One-Hundred Feet, Covering 3,338 Miles

My flight to Hawaii was partially filled with The Maze Runner. The 3,338-mile return flight to Denver was filled -- when not by sleeping -- with a movie of a very different character: The Hundred-Foot Journey.

Based on a 2010 novel by Richard C. Morais, the movie tells the story of feud between neighboring restaurants in rural France. One is an established and traditional restaurant with critical acclaim, the other an Indian restaurant being started by a newly settled family who lost everything back in Mumbai. The exacting matron of the French restaurant seeks to put these interlopers out of business, but in the process she discovers the tremendous culinary skill of the Indian family's son, Hassan.

I can't think of another movie that has been put together with quite these ingredients (pun certainly intended), but the general recipe is a very familiar one. It's a story of learning to overcome prejudice, unlocking one's untapped potential... in many ways, a classic hero's journey. The tone of the film is familiar too, as it comes from director Lasse Hallstrom, whose several credits most notably include The Cider House Rules. Essentially, to continue torturing the metaphor, this movie is "comfort food." You can take that in every sense, including the fact that despite its simple and predictable plot, the film is quite pleasant going down.

Helen Mirren stars as Madame Mallory, owner and operator of the French restaurant. She received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance here, which I think is less a nod to any great demands the script requires of her, but rather is a recognition of the deft touch she brings to this and all her work. She never brings histrionics where none are required. Mirren herself said of this film, "It's very hard to make a soufflé of a film, which is hopefully what this is, a well risen soufflé. But it's very hard to maintain that sort of lightness of touch." It's exactly that sort of insight that makes her so good.

Indeed, the film is the successful soufflé of which she speaks. All the ingredients are right. Manish Dayal is compelling and likeable as the budding chef Hassan. Om Puri is fun as his crotchety father, whose hard ways slowly soften throughout the film. Charlotte Le Bon is wonderful in perhaps the most nuanced role of the story, the part-love-interest, part-mentor, part-rival chef Marguerite.

Ultimately, I don't think the film deserves a spot on the upper echelons of my list. That light touch Mirren spoke of also means that any emotions the story conjures are too muted to be truly moving. And of course, there's the fact that the story ends up exactly where you predict it will within the first 10 minutes. Still, none of that takes away from the fact that the movie is a quite well-made version of what it set out to be. I'd grade it a B. If you're in the mood for a simple, gently uplifting tale, it's worth checking out.