Four stars. Rated PG, and quite pointlessly; suitable for all ages
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 8.8.14
This film is as sweetly “old
world” as its narrative: unhurried, gently amusing and utterly delectable.
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| Wanting to atone for his father's most recent prank, Hassan (Manish Dayal, right) bravely prepares a meal for the notoriously fussy Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). As she gets ready to taste it, this ritual is observed by her head chef, Jean-Pierre (Clément Sibony), who knows full well what's about to happen. |
Director Lasse Hallström has
uncorked another effervescent, food-based fairy tale every bit as enchanting as
his 2000 adaptation of Chocolat. That, too, was set in a small French village
and based on a charming novel (by Joanne Harris). This new film, adapted by
Steven Knight from Richard C. Morais’ equally engaging book, will delight
foodies, romantics and those who believe that not all culture clashes must end
badly.
And while Hallström’s touch is
primarily whimsical, the narrative has a bit of bite, and also a moral that
reminds us to follow our hearts ... and that, to quote a certain Dorothy Gale,
there’s no place like home.
But while the bulk of Knight’s
script is flavorsome, the appetizer-sized prologue is both a mouthful and
somewhat difficult to digest. It feels like a massive portion of Morais’ book
has been compressed into an abbreviated flashback, showing how the Mumbai-based
Kadam family loses its restaurant — and endures horrific personal tragedy —
during an unspecified political clash; then moves to London, but finds both the
climate and local foodstuffs unappetizing; and subsequently seeks a warmer environment
(in both spirit and temperature) during a European road trip.
At which point their vehicle
breaks down, fortuitously, outside the quaint little hamlet of
Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, in the south of France.
“Brakes don’t fail for no
reason,” insists patriarch Papa (Om Puri), who views this incident as A Sign,
much the way he falls in love with the abandoned former restaurant on the
village outskirts. But his family’s efforts to transform this dilapidated wreck
into a haven of Indian cuisine — cheekily dubbed Maison Mumbai — are viewed
with grim disapproval by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren).
Her Michelin-starred French
restaurant, Le Saule Pleureur, is literally just across the country road — 100
feet away — from Papa Kadam’s new venture.
Madame Mallory doesn’t tolerate
competition; indeed, she very likely contributed to the failure of the previous
eatery across the road. And in a village small enough for her imperious desires
to hold sway — much to the distress of the mayor (Michel Blanc, in a small but
quite droll part) — the result is all-out war, albeit a skirmish conducted
clandestinely, on a battlefield marked by city codes and the local farmers’
market.
A challenge that Papa Kadam
embraces with equal enthusiasm.
