"The Hundred-Foot Journey"

Yes, this is what one would call a feel-good movie, one that was watched here tonight.  Yes, we liked it.  What's not to like about a film that combines French cooking with the cooking of India.  My mind was filled with recent and long ago memories of meals at both types of restaurants.

This 2014 film did well enough in the theaters to have its head above water, even though it was not known here except through Netflix.  Helen Mirren is the big name star, but she shares the acting honors with others who are not as well known, at least in the U.S.  Among the producers were Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.  This film was destined to be made, and it did not try too hard to be something special.  It did not need that.

Whoever gets the chance and is in a relaxed mood should see it.  Filmed mostly in the south of France, it is a remembrance of that region.  Looked at as a troubled clash of cultures that evolves into a combination of cultures is not the norm in our world today, but we can hope.  Why not enjoy a film that makes it work.  Acting, photography, and the social dynamic of this film were all strong, even as the film became somewhat predictable. We did not care.