The Hundred-Foot Journey. My favorite Movie of the Year

Seldom does a movie offer all the elements I enjoy or look for on the silver screen. And seldom is there a movie that bears viewing on repeated occasions. The Hundred-Foot Journey released this year by Disney fits the bill on both accounts. I LOVED this movie and will watch it many, many times.  The perfect gift for Christmas – get the DVD/BluRay combo pack for yourself or someone you care about. 

From producers Steven Spielberg & Oprah Winfrey and director Lasse Hallström (“Chocolat,” “The Cider House Rules”) comes the deliciously entertaining story of “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” It’s based on the beloved, best-selling novel by Richard C. Morais and stars a favorite of mine,  Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” “Monsters University,” “The Debt”)  This flavorful tale of cultural differences, shared passions, and the unifying nature of food is the perfect gift for movie fans of all ages this holiday season! It became available on Dec 2nd, just in time for the Holidays, on Digital HD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On-Demand.

The Hundred-Foot Journey takes us on a delightfully engaging journey with the incredibly handsome Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal),  a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Following tragedy, The Kadam family is displaced from their native India. Led by their blustery Papa (Om Puri), they settle in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, the French village is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai.  Now enter the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) – just a Hundred-Feet across the road. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant, in plain view of her own elegant restaurant, escalates to all out war between the two establishments. Not until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine and an eye for Mme. Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), do their world’s collide and a lasting relationship begins to forge. Hassan’s talent for taste, and his traditional Indian knowledge of spices passed from his beloved mother helps him weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Mme. Mallory cannot ignore. At first Mme. Mallory’s views Hassan as a culinary rival, yet she eventually swallows her pride and recognizes Hassan’s gift as a chef and takes him under her wing. The blending and accepting of the two vastly different cultures is what makes this movie such a delight.

I plan to make a night of cooking, as well, in conjunction with movie night. You can visit THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY  cooking site and create these fantastic dishes inspired by the hit film right in your own home! Recipes include “Herbs de Provence-Crusted Turkey” and “Kheewa: Indian Ground Beef with Peas.” Well, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start cooking!

Rated PG, I truly appreciated the family values, clean language, modesty, and lack of gratuitous violence. I enjoyed watching the movie with my children and appreciated the cultural awareness they gained.  I can honestly say, this is my favorite movie of the year!

Now one Clever Housewife reader can enter to win their own DVD/BluRay copy of The Hundred-Foot  Journey! This giveaway will end at 12pm PT on 12/24. To enter, fill out the form below.