Lasse Hallström has been content with directing Nicholas Sparks adaptations for the past several years (DEAR JOHN, SAFE HAVEN) coupled with several other sickly sweet films such as HACHI: A DOG’S TALE, so with that knowledge coupled with it’s ‘life-affirming’ synopsis and an Oprah Winfrey producer credit, THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY doesn’t exactly sound like it will break the mould of his recent work.
The film follows an Indian family who moves to Southern France to open an Indian restaurant across the street from a high profile French restaurant that starts a culinary battle between the two restaurants…which I’m imagining will end with the Indian restaurant prevailing winning the snooty French restaurant’s grudging respect. However if we are to try and find a silver lining, they have just added an Oscar winner to their cast as Dame Helen Mirren (THE QUEEN, RED, PRIME SUSPECT) has signed on for one of the film’s two lead roles along with Mayish Danal (90210)…no prizes as to which restaurants the two will head up.
This doesn’t exactly sound like my cup of tea, but who knows, Hallström has actually made fairly well received films in the past such as WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, CHOCOLAT, and THE CIDER HOUSE RULES not to mention the more recent SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN so it could be a return to form for the Swede. Here’s to hoping that it won’t be too gag inducing. The film is currently scheduled to open in August 2014.
Source: ComingSoon
