Movie Review: Eat, Pray, Love...more like Eat, Whine, Travel

Watched the movie version of Eat, Pray Love last night and I really did not like it. In fact, I am near hating it. Yuya thought it was an ultra girly movie with whining and women yakking and he fell asleep. I agreed and thought all the whining escalated when the movie reaches it's India part. In my head, I can list out so many things I do not like about the movie...

1.

Most of the things I've liked about the book were excluded from the movie. In fact, the movie consists of everything I hate about the book put together...the whining, the complaining and the narcissism of the character to the MAX.

2.

The entire movie is like an extremely superficial skeleton of the book's essence and what it had wanted to tell. Totally devoid of the emotional and spiritual aspect, the storyline is so shallow. I do not feel any bit of pity for Julia Robert's self-absorbed character at all. I find the ex-husband and the ex-boyfriend so much more sincere.

3.

I do not feel there is any growth in Liz's character AT ALL . I felt her character is so full of bad and negative energy throughout the entire movie. She just felt so pessimistic and selfish up until the end of the whole movie. The only thing that helps fan off a bit of her negativity is Julia Robert's bright wide smile planted randomly throughout the movie. Most of the time, she was just a miserable, whiny person.

4.

It does not AT ALL feels like a journey of discovery, it feels like she was just another typical tourist having another holiday trip where she meets a bunch of random people. Nothing of a journey of any sort of discovery.

5.

There was absolutely no chemistry or any special bonds she was supposed to has with some of the characters. The ex-boyfriend, the medicine man, the Balinese healer, Felipe etc... Felipe felt more like a one night stand in contrast to the book.

6.

The medicine man is way too young. He speaks English too well. He was supposed to be older with a more Gandhi-like physique to be able to pass off as 60 something or 100 and something years old.

7.

I super hate the whole Bali part of the whole movie especially. Even the medicine man looks commercialised.

There are more but there is just too many things I do not like about the movie.

What I like:

1. Nice scenery

2. I like most of the main casts. It's nice to see who's cast as the character I read in the book.

3. The beginning of the movie when it's narrated by Julia Robert.

4. The Italy part is ok...funny at certain parts. not as bad. and the food.

5. Jame Franco's smile. He smiles with his eyes.

6. Some of Julia Robert's outfits although it seems like she brought a wardrobe full of clothes to India.

7. Julia Robert's smile

Well, at least I get to play my game of reading the book, imagining the character and then watch the movie. :)