Roberts' sidekick steals the show in 'Eat Pray Love'
Before we get to Julia Roberts, we must first acknowledge the most stellar performance to be found in Ryan Murphy's movie adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's best-seller about a woman's search for truth and happiness.
It belongs to Richard Jenkins.
Yep, the same Richard Jenkins who was born in DeKalb and won an Oscar nomination for best actor after starring in the 2007 indie production "The Visitor."
In "Eat Pray Love," Jenkins plays a character called Richard From Texas, a cranky, middled-aged fussbudget who begrudgingly befriends Liz Gilbert (Roberts) in India.
She has come there seeking enlightenment after a lifetime of confusion, disappointment and restlessness.
Richard has also come to India seeking life answers. We don't why. Not at first.
He takes Liz under his tattered wing and becomes her de facto life coach, propping up her saggy self-esteem, but harshly challenging her to stand up to her problems and face her inability to forgive herself and love.
Jenkins initially presents Richard as a grumpy shadow of the main character. But Richard harbors a dark secret.
When he chooses to reveal it, Jenkins conjures up a performance filled with so much pain and regret ("an ocean of regret," as he puts it), that the film feels alive and vital.
When Richard leaves "Eat Pray Love," the movie never quite recovers. Jenkins' performance is so solid and meaningful, I would be shocked if he didn't earn an Oscar nomination for it.
As for the rest of this movie, I must confess I prefer the similarly themed 2003 release "Under the Tuscan Sun" starring Diane Lane as a woman who dumps her cluttered American life by purchasing a fixer-upper Italian villa.
In "Eat Pray Love," Roberts' Liz undergoes a crisis of identity. She thought she was happily married to Stephen (Billy Crudup). But the sense that something is wrong eats away at her until she can no longer stay with him in New York.
She begins a global search for truth that takes her to Italy where she eats a lot of pasta. Then on to India and Bali where she meditates and tries to fill the void within her soul.
At 133 minutes, "Eat Pray Love" feels bloated and sluggish. Plus, it becomes slightly annoying that everyone Liz meets on her quest - medical personnel, friends, guides and gurus - all pontificate on the keys to a happier life, even when she doesn't ask.
James Franco supplies a cool, poetic fragility to David, a New York actor who soothes Liz's restless soul for a while.
The amazing Viola Davis brings earthy realism to Delia, Liz's friend and counselor.
Javier Bardem, emanating smoldering Latin charm, arrives during the final stretch as Felipe, a Brazilian-born guide who almost runs down Liz with his car in Bali and then falls for her.
"Eat Pray Love" is directed by Ryan Murphy, most known for writing and directing the hit TV series "Glee," plus the disappointing film adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' autobiographical best-seller "Running With Scissors."
I'm guessing Murphy might have been too infatuated with Gilbert's book to cut it down to its narrative nubs, especially when it came to using Liz's wavering voice-over narration.
At least Editor Bradley Buecker keeps the visuals snappy, and cinematographer Robert "Inglourious Basterds" Richardson provides an energetic camera that soars over landscapes, glides through scenes and captures Italian dishes that look so good, you want to rush out to a restaurant after the theater.
If only this movie could have stopped at "Eat."
<p class="News">"Eat Pray Love"</p>
<p class="News">★★½</p>
<p class="News"><b>Starring:</b> Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Javier Bardem</p>
<p class="News"><b>Directed by:</b> Ryan Murphy</p>
<p class="News"><b>Other: </b>A Columbia Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for language, nudity, sexual situations. 133 minutes</p>
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