This is a very fresh (and refreshing) movie. The Hundred Foot Journey tells the story of an immigrant Indian family planted in rural France. They have a cooking background, and so open an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant, which happens to be across the street (100 feet) from an upscale French restaurant, owned and run by Helen Mirren’s character. They butt heads, even while the genius young Indian chef, portrayed wonderfully by Manish Dayal, starts experimenting with adding his traditional Indian spices to French cuisine. This of course infuriates his bullheaded father, and vexes the French traditionalist as well (“Why mess with a recipe that hasn’t changed in 200 years?”).
This is a captivating film. It is about change, and acceptance, and of course love, all mixed just right. There is a touch of cheese in the end, but by that point it is the ending you wanted anyway, so as a viewer you just go along with it.
Jons Movie Takes 