Story
The Hundred-Foot Journey begins when Papa Kadam (Om Puri) loses his wife and family restaurant in a devastating fire. He decides to leave his home in Mumbai and take his family to Europe. While travelling across Europe, Papa Kadam discovers a dilapidated restaurant in the south of France. He decides it will make the perfect venue for the new Kadam family restaurant, Maison Mumbai.
Unfortunately for Papa Kadam, 100 feet across the road is French restaurant Le Saule Pleureur, owned by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). Madame Mallory is horrified at the thought of having a traditional Indian restaurant across the road from her Michelin star business. Papa Kadam and Madame Mallory clash and try to sabotage each other.
Fortunately things start to change when Papa Kadam’s son Hassan (Mannish Daval), who is a culinary genius, develops a romantic friendship with Madame Mallory’s sous-chef Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon). Marguerite lends Hassan several French cook books. Hassan quickly masters them and tries to use his new skills to win over Madame Mallory.
When local bigots set fire to Maison Mumbai in an attempt to run Papa Kadam and his family out of town, Madame Mallory is outraged. This is the start of a new friendship with the Kadams.
Themes
Violence
The Hundred-Foot Journey has some violence. For example:
Sexual references
The Hundred-Foot Journey has some sexual references. For example:
- In an airport a customs officer asks a young Indian woman if she is going to London for an arranged marriage.
- In a bid to entice people into his restaurant, a man tells a woman to smile to attract customers. This is because she has good teeth. She later smiles at a cyclist riding past, who crashes his bike.
- A news announcer talks about a man being very hot in the kitchen and popular with the ladies.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
The Hundred-Foot Journey shows some use of substances. For example:
- Several scenes show people drinking socially in restaurants.
- A man drinks wine and scotch and seems slightly intoxicated.
Nudity and sexual activity
The Hundred-Foot Journey shows some hugging, romantic dancing and kissing.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in The Hundred-Foot Journey: brand-name mobile phones and Citroen cars.
Coarse language
The Hundred-Foot Journey includes some mild coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Hundred-Foot Journey is based on a novel by Richard C. Morais. It’s a romantic comedy about cultural opposites learning to live together. The movie targets an older adolescent and adult audience, and might be particularly interesting to people who like movies about cooking and good food. The movie has a great cast and spectacular views of the French countryside.
The story of The Hundred-Foot Journey is likely to lack interest for younger children. It has themes such as racism, which are more likely to be understood by teenagers. It also has some violent scenes that are quite scary.
These are the main messages from this movie:
- With some compromises, cultural opposites can not only live together but also triumph over obstacles.
- Racism is ugly and unacceptable and should be strongly opposed.
- Home is wherever the family is.