‘100 Foot Journey’ warn and funny

The movie “The 100 Foot Journey” is a refreshing and entertaining film about two restaurant owners located 100 apart. The only well-known star here, Helen Mirren, is cast as the snooty owner of a famed one-star restaurant; she’s hoping Michelin will award her a second star.

Opposite in a rebuilt restaurant is a new Indian dining place run by Papa (Om Puri, a star in India).

Action starts will Papa and family roaming rural France for a new restaurant site, getting stuck on a hill and being rescued by Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) who is sous chef at the Mirren restaurant.

Chef for the new Indian restaurant is son Hassan (Manish Duval). He and Le Bon become close as she educates him on French traditional cooking.

Romances grow and both restaurants are popular, with Mirren’s getting its second star, which one and all celebrate.

No big computer images, just a heartwarming story well told by director Lasse Hallstrom. Rural France is beautiful and along the way a gentle plea for understanding and tolerance (something our Texas folk might well emulate).

Mirren is as always indomitable and wining. Puri is an equal in many ways and Le Bon is young beauty and talent at its best.

A welcome change for the excesses of “Into the Storm,” also playing.

Cast

•Helen Mirren as Madame Mallory

•Om Puri as Papa

•Manish Dayal as Hassan Haji

•Charlotte Le Bon as Marguerite

•Amit Shah as Mansour

•Juhi Chawl

•Rohan Chand as Young Hassan Haji

Directed by

Lasse Hallström

Produced by

Steven Spielberg

Oprah Winfrey

Juliet Blake

Written by

Steven Knight

Based on

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Music by

A. R. Rahman[1]

Cinematography

Linus Sandgren

Edited by

Andrew Mondshein

Running time

122 minutes, rated PG

The Associated Press contributed to this report.