Eat Pray Love

*imdb.com

For reasons I will not go in to here, I often find myself home alone. Not like Kevin McCallister Home Alone - forgotten and left to fight bad guys on my own – but like my-attitude-is-not-fit-for-human-consumption-today so I need to be home alone… It’s the perfect time to watch the movies no one wants to watch with me. One of these was “Eat Pray Love”.

This film features Julia Roberts as a woman disenchanted with her job, her marriage, her life - ultimately, with herself. We follow her on her journey to find self through eating in Italy (because that’s what Italians do best – LOVE them!), praying in India, and eventually finding “true love” in Bali.

Let me just say first that this movie is GORGEOUS!! Julia is gorgeous– seriously, how does she look even better with age?!? – the scenery is gorgeous, the food is so gorgeous I wish I were watching it on Wonkavision. There is so much for the eye to feast on! I loved how this movie allowed me to explore places I may never visit in my own life, to really feel the experience of the countries and the peoples and the cultures she visits.

However… this movie is filled with all kinds of things I have issues with, some just plain old false doctrine in ‘self-discovery’ sheep’s clothing.

First, at the beginning of the film, she is in a marriage – a binding contract between a man and a woman to cleave to and love one another, at least as long as they live. And her man, though not perfect, loves her and has, in his own words, “kept my vows”. She admits throughout the film that she once loved him, too. BUT, one restless night, she prays for help. And this starts her on her journey to leave her husband and her former life to find herself...? Because marriage and families are essential to God’s plan for us, His children, I find it almost impossible to believe this path she takes would be inspired by Him.

She jumps ship from the marriage she’s scuttled to the arms of James Franco. Let’s be honest, as most people who have casual sex outside of marriage experience, this doesn’t make her feel any better about herself, so she leaves him. To Italy. And food. Now I am a big fan of food. And this portion of the film has some wonderful characters that I loved best in all the film. It also unfortunately has “eat, drink, and be merry” written all over it.

From Italy, we move to India, where she spends time in prayer, meditation, and service. Though I do not personally believe in the religion practiced there, I do appreciate the focus on these three fundamentals. I believe that if we give ourselves time to pray and meditate or ponder, we will find inspiration. And in looking for others’ needs and serving them, we will find joy. Like gravity, these are natural laws, and I know for myself they work.

My favorite part of the film takes place in Bali, when she and her friends help a single mother and daughter own a home. The joy portrayed in this part of the film is true happiness. By incorporating prayer, meditation, and little acts of kindness here, she finally finds herself in Bali. Note: This is not to be confused with her new-found love that she romps around with. Though he is charming and sweet, their immorality ruins it for me. I couldn’t care less about that relationship… I guess I never got over her leaving her husband, even though she did.

So, what’s the moral of the story here – Well, I don’t think one has to leave everything behind and travel around the world to find oneself. I think that if we pray, ponder, and look for ways to serve those around us right where we are, happiness will come. Even greater happiness will come as we add all these things – and fidelity – to our marriage relationships. Looking for it in any other way just won’t work.

So Eat, but not too much. Pray, but not too little. And Love; it will never fail.