film

A lot of foodie influences make for a wonderful film showcasing cast and crew from various continents.

Directed by a Swede (L Hallstrom whose film credits include movies about edible items - Chocolat, Gilbert Grape etc); the film stars are French-Canadian, British, Indian and an American of Indian origins. The Indian hero of the film has a food item for a last name - Puri (a puffed fried bread made from wheat flour).

It is a tale, an adaptation from a book - about two restaurant owners who vie for success in the French countryside. One is an established Michelin star winner and the other across the street - 100 feet apart- an upstart started by a migrant family from India.

As cuisine goes the story tries to dispel the notion that one country's food can be superior to another while conveying that what really matters in the end is in the palate of the beholder. It also does a decent job of effectively showcasing some masala - the edible kind - not item numbers - that is at the heart of Indian cooking and flavor profiles.

Not a film you want to watch on an empty stomach. I give it 3 out of 5 stars for being bit too melodramatic for my taste (but wonderful cast) and for run time being tad too long.

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