''Eat Pray Love'' is a 2010 American biographical romantic drama film starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert, based on Gilbert's 2006 memoir of the same name. Ryan Murphy co-wrote and directed the film, which was released in the United States on August 13, 2010. It received mixed reviews from critics, but was a financial success, grossing $204.6 million worldwide against a $60 million budget.

Plot

Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having – a husband, a house, a successful career – yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Inexplicably unhappy and restless after eight years, Elizabeth doesn't want to be married anymore. Stephen doesn't understand why and doesn't accept the divorce easily. In the meantime she has a brief affair with David, a young actor. So, finally newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a three point trip: Italy, India and Bali, a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy, enjoying pastas and gelato for four months. A new Swedish friend introduces her to a private Italian tutor, and they celebrate Thanksgiving together right before she departs for her next stop. Liz heads to an ashram where she experiences the power of prayer in India. In addition to mass prayer sessions, honoring their guru, she's assigned the chore of scrubbing floors. 'Texas Richard' keeps her on her toes as well as supporting her. When he's ready to move on, she's reassigned to greeting and orienting new arrivals. Feeling more centered, Liz moves on to

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

, Indonesia. A year after first meeting him, she reintroduces herself to Ketut there. He gives her various tasks. While Liz is cycling she is run off the road by Felipe, a Brazilian. She is sent to Wayan in the village to help cure a bad gash in her leg. There she meets Brazilian Armenia. She convinces her to come back to the village that night to the Beach Shack for dancing. There, Felipe approaches Liz, apologizing for almost killing her with his jeep. Armenia then tries to set her up with young Ian, but she doesn't want another idle fling. Felipe offers to give her a lift. Hours later he returns with a hangover cure and his number. They hook up, and two weeks later Liz makes an appeal to her friends to donate to Wayan's future house, coming up with over 18,000. When Felipe proposes they spend a few days together in a remote spot, Liz panics, breaking up with him. Deciding her time there is over, Liz gets prepared to leave and stops to say farewell to Ketut. He encourages her to embrace and, not run from love. She acknowledges his advice and runs to the dock after Felipe where she confesses her feelings to him. Finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love comes to her.

Cast

* Julia Roberts as Elizabeth "Liz" Gilbert * Javier Bardem as Felipe, a Brazilian businessman Gilbert falls in love with on her journey * James Franco as David, the man Gilbert has an intense relationship with while she is finalizing her divorce * Richard Jenkins as Richard, a Texan Liz befriends at an Indian

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

* Viola Davis as Delia Shiraz, Gilbert's best friend * Billy Crudup as Steven, Gilbert's ex-husband * Sophie Thompson as Corella, a woman at the Indian ashram * Mike O'Malley as Andy Shiraz, Delia's husband *

Christine Hakim Herlina Christine Natalia Hakim (born 25 December 1956) is an Indonesian actress, film producer, and activist. Born to a devout Muslim family of a mixed-race background in Jambi, she grew up in Yogyakarta, aspiring to be an architect or psyc ...

as Wayan, Gilbert's best friend in Indonesia * Arlene Tur as Armenia * Hadi Subiyanto as Ketut Liyer, Gilbert's advisor in Indonesia * Gita Reddy as The Guru * Tuva Novotny as Sofi, Gilbert's Swedish best friend in Rome * Luca Argentero as Giovanni, Gilbert's Italian tutor and Sofi's love interest * Rushita Singh as Tulsi, Gilbert's friend at the ashram *

Laksmi De-Neefe Suardana Laksmi Shari De-Neefe Suardana ( ban, ᬮᬓ᭄ᬱ᭄ᬫᬶᬰᬭᬶᬤᬾᬦᬾᬏᬧ᬴ᬾᬲᬸᬯᬃᬤᬦ), simply known as Laksmi De-Neefe Suardana, is an Indonesian fashion designer, author, UNICEF activist, 2022 G20 Ambassador, co-found ...

and Dewi De-Neefe Suardana as the owners of Indus restaurant.

Production

''Eat Pray Love'' began principal photography in August 2009. Filming locations include New York City ( United States), Rome and Naples ( Italy), Delhi and Pataudi ( India), Ubud and Padang-Padang Beach at

( Indonesia).News for ''Eat, Pray, Love''
Retrieved on August 23, 2009

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

leaders voiced concern over the production of the film and advocated the use of spiritual consultants to ensure that the film conveyed an accurate reflection of life in an

. Both Salon.com and '' The New York Post'' have suggested that

Gurumayi Chidvilasananda Gurumayi Chidvilasananda (or Gurumayi or Swami Chidvilasananda), born Malti Shetty on 24 June 1955, is the guru or spiritual head of the Siddha Yoga path, with ashrams in India at Ganeshpuri and the Western world, with the headquarters of the ...

was the guru featured in the film and in the book by Elizabeth Gilbert on which the film was based, though Gilbert herself did not identify the ashram or the guru by name.Shah, Riddhi
The "Eat, Pray, Love" guru's troubling past."
Salon.com, August 14, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2011 The two Balinese lead characters (Ketut Liyer and Wayan) are played by Indonesian actors Hadi Subiyanto and

, respectively.

Soundtrack

# "Flight Attendant" by Josh Rouse # "Last Tango In Paris (Suite, Part 2)" by Gato Barbieri # " Thank You" by Sly & the Family Stone # " Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" (from Mozart's '' The Magic Flute'') by Wiener Philharmoniker # " Heart of Gold" by Neil Young # "Kaliyugavaradana" by

U. Srinivas Uppalapu Srinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was an Indian mandolin player in Carnatic classical music and composer. Because he was a child prodigy, he was sometimes called the Mozart of classical Indian music. He was awarded the ...

# " The Long Road" by

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan # " Harvest Moon" by Neil Young # "Samba da Bênção" by Bebel Gilberto # "Wave" by João Gilberto # " Got to Give It Up, Part 1" by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

# "

'S Wonderful "S Wonderful" is a 1927 popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical ''Funny Face'' (1927) by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns. The song is considered a standard and has b ...

" by João Gilberto # "Better Days" by

# "Attraversiamo" by Dario Marianelli # " Dreams" by

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

# " Boyz" by M.I.A.

Reception

Box office

The film debuted at #2 behind '' The Expendables'' with $23,104,523. It had the highest debut at the box office with Roberts in a lead role since '' America's Sweethearts'' in 2001.'Expendables' Explode, 'Eat Pray Love' Carbo-Loads, 'Scott Pilgrim' Powers Down
boxofficemojo.com During its initial ten-day run, revenue grew to a total of $47.2 million. The competing film '' The Expendables'' features Eric Roberts, Julia Roberts's brother, and the box office pitted Roberts versus Roberts. '' Hollywood.com'' commented that " sibling rivalry is rarely as publicly manifested" as this. The film, produced on a $60 million budget, grossed $80,574,382 in the United States and Canada and has a worldwide total of $204,594,016.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 36% approval rating based on 207 reviews with an average rating of 5.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads "The scenery is nice to look at, and Julia Roberts is as luminous as ever, but without the spiritual and emotional weight of the book that inspired it, ''Eat Pray Love'' is too shallow to resonate." On Metacritic, it has a score of 50 based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film a grade B on scale of A to F. Peter Bradshaw of '' The Guardian'' gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, beginning his review "Sit, watch, groan. Yawn, fidget, stretch. Eat Snickers, pray for end of dire film about Julia Roberts's emotional growth, love the fact it can't last for ever. Wince, daydream, frown. Resent script, resent acting, resent dinky tripartite structure. Grit teeth, clench fists, focus on plot. Troubled traveller Julia finds fulfilment through exotic foreign cuisine, exotic foreign religion, sex with exotic foreign Javier Bardem. Film patronises Italians, Indians, Indonesians. Julia finds spirituality, rejects rat race, gives Balinese therapist 16 grand to buy house. Balinese therapist is grateful, thankful, humble. Sigh, blink, sniff. Check watch, groan, slump." Wesley Morris of '' The Boston Globe'' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars while writing "Is it a romantic comedy? Is it a chick flick? This is silly, since, in truth, it's neither. It's simply a Julia Roberts movie, often a lovely one." '' San Francisco Chronicle'' film critic Mick LaSalle overall positively reviewed the film and praised Murphy's "sensitive and tasteful direction" as it "finds way to illuminate and amplify Gilbert's thoughts and emotions, which are central to the story". Negative reviews appeared in '' The Chicago Reader'', in which Andrea Gronvall commented that the film is "ass-numbingly wrong", and '' Rolling Stone'', in which Peter Travers referred to watching it as "being trapped with a person of privilege who won't stop with the whine whine whine." Humor website '' Something Awful'' ran a scathing review. Martin R. "Vargo" Schneider highlighted several aspects of the film that he considered completely unrealistic. Political columnist Maureen Dowd termed the film " navel-gazing drivel" in October 2010. The BBC's

Mark Kermode Mark James Patrick Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter and podcaster. He is the chief film critic for ''The Observer'', contributes to the magazine ''Sight & Sound'', prese ...

listed the film as 4th on his list of Worst Films of the Year, saying: "''Eat Pray Love''... vomit. A film with the message that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all, although I think the people who made that film loved themselves rather too much." In '' The Huffington Post'', critic Jenna Busch wrote: In the Italian newspaper '' La Repubblica'', journalist Curzio Maltese wrote: The film received generally negative reviews in the Italian press.

Merchandising

Marketers for the film created over 400 merchandising tie-ins.'' ABC News'' article:
Eat, Pray, Love – and Spend
" Products included ''Eat Pray Love''-themed jewelry, perfume, tea,'' Forbes'' article:
The ''Eat Pray Love'' Industry
"

gelato Gelato (; ) is the common word in Italian for all kinds of ice cream. In English, it specifically refers to a frozen dessert of Italian origin. Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6%–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styles o ...

machines, an oversized Indonesian bench,'' The Washington Post'' article:
'Eat Pray Love': Parsing our feelings about all those product tie-ins
" prayer beads, and a bamboo

window shade A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mater ...

.World Market website:
''Eat Pray Love'' merchandise
World Market department store opened an entire section in all of their locations devoted to merchandise tied to the movie. The

Home Shopping Network HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. Based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Flor ...

ran 72 straight hours of programming featuring ''Eat Pray Love'' products around the time of the film's release. The decision to market such a wide range of products, hardly any of which were actually featured in the film, brought criticism from '' The Philadelphia Inquirer'', '' The Washington Post'' and '' The Huffington Post''.'' The Huffington Post'' article:
Shop, Buy, Repeat
"

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eat Pray Love 2010 films 2010s English-language films 2010 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Columbia Pictures films Drama films based on actual events Films based on memoirs Films directed by Ryan Murphy (writer) Films scored by Dario Marianelli Films set in India Films set in Indonesia Films set in Naples Films set in New York City Films set in Rome Films shot in India Films shot in Indonesia Films shot in Naples Films shot in New York City Films shot in Rome 2010s Italian-language films Plan B Entertainment films 2010s Portuguese-language films Romance films based on actual events Films with screenplays by Ryan Murphy (writer) Films about travel 2010 multilingual films American multilingual films 2010s American films