When tradition collides with fresh ideas
“The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a pleasant movie about the clash of traditions, elegantly prepared food, finding oneself in the world, and discovering love in unlikely places. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the film is a welcome alternative to typical fare at the summer cinema since there’s not a spandex-clad superhero, explosion, or car chase in sight. It’s a gentle film about the problems and conflicts of real people.<br /><br />Forced to leave their Indian home when their restaurant is destroyed, the Kadam family settle in a small village in France. The family is headed by Papa (Om Puri), who discovers a property for sale where he believes he can open a new restaurant, with his son Hassan (Manish Dayal) as chef and the four other children pitching in. The problem is that across the road is the Michelin-starred restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), an aloof woman who runs her establishment with military precision and prides herself on serving exquisitely prepared classic French dishes. She regards her new neighbors, their foreign cuisine, their informal style, and their restaurant — Maison Mumbai — with disdain and tries everything to sabotage it.<br /><br />The early part of the movie features the sparring between Papa and the judgmental Madame Mallory, both fiercely stubborn. Meanwhile, Hassan has taken a fancy to Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), a sous chef at the French restaurant, and longs to establish himself as a world-class chef. He knows he has much to learn, but he has talent and determination.<br /><br />“The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a character-driven movie. Ms. Mirren, who specializes in playing austere, imposing women, gives us two sides of her Madame Mallory. Her coolness and intractability are not the entire portrait. This lady has another, softer dimension that reveals itself gradually as the film unfolds. This development is believable because the script by Steven Knight (based on the book by Richard C. Morais) provides some crisp dialogue and situations that dramatically alter Madame’s perception of the Kadams. She comes to see them as people rather than stereotypes and rivals.<br /><br />Mr. Puri is fun to watch. He plays a shrewd businessman with a vision of the future and resolute determination and despite personal loss and family hardship. In Papa, Madame Mallory has met her match. This elderly gentleman is perhaps the first person ever to take her on, and she is thrown off balance by the challenge. Yet there is never any doubt that, at heart, Papa Kadam is sweet and gentle.<br />Mr. Dayal pales beside his two co-stars. He is charming and good looking, but can’t hold the screen the way Mirren and Puri do.<br /><br />Ms. Le Bon is far more successful as a bright young woman who shares Hassan’s love of fine food preparation. Her cheerful personality brightens her scenes and we like her instantly. Her Marguerite provides some pointers on French cuisine to Hassan, and eventually they fall in love. Unfortunately, because of the strong leads and Mr. Dayal’s limitations, this romantic sub-plot lacks the spice that Hassan favors in his cooking.<br /><br />You won’t find any earth-shaking conflicts in the movie, though the characters and story do engage us. One episode focuses on xenophobia, but this incident does more to draw the rival restaurateurs together than distance them. Several close-ups are devoted to beautiful vegetables and assorted kitchen activities. Though preparation styles differ significantly in their restaurants, the devotion to quality and authenticity of both restaurant owners is never in doubt.<br /><br />Rated PG, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” has a leisurely pace that permits us to get to know the characters and see how their perceptions alter as their hopes and dreams develop. The formula may be familiar, but it’s like looking at a menu of familiar items. The familiar can be enjoyable and fresh if presented just the right way.<br /><br />Bonus extras on the Blu-ray release include an interview with producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg; making-of featurette; digital copy; and a video illustrating how the Indian-inspired dish coconut chicken is made.
The movie title "The Hundred-Foot Journey [Blu-ray]," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.8 from 8616 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Award Winners in Movies & TV, Golden Globe Central and Golden Globe Nominees. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Drama", "Format": "Blu-ray, Widescreen, Dolby, Subtitled", "Contributor": "Kinsella, Jean, Puri, Om, Blanc, Michel, Lebon, Charlotte, Mirren, Helen, Shah, Amit, Hallstrom, Lasse, Dayal, Manish, Chand, RohanKinsella, Jean, Puri, Om, Blanc, Michel, Lebon, Charlotte, Mirren, Helen, Shah, Amit, Hallstrom, Lasse, Dayal, Manish, Chand, Rohan   See more", "Language": "French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD High Res Audio)", "Runtime": "2 hours and 2 minutes", "Aspect Ratio": "2.39:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.56 Ounces", "Item model number": "DRWR12365600BR", "Director": "Hallstrom, Lasse", "Media Format": "Blu-ray, Widescreen, Dolby, Subtitled", "Run time": "2 hours and 2 minutes", "Release date": "December 2, 2014", "Actors": "Mirren, Helen, Lebon, Charlotte, Chand, Rohan, Puri, Om, Dayal, Manish", "Dubbed": "Spanish, French", "Subtitles": "French, English, Spanish", "Studio": "Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Starring Academy Award(R) winner Helen Mirren (Best Actress, THE QUEEN, 2006), produced by Steven Speilberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake, and directed by Lasse Hallstr-m (CHOCOLAT), this uplifting story bursts with flavor, passion and heart. When the chilly chef proprietress of a Michelin-starred French restaurant in southern France (Mirren) gets wind of a culinary immigrant opening an Indian restaurant just 100 feet from her own, her icy protests escalate to all-out war between the two establishments. It's a celebration of triumph over exile as these two worlds collide and one young man tries to find the comfort of home in every pot -- wherever he may be..