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The Hundred-Foot Journey (film)

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The Hundred-Foot Journey
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLasse Hallström
Written bySteven Knight
Based onThe Hundred-Foot Journey
by Richard C. Morais
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLinus Sandgren
Edited byAndrew Mondshein
Music byA. R. Rahman[1]
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
Running time
122 minutes[5]
CountriesUnited States
India
United Arab Emirates
LanguagesEnglish[2]
Hindi[2]
French[2]
Budget$22 million[6]
Box office$90.4 million[6]

The Hundred-Foot Journey is a 2014 comedy-drama film directed by Lasse Hallström from a screenplay written by Steven Knight, adapted from Richard C. Morais' 2010 novel of the same name.[b] It stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, and Charlotte Le Bon, and is about a battle in a French village between two restaurants that are directly across the street from each other: a new Indian restaurant owned by an Indian emigrant family and an established French restaurant with a Michelin star owned by a French woman.

Produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey for DreamWorks Pictures through their respective production companies, Amblin Entertainment and Harpo Films (first relaunch film), in association with Participant Media and Reliance Entertainment, the film was released by Touchstone Pictures on August 8, 2014,[7] and grossed $89.5 million at the worldwide box office.

Plot

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The Muslim Konkani Kadam family runs a restaurant in Mumbai. As a child, the second-oldest son, Hassan, would shop with his mother at the market, where he was adept at picking the highest-quality food. Now a young man, he is in training to replace her as the restaurant's main cook. When a mob attacks and burns down the restaurant after a disputed election, his mother dies in the fire. Seeking asylum in Europe, the Kadams first settle in London, but they dislike the climate and their house, which is right next to Heathrow, so they depart for mainland Europe.

Near St. Antonin in the Midi-Pyrénées in France, the brakes on the Kadams' van fail. Marguerite, a local woman, passes by and helps tow the van to town. She invites the family into her apartment while they deal with the auto repair shop and arrange lodgings for the night, and she treats them to a tray of delicious food she made using fresh, local ingredients.

The next morning, Hassan follows his father, Abbu, to an abandoned property they passed the night before. A restaurant had been there, but it failed because Le Saule Pleureur ("The Weeping Willow"), an upscale French restaurant with a Michelin star, is located just across the street, a hundred feet[c] away. Abbu buys the land anyway, as he is confident the Indian food Hassan will cook for their restaurant will attract customers.

Naming their restaurant Maison Mumbai, the Kadam family renovates the property. One day, Madame Mallory, the proprietor of Saule Pleureur, visits and asks to see their menu. Abbu hesitates, but Hassan gladly gives it to her, in case, she wishes to dine with them sometime. When she buys all of the ingredients the Kadams need from the local market on the day of their grand opening, a war of sabotage and complaints to the mayor of the village erupts between Abbu and Mallory. While this goes on, Hassan asks Marguerite, a sous chef at Le Saule Pleureur, to help him learn about French cooking, and they develop feelings for each other.

The war between the restaurants peaks on Bastille Day, when one of Mallory's chefs, Jean-Pierre, and two others spray-paint "La France aux Français" ("France to the French") on the outer wall of Maison Mumbai and firebomb the covered outdoor eating area. Hassan catches them in the act and scares them off, but his hands get burned.

Mallory, deducing who is responsible, dismisses Jean-Pierre and personally scrubs the graffiti off the wall. While she is cleaning, Hassan offers to make her an omelette, which is how Marguerite said Mallory interviews potential chefs. As his hands are bandaged, Hassan instructs Mallory how to make the omelette his way, which uses unusual spices and ingredients.

Madame is so impressed by the result that she invites him to work at Le Saule Pleureur so that he can get more classically French cuisine training to supplement his natural abilities. Abbu is initially against the move but ultimately allows Hassan to go.

Marguerite accuses Hassan of using her to help him get his new position, and they compete for Mallory's approval in the kitchen. Hassan outshines Marguerite, and his cooking, which evolves into a unique French-Indian fusion, results in Saule Pleureur receiving a second Michelin star.

The award gets him national attention, and he accepts a job at a fancy Parisian molecular cuisine restaurant. While he is gone, Abbu and Mallory begin seeing each other socially.

In Paris, Hassan's style quickly draws attention, and there is speculation that he may bring his new restaurant a third Michelin star. Over time, however, he becomes increasingly lonely and distracted by thoughts of his family and Marguerite.

One night, after the Parisian restaurant is closed, Hassan smells the Indian food that one of his sous chefs has brought from home. The sous chef invites Hassan to join him, and Hassan is brought to tears by the memories the food unlocks.

Soon after, Hassan takes a train back to St. Antonin and goes directly to Marguerite's home. He tells her that he has a business proposition for her, and asks her to help him cook a dish he has not made for a long time. They prepare it in the kitchen of Le Saule Pleureur, and, when the Kadams and some special guests arrive for dinner, everyone is surprised to see Hassan. Madame Mallory announces she is giving him control of her restaurant, and he announces that he is moving back to the village to run it with Marguerite.

Hassan's phone rings, but he does not answer the call that will reveal whether the restaurant in Paris received a third Michelin star under his time as Chef de Cuisine, saying he will earn a third star with his friends and family. The group carries their meal across the road to eat at Maison Mumbai.

Cast

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Production

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Prior to filming, actors Manish Dayal and Charlotte Le Bon spent a considerable amount of time going to restaurants and observing and learning in kitchens.[8] To create the food featured in the film, producer Juliet Blake consulted Indian-born chef Floyd Cardoz, who practiced "fusing together two cultures through cooking."[8]

Principal photography for the film began on September 23, 2013,[9] in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val,[10][11] and there was extensive filming at scenic locales in Midi-Pyrénées.[12] It was additionally shot in the village of Carlus.[13] Some scenes were shot in the Cité du Cinéma studio complex, located in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.[14] After nine weeks of shooting in France, the production moved to The Netherlands.[15]

To make Indian actress Juhi Chawla, who plays the wife of Om Puri's character at the start of the film, look 15 years older than her actual age, the filmmakers aged her digitally in post-production using techniques such as visual refactoring.[16]

Soundtrack

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Main article: The Hundred-Foot Journey (soundtrack)

A.R. Rahman composed the music for the film.[17] Hollywood Records released a soundtrack on August 12, 2014.[18]

Release

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The first trailer for the film was released on May 13, 2014.[7] Its New York premiere was held at the Ziegfeld Theatre on August 4, 2014,[19] and it was released in the United States on August 8.[7] Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed The Hundred-Foot Journey globally through its Touchstone Pictures label, except for territories in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, where rights were sold by Mister Smith Entertainment to independent distributors.[4] Reliance Entertainment distributed the film in India.[20] In France, the film was released as Les recettes du bonheur (Recipes for Happiness).

Home media

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The film was released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on December 2, 2014.

Reception

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Box office

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The Hundred-Foot Journey grossed $10,979,290 in the U.S. on its opening weekend, finishing in 4th place at the box office. It went on to earn $54,240,821 in the U.S. and $35,273,632 internationally for a worldwide box office total of $89,514,453.[6]

Critical response

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 68% based on reviews from 148 critics, with an average score of 6.2/10; the site's critics consensus reads "Director Lasse Hallström does lovely work and Helen Mirren is always worth watching, but The Hundred-Foot Journey travels predictable ground already covered by countless feel-good dramedies."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[23]

The Wrap's Alonso Duralde called the film "a surprisingly bland slumgullion of food porn and emotional manipulation, filtered through the middlebrow sensibilities of director Lasse Hallström."[24] Variety's Justin Chang called it "the most soothing brand of cinematic comfort food."[25] Edwin Arnaudin of the Asheville Citizen-Times gave the film a "B-plus".[26]

NPR's film critic Kenneth Turan said the film was entertaining while criticizing the predictability of the story and "wish[ing] that the film had more of the messy juices of life flowing through its veins".[27]

Accolades

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For her performance in the film, Helen Mirren was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.[28]

Notes

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  1. ^ Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the Touchstone Pictures banner.[2][3]
  2. ^ An earlier, shorter, version of the novel had been published in India by HarperCollins in 2008.
  3. ^ 30 meters.

References

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  1. ^ "The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  3. ^ Eller, Claudia (February 10, 2009). "DreamWorks gets Disney cash in distribution deal". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ a b Siegel, Tatiana (July 1, 2013). "Helen Mirren to Star in DreamWorks Drama 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Project Profile: The Hundred-Foot Journey" (PDF). Disney.com. The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved July 11, 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ a b c "The Hundred-Foot Journey". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Jessica Goodman (May 13, 2014)'The Hundred-Foot Journey' Trailer Will Make Your Mouth Water Retrieved. May 14, 2014
  8. ^ a b Julia Bainbridge (May 13, 2014)What Happens When an Indian Chef Makes Beef BourguignonYahoo! Retrieved. May 14, 2014
  9. ^ "'The Hundred-Foot Journey' Begins Shooting in France". indiawest.com. September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Nealey, Joshua (October 9, 2013). "Filming begins on 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' starring Helen Mirren". hypable.com. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "'The Hundred Foot Journey' begins shooting in France". indianexpress.com. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  12. ^ "Reliance Gears Up To Release The Hundred Foot Journey In India". Businessofcinema.com. August 2014.
  13. ^ Vidal, Vincent (September 10, 2013). "Spielberg est attendu à Carlus pour le tournage de son film". La Dépêche (in French). Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "French studios – overbooked and overlooked".
  15. ^ "Om Puri: 'Helen Mirren and I share a great rapport'". digitalspy.co.uk. September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  16. ^ Bollywood Hungama. "Juhi Chawla to look 15 years older in The Hundred-Foot Journey". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014.
  17. ^ "Rahman's The Hundred- Foot Journey from August 12". Times of India. August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  18. ^ "Hollywood Records Set To Release Academy Award®-Winning Composer A. R. Rahman's The Hundred-Foot Journey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (Press release). PR Newswire. Burbank, California. August 7, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  19. ^ Hughes, Jason (August 4, 2014). "'The Hundred-Foot Journey' Premiere: Stars Helen Mirren, Om Puri Join Producers Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey on Red Carpet". thewrap.com. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  20. ^ "Helen Mirren Set For DreamWorks' 'The Hundred Foot Journey'". Deadline Hollywood. July 1, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  21. ^ "The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  22. ^ "'The Hundred-Foot Journey'". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  23. ^ Busch, Anita (August 9, 2014). "B Grade For 'Turtles': What CinemaScores Mean And Why Exit Polling Matters". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  24. ^ Duralde, Alonso (July 25, 2014). "'The Hundred-Foot Journey' Review: Helen Mirren Can Add Only So Much Flavor". TheWrap.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  25. ^ Chang, Justin (July 25, 2014). "Film Review: 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'". Variety.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  26. ^ Arnaudin, Edwin (August 10, 2014). "Review: Food-filled '100-Foot Journey' really satisfies". citizen-times.com. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  27. ^ Turan, Kenneth (August 8, 2014). "Movie Review: 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'". npr.org. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  28. ^ Gray, Tim (December 11, 2014). "Golden Globes: 'Birdman,' 'Fargo' Top Nominations". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
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