Culture

When I procrastinate, I try to do it with class. As in, I’ll be my foodie self and watch seven episodes of Kitchen Nightmares. To me, “foodie” just means you’re addicted to food porn. The Hundred-Foot Journey is not just a feel-good film; it’s a feel-good opportunity to satisfy those foodie needs.

The Hundred-Foot Journey focuses on the Kadam family and, in particular, Hassan (Manish Dayal). Following the fire that killed Hassan’s mother and destroyed their restaurant in India, the Kadam family relocate to France. The journey is cut short when Papa Kadam’s (Om Puri) car breaks down. Reassuring the family that “brakes break for a reason”, they eventually settle down in a French village and even open up their own restaurant. However, 100 feet away from ‘Maison Mumbai’ is a Michelin one-star restaurant run by the strict Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). The interaction between Madame Mallory and Papa is initially one of hostility. Insults are thrown and there are many attempts at sabotage. However, their humorous war later adds a deeper element to the film: the issue of racism. The seriousness of this topic adds a dash of reality and I felt it enhanced the cookie-cutter plotline.

The film has a central focus on the development of Hassan, who is a promising future chef. With the lessons learnt from his mother, the cookbooks left in his new home, and advice from sous-chef Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), Hassan soon becomes an acclaimed chef and pushes the boundaries of the culinary world. He even gets a taste of romance (pun completely intended) – it’s predictable but nice.

However, the film’s unravelling of the generic, happy ending dragged on. At one point, I became more interested in the cinema’s curtains. Fortunately, the close-ups of elegant dishes and long shots of the village redeemed the ending. Overall, The Hundred-Foot Journey was a heart-warming film to watch and it’s definitely a good fix for the foodies.