"Eat Pray Love is like the film equivalent of a colourful tray of French macarons. You can’t really fault it. It tastes good, delicious even, it looks good, it’s stylish and it’s in style, it’s foreign and familiar at once, you can’t fault a macaron, or this film, but like macarons, there is something that makes me uneasy about this attractive, bite-size representation of philosophical dilemmas and first world problems. It is a perfectly competently constructed movie, and an enjoyable one too." Vera Bermuda THE VINE "This is a movie that's beautiful to look at that will leave you with some food for thought, as well." Daniel M Kimmel NEW ENGLAND MOVIES WEEKLY "While it touches the main plot points of Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling novel like stepping stones, it is left to Julia Roberts' bewitching smile and Javier Bardem's sensuality to convince us that Liz's journey of self discovery is one we want to take. It's about relationships, spirituality, travel and balance and for the female target market, it has appeal." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "Despite its flaws, an intelligent, beautiful-looking film about the power of one person to radically change the life of another is an unexpected treat." Brian Tallerico MOVIE RETRIEVER "The film moves from New York to Italy, India and Indonesia, revelling in the changing cultures and landscape that provide a backdrop to the lead character’s reawakening. Roberts is luminous against breathtaking locations including all of Rome's landmarks and colourful, sun-nourished eastern landscapes. At 140 minutes, Eat Pray Love isn’t a short-haul flight. If it was the director’s intention we’d leave feeling like we’d spent a year on the road with his lead actress, he succeeds." LIVERPOOL ECHO

"A New Yorker in mid-life crisis mode who goes soul searching in Rome, India and Bali? This could have gone horribly, horribly wrong. Instead, it works like a charm. Julia Roberts, who can carry a lead role in her sleep, is on form for this often witty romantic drama. While undeniably a chick flick, this is a classy one bolstered by an all-round excellent cast and well crafted script. Make no mistake: this is a text book chick flick, but it's a very classy one." Annette Basile FILMINK "The movie is above all a lovely travelogue, plunging us viscerally into the middle of every country." Gail Pennington ST LOUIS POST-DISPATCH "Javier Bardem turns up too late to save the day, but he brings classy buzz as the Brazilian divorcee who adores his nineteen year old son and whose love tentacles reach out to Liz in an effortless show of loving bravery, challenging her to take the risk. By then, though, there is a sense that Liz has never really taken any risks in this enterprise of hers and her experimentation with the spirituality of the East was at arm's length." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "Roberts has taken a role that could have been played very stereotypically (lonely divorcee' searches for love and the secret of life) and breathes life into it." Michael A. Smith NOLAN'S POP CULTURE REVIEW "Based on Elizabeth Gilbert’s multi- million-selling memoir of the same title, the story of a thirty-something searching for her way in the world struck a chord with readers. As is often the case with movie translations, though, Eat Pray Love regularly finds itself as lost as the character of Gilbert. A better than feared trip, Eat Pray Love just lacks the emotional punch that the filmmakers obviously aimed for. Preaching to the converted, fans of the book should be sated." David Michael Brown EMPIRE MAGAZINE

See The Film. Get The Book. Buy The Soundtrack. The original "Eat Pray Love" book, film tie-in & audio editions instore now from Allen And Unwin. Original Soundtrack CD instore now on Universal Music label. The Inside Story Of Eat Pray Love Julia Roberts read Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir "Eat Pray Love" when it was first released in 2006. She sent it to one of her best friends and they read it at the same time, and both immediately connected with the story. "Everybody has a journey, a moment in their lives when they need to redefine who they are and what they’re looking for," the 2001 Oscar ® winning actress for "Erin Brockovich" said. "Liz’s journey is very specific and very visual, in a way that’s very appealing as a story, but it’s also a universal story that can apply to anybody." Gilbert’s memoir: a self-described search for everything; has achieved extraordinary success, racking up sales of over ten million copies in the United States and overseas. So much so, it has been translated into fourty languages. It is the book that attracted Roberts to the project, along with the chance to work with Ryan Murphy, the film’s co-writer/director. "I love the way the book talks about life experience, searching for answers, and how meaningful people can be in our lives. I think that’s really such a vibrant story. It’s great to be part of it, and part of it with Ryan at the helm of it. It was a delicious endeavor," says Roberts ("Mona Lisa Smile"). Murphy, best known for his work with the Golden Globe winning television series "Nip/Tuck" and "Glee", has garnered acclaim for his keen and realistic dialogue. He wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Salt, with whom he previously collaborated on "Nip/Tuck". "Ryan and Jennifer did a very reverential adaptation," says Roberts ("Pretty Woman" & "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"). "Ryan was really in sync with Liz Gilbert and talked to her a lot: they tried to be very true to the book. There comes a moment in any film adaptation where things have to be a little bit different, but we always protected the spine of the story: Liz’s journey of self-discovery." "The beauty of the book and, I think, the reason we all wanted to do it; is that it says, 'Get out of your box'. I love that idea. That was a very personal idea for me, because I can be very rigid in my choices, repeating a pattern day after day after day. For example, I love the scene in Rome where Julia spends the afternoon on the floor, eating a perfect meal. I think of that in my day to day life; I try to savor the little experiences and try not to have an outcome to the day. That’s what I learned on a personal level by being part of this project," Murphy, the 2006 Hollywood Film Festival Breakthrough Directing Award winner revealed. The book’s theme of being true to one’s self became the driving force behind the story and the script. Though Gilbert makes an exotic and beautiful literal journey, traveling around the world, that is only part of the story. The reason the book has resonated with so many is that her inner journey, her quest for self-discovery, rings true and it can be done anywhere. "Liz Gilbert's curiosity for the unfamiliar is one of the things that was compelling to me. You can literally go around the corner and meet someone you haven’t met before, or encounter a new language, food, culture, or set of behaviors," says producer Dede Gardner ("The Time Traveler's Wife" & "Year of the Dog"). In fact, finding that balance between the external and internal journeys was the key in adapting the material for the screen. The plot that keeps the drama moving forward is Liz’s travel from New York to Italy to India to Indonesia, and it was important to the filmmakers to convey to the audience the personal challenge that Liz poses to herself by traveling around the world by herself. "It’s lonely, and it’s not easy," says Gardner. It’s that plot that would bring the story off the page and come alive on film thanks to Murphy and Salt's screenplay. As they penned the adaptation, Murphy and his screenwriting partner, Jennifer Salt (who appeared with Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in the 1969 film, "Midnight Cowboy"), held brainstorming meetings with Roberts (who turned down the lead female role in the 1992 film, "Basic Instinct") and Gardner, each contributing the parts of the book that resonated most with them. There was much overlap, of course, but also some moments that each related to individually. These intimate discussions became the grass roots for the making of the film script. From the very beginning, when Gardner first read the book, the only choice to play Elizabeth Gilbert was Julia Roberts. "It sang out to me as obvious: this should be Julia Roberts. I have never worked with Julia before and I am just awestruck by her talent. In this role, she runs the gamut in tone, from vulnerability to toughness and from indecision to confidence. She understands when Liz is ebbing and flowing." Roberts revealed that, as you would expect, "Liz goes through a wide range of emotions, because the story covers a year of her life. Between going through divorce and dating and traveling and meeting strangers and not knowing what to do, it’s a great opportunity to play a complex and fascinating character. At the beginning of the movie, Liz is unraveling a bit, and she’s not sure why. She’s a traveler: she’s always traveled; so that was an instinct for her to pack her bags. Obviously, not everybody can do what she did, but it’s not really about that. It’s fun to watch her go around the world in the movie, but it’s really about her own self-examination and figuring out what she wants out of life." 2008 Black Reel Award winner Viola Davis ("Doubt") plays Delia, Liz’s best friend in the film. Davis too saw the connection between Liz Gilbert and Julia Roberts. "As I was reading "Eat Pray Love", I thought to myself, Liz probably doesn’t even realize how fantastic she is. She can make friends as soon as she walks in a room. And I feel the same way about Julia: people are attracted to her spirit. She’s a light." Roberts had the opportunity to meet the real Elizabeth Gilbert in Rome. "Ryan had a relationship with her through pre-production, but I felt it was important for me in portraying her to go with my instincts, to get enough filming done that I was already on a course by the time that I met her. She’s a lovely, lovely person, and she has a great way of talking and very specific mannerisms, and I didn’t want to imitate her. She’s a beautiful human being." When it came to where the film would be shot, the filmmakers couldn’t see any other choice than shooting in the real locations that Gilbert visited on her journey. "That was our holy grail. We were going to go to as many places as we could where Liz Gilbert went," says Murphy. "Some were easy, especially some of the famous places in Rome that Liz visited." In other instances, Murphy ("Running with Scissors") says, they were lucky. For instance, the production was able to shoot at the real home of Ketut Liyer; a key character in the Bali sequence. "We spent a lot of time in pre-production, going to the different countries three times, finding the exact locations. If we couldn’t shoot at a real location for reasons that were beyond our control, we took an unbelievable amount of pictures and we would re-create them. Because the book is so well-known and loved, it was important to me, as the director, to be true to where she went." 2008 Moscow International Film Festival Silver St George Award winner Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), was cast in the key role of Richard From Texas, who appears in the in the India sequence. And what it mean to thefilm that they were able to shoot in these exotic locations? "When I was a kid, growing up in a small town in the Midwest, movies were how I saw the world. I went places in films that I couldn’t go in any other way. So to have this shot in India; you couldn’t have done it anywhere else. The heat, the feeling, the air, the people. It’s a whole different vibe." Not only would the production shoot in the real locations, it would also shoot in chronological order: first in New York, then Italy, then India and Bali last. Doing so, Roberts says, added a layer to her performance. "We experienced all the same emotional responses Liz goes through. "It made it an incredible experience." "It was unanimous by filmmakers and studio alike that we would film in New York, Italy, India, and Bali, in the same progression that Liz experiences in her book," executive producer Stan Wlodkowski ("American Beauty" & "One Hour Photo") recalls. "I don’t think I will ever experience again in my career a schedule like this. We were literally making four separate movies." Production began in New York, where the reasons for Liz’s need to get away is explored and established through her relationships with two men: her ex-husband, Stephen, and her lover, David. "Getting the casting right for the role of Stephen was critical, because you need to convey in some way, why they fell in love in the first place, but also, why they fell out of love,"says Gardner. "The story gives you glimpses of their marriage in all its stages," 2000 Paris Film Festival Best Actor Billy Crudup ("Jesus' Son") says. "You get an indication of how they came to be together, but mostly you see the beginnings of the crisis that she’s having, and how, in an odd way, Stephen is there to send her on her way, on her journey of discovery." 2002 Golden Globe winner James Franco (TV'S "James Dean") was cast as David, the young man who adores Liz and rekindles her passions that she thinks have disappeared from her life. Gardner ("A Mighty Heart") strongly believed that if you don’t like who she goes off with after walking away from her husband, the story isn’t going to work. "There was no one else in the world to play this part. James is adorable and sexy, but also very cerebral, with an enormous beating heart and generous spirit." 2009 Independent Spirit Award winner Franco (Best Supporting Male for "Milk") explained: "When David and Liz meet, she is searching on a lot of levels. She’s looking for a way to connect to someone romantically, but also some deeper, spiritual meaning in her life. Maybe it’s not a relationship that’s going to last, but it sets her off on her journey, so there are positive things that come out of it." Liz’s sounding board, conscience, and voice of reason is expressed through her best friend: publisher and recent mother, Delia, a compilation of a support group of girlfriends Liz writes about in the book. "Delia is open enough to listen to Liz," says 2008 NBR Award winner Davis ("Doubt"). "Even if Delia disagrees with Liz, she’s still on her side, rooting for her." Italy, and specifically Rome, was the beginning of nourishment of Liz Gilbert's soul. "Rome welcomes you with open arms," Roberts recalls. If Rome was about Liz letting go of her old life and learning to be happy being alone, then India was stepping into another world. "Liz enters India like a young girl with a backpack, with this dream of going to an Ashram and finding peace," says Roberts. "What she finds is that it doesn’t really come that simply." Only after learning the joy of indulgence in Italy and the power of inner peace in India is Liz ready to receive the messages of Bali: seek balance. It is something she is not quite ready to receive when she first arrives, but we all need to learn that life is not linear or logical. What It's All About

Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having: a husband, a house, a successful career; yet like so many other women, she finds herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wantout of life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali. Along the way she meets Richard from Texas, the handsome Felipe, Gurus and a Swami. Elizabeth soon comes to the realization that there really is more than one way to let yourself go and seeing both the world and yourself is her way of discovering the person she has hoped to be.

The Verdict "Those who have read the book (out now in a film tie-in edition with the movie poster as its front cover) will find the film captures much of the spirit encapsulated in the pages of Elizabeth Gilbert's best seller. With such a huge fan base and with Oscar ® winning actress Julia Roberts in the lead role, the box-office take for "Eat Pray Love" should be a healthy one. One never never knows (with stories in the same vein as Gilbert's) how much these 'real life' stories have been embellished by the time a final draft has been produced and presented to the publisher. To that end, I always choose (unless there is solid evidence to the contrary) to honour the integrity of the author taking things at face value. When it comes to an adaptation of a best-selling novel for the big-screen, there are three trains of though: read the book and then see the film; see the film and then read the book or: if the reviews are really bad; read the book and forget the film. In the case of Ryan Murphy's "Eat Pray Love", I'd go with the first two options. If the book has already won you over there's not a reason in the world as to why you wouldn't want to see "Eat Pray Love". As for options two and three, my advice is take option two. That will be a given if you are a romantic at heart, a fan of Julia Roberts, the handsome Javier Bardem, exotic locations and gorgeous cinematography. The film boasts a damn good soundtrack and if Roberts and Bardem together doesn't quite melt your heart the sexy sound of Joao Gilbero performing "So Wonderful" surely will! The only drawback with this film is (I put it down to trying to stay as true as possible to Gilbert's book) the running time. It really does start to feel long: damn long. It becomes a little over-indulgent. By trying to gratify the spirit of the book, it really drags its feet. Trimming back the over-long India chapter would have solved it! That aside, "Eat Pray Love" is a journey worth making the effort for. 3 STARS." Who's Who?

Julia Roberts I Gusti Ayu Puspawati Hadi Subiyanto Anakia Lapae Billy Crudup James Franco Richard Jenkins Javier Bardem Viola Davis A Jay Radcliff Mike O'Malley Gita Reddy Tuva Novotny Michael Cumpsty

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Elizabeth Liz Gilbert Nyomo Ketut Liyer Tutti Stephen David Piccolo Richard from Texas Felipe Delia Shiraz Andre Andy Shiraz The Guru Sofi Swami Shivananda

The Crew Directed by Ryan Murphy Screenplay by Ryan Murphy & Jennifer Salt From the best selling book "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert Produced by Dede Gardner Executive Producers Jeremy Kleiner/Brad Pitt/Stan Wlodkowski Original Music by Dario Marianelli Cinematography by Robert Richardson Film Editing by Brad Buecker Casting by Francine Maisler Production Design by Bill Groom Art Direction by Charley Beal Set Decoration by Andrew Baseman/Raffaella Giovannetti/Letizia Santucci Costume Design by Michael Dennison Run Time 140 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.