Went to see my cousin (James Franco) in Eat, Pray Love with my 89-year-old mom, last night. It was so boring she wanted to leave BEFORE her second? third? cousin Mitzi’s grandson from Cleveland even came on. And he was only the FIRST boyfriend.
I made her stay to see him, at least, and we agreed, James is VERY cute. (The server in the restaurant next door told us she wanted to KISS him). When James got dumped, my mom asked me if I wanted to leave. (I didn’t–I wanted to see how they handled the ashram scenes).
At one point, Mom handed me a kleenex because we were supposed to be feeling sorry for the Julia Roberts character, who was really wallowing. I apologized for making Mom stay. She told me no problem, she was enjoying the scenery (not sure if she meant James Franco or Rome) but, really, how many spaghetti closeups can one 89-year-old enjoy?
Made it through the ashram (which I thought was the best part of both the book and the movie, tho it’s not clear how Julia managed to have a spiritual conversion, her guru being a rather annoying Texan. ), then on to Bali. Not clear how, in book or movie, Julia managed to have a spiritual converversion, her guru being a toothless medicine man who didn’t have much interesting advice except to go for the Brazilian.
My mom could not understand why she would go for such an old guy if she wanted to have children. Especially when I pointed out that Julia Roberts is 42–but Mom said the character was supposedly in her 30s. She was very surprised to learn that it was a true story and that Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote the book, ended up marrying the Brazilian. So he could stay in the US.
My mom, who is getting a bit forgetful, told me that if she forgot the title and went to see it again I have her permission to put her in a home.
The upshot: James Franco is hot. Eat first, love the person you see it with, and pray you don’t have to sit through it again.
–Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA.
Picky, picky, picky!
I like your headline!!! Thank goodness we got the matinee price.
I was thrilled to see James Franco got second billing after Julia R. On the other hand, I have no idea who played the male roles, so maybe they are nobodies anyway. Richard was obnoxious. I am picturing him with a few teeth missing. Was it only the medicine man who was missing teeth?
How can you do so much bike riding and be so stiff?
I think it would have been better if the males were taller.When Julia was dancing with her husband she had to scrunch up and even so her head was above his. Maybe it was symbolic.
I read the book. As I told some complete strangers in the ladies’ room after the movie, it was better than the movie. But I didn’t like the book, either.
I think it would be difficult to understand the movie if you hadn’t read the book, because most of the movie was shorthand references from the book which don’t make any sense unless you know what really happened.
Why does Julia R wear her hair back the entire movie until she gets involved with the Brazilian whatever his name was? Why was she cast in this in the first place? She is too old, too wooden. No sex appeal. I don’t know what James saw in her. At least, the James character.
I think they must have cut a lot of his scenes out. The movie was 2.5 hours as it was. Thank goodness they brought him back for brief flashbacks in the other sections.
James Franco is enrolling in a doctoral program at Yale. Not that far away. Let’s arrange that family reunion – but limit the guest list. My daughter wants to come. Let’s have it at SH’s house.
LOL meant “So now we know”
James was wonderful! How do I join the fan club?
Verrry interesting–you’re the daughter of one of Mitzi’s cousins? We’ve heard rumors that James lived in Boston/Cambridge or that he has a Cambridge connection. So know we know: you’re it. A-ha!