The Hundred-Foot Journey - B

Rated PG, 122 minutes

Charmingly predictable, "Hundred-Foot Journey" is still well-seasoned

Everyone loves a good underdog story, and when paired with delectable food, you seemingly can't go wrong. The plodding but pleasant and well-acted "The Hundred-Foot Journey" should please those looking for a good story, though watch out: it's likely (much like the similarly-themed "Chef") to make you hungry. Hassan Kadam (played by Manish Dayal) and his family are displaced from their native India. They settle in a small French town to open a restaurant, but once the ice-queen proprietress of the French restaurant across the street, Madame Mallory (played by Helen Mirren), catches wind of it, she gives them hell. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("Safe Haven," "Choclat"),"The Hundred-Foot Journey" is a charmingly calculated and modestly entertaining story that should appeal to foodies and non-foodies alike. The metaphors between food and life are a little simplistic and obvious (follow your heart, savor the moments etc.), but the film is so darn likable you'll walk away with a big smile and a growling stomach. Oscar-winner Mirren is as usual, stellar, in a surprisingly unsympathetic (and largely supporting, given her place in the ads for the film) role, and the film is ably carried by two unknowns, American TV actor Dayal and lovely French actress Charlotte Le Bon (seen in the recent bio pic "Yves Saint Laurent"), who are enchanting as the two rivals who also become lovers. Lovingly photographed on location in France and energetically scored by Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame, "The Hundred-Foot Journey" is as pleasant and nice as those scrumptious Indian dishes that are whipped up in the film, which are as memorable as any of the performances in the film. You have a sense you know where this "Journey" will end up, but you can still savor the pleasant aroma of the film while it lasts. A predictable but enjoyable late-summer entry at the box-office, just eat before (and perhaps after) you see the movie.

Wes's Grade: B