Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Stars: Helen Mirrerm, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, and Charlotte Le bon
Introduction: Kadam Hassan, a talented cook, leaves to France after a deadly fire burns the family restaurant to the ground, and ends his mother’s life. Trying to find a place in France to open a new restaurant, the family has a minor car accident that helps them find the perfect place. Led by Papa (Om Puri), the family settles in the picturesque and elegant village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, which seemingly the ideal town to open an Indian restaurant, Mansion Mumbai. Or so it seems, until the cold and competitive owner, Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), of Le Saule Pleureur, the restaurant across the street, declares war on them making their lives miserable. The dispute between the two restaurant owners begins to escalate until Hassan’s passion for French cuisine, and for sous chef Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), resolves their problems. Ultimately, Papa and Madame Mallory work together to help Hassan become one of the best chefs in all France.
Summary:
I have always enjoyed movies that contrast two different cultures and present the best of each. This is exactly what Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey did in this movie, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”. When I first heard about the movie, I didn’t have any idea of what the movie was about, so I started watching it with an open mind.
The movie starts with Hassan telling an immigration official why he and his family want to live in France. Then we see a flashback when Hassan, as a little boy, and his mother are fighting at the local market to buy all the sea urchins available to prepare their main dish at their restaurant. Hassan’s mother is the chef of the family restaurant and also his mentor in the kitchen and in his life. During an election days, a candidate elected is celebrating at the Kadam’s family restaurant when a riot erupts and their restaurant is set on fire. That day, the family