Okay, full disclosure. I didn’t read the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. So perhaps if I had, I might have enjoyed EAT PRAY LOVE more than I did. Unfortunately, despite some excellent performances, exotic locales, and inspirational messages, I found this movie to be quite boring.
Julia Roberts plays Liz Gilbert, a seemingly successful, married, 30-something woman who wakes up one day to the realization that she doesn’t particularly like or want the life that she’s built for herself. So she files for divorce, downsizes in a big way, and embarks on a year-long search for her true inner self.
The journey of self-discovery takes her to three countries: Italy, India and Bali. In Italy, she finds comfort and inspiration in food and friendship. In India, she finds comfort and inspiration in the power of prayer and meditation. And in Bali, she finds comfort and inspiration in the loving arms of Javier Bardem. Geez, this really should be an awesome chick flick, eh? The ingredients are all there. It just falls flat. I blame the running time (over two hours), excess voiceover narration, and Julia Roberts – whose star power prevents this from being the indie sleeper hit that it could and should have been.
On the plus side, the movie does feature a bevy of interesting guys including James Franco as a quirky rebound dude, Richard Jenkins as a philosophical Texan in search of redemption, and Javier Bardem as Felipe, the potential love of Liz’s life… if she’s willing to take the leap. 
If you’re a fan of the book Eat, Pray, Love, then by all means, check out the movie. Otherwise, you may want to skip it, wait for the rental, watch it on an airplane in a few months, or better yet – find an excuse to visit Italy, India, Bali – or anywhere else the spirit may beckon. That was my take-home message, and I’m sharing it, for free.
While I agree that the movie could have been shorter, I enjoyed the journey. I could have done with less of the voice-over — it might have been more enjoyable without hearing every neurotic thought in Liz Gilbert’s head — and if it weren’t for Julia Roberts it would have been intolerable. But she makes Liz very likable. Plus, I enjoyed the scenery — both the locales and the men, Javier Bardem in particular.
I did read the book and I liked it — didn’t LOVE it — but I thought it was an enjoyable read, and that’s how I feel about the move. I liked it, didn’t LOVE it, but it was a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.