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Eat Pray Love Reviews

There’s some love along the way, and a little bit of praying, but it’s the “Eat” in the title that gets the most attention, like a neon sign in the window of an all-night diner.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 16, 2023

Unlike the original source, Eat Pray Love presents a flawless caricature that's on an idyllic, hiccup-free trip in a world full of kind people who are happy to be at the mercy of this lost American tourist. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 21, 2022

A never ending yawn. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jul 19, 2022

Not a good film by any means, but sometimes you need a bad film of exactly this ilk: frothy, silly and as pleasurable as wrapping yourself in a warm blanket.

Full Review | Nov 5, 2021

Without discounting the importance of Gilbert's decision... it can't be removed from its context: it's a story about choosing self over prescribed generic femininity, a world of your own making over the deeply patriarchal American upper-middle class.

Full Review | Jun 9, 2021

Eat Pray Love is more of a romanticized travelogue, rather than a truly transformative one.

Full Review | May 23, 2021

In many ways I don't even consider Eat Pray Love a film. I see it as more akin to a very well made travel brochure.

Full Review | May 19, 2021

This translation to the big screen is dull, boring, and largely unaffecting.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Nov 29, 2020

Wraps it all up infinitely tighter and neater than does Gilbert's book.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 7, 2020

Full Review | Mar 2, 2019

... almost two and a half hours in which [Julia Roberts] displays her charisma... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 19, 2018

With 6 million readers of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, clearly, the movie has big shoes to fill. It may not succeed, but Julia Roberts and the film's designers give us a lot to enjoy.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Dec 3, 2017

An engaging but deliberate chick flick at times, Eat, Pray, Love has the quintessential chick flick star at the helm with Roberts, who played the role beautifully...

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Sep 9, 2017

The unexamined privilege, the idealization/exotification of all places east, the canned spirituality, the sensual goddamn spaghetti-it's all so focus-group-tested and Oprah approved and self-perpetuating and embarrassing.

Full Review | Aug 30, 2017

Let's face it. There are some books that should never be made into movies.

Full Review | Aug 11, 2017

This gentle, meditative, well-told tale has a lot to offer.

Full Review | Mar 7, 2017

Eat Pray Love is overlong and quickly becomes tedious. It features narcissistic, inward looking characters of no interest at all and amounts to a very poorly made film.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Nov 9, 2013

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Feb 18, 2012

Liz maybe the most unlikeable character Julia Roberts has ever had to play, not because co-writer/director Ryan Murphy is trying to make her so but because everything the film does pushes her in that direction.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Mar 21, 2011

A seemingly interminable romantic travelogue that feels as though it takes as long to watch as the year-long spiritual quest it depicts.

Full Review | Mar 14, 2011

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Parents' guide to, eat pray love.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 6 Reviews
Kids Say 12 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Find-your-bliss film appeals but raises questions, too.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Words used include "s--t," "screw," "ass," “

Some social drinking at parties, bars, and restaurants. A woman gets drunk at a

Couples kiss tenderly. Lots of flirtation, some references to “sexy time,&

Not many labels, but the book and the movie have encouraged many Eat Pray Lov

Any Positive Content?

The movie suggests that when you find yourself living a life that turns out to n

Liz is lost in the beginning of the movie. She doesn’t like the life she h

Parents need to know that this romantic drama based on the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert examines what happens when a woman walks away from the life (and husband) she knows to travel the world in search of meaning, balance, and joy. That's fairly heavy material for tweens, which is part of why this movie is more age-appropriate for teens and adults, who will be better able to appreciate the movie's life lessons. Expect some discussions about sex, celibacy, and relationships; a few glimpses of a naked male butt; and some swearing (including "s--t" and one "motherf---er") and drinking (including one scene in which a character gets quite drunk).

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Words used include "s--t," "screw," "ass," “goddamn," "hell," "damn," "oh my God," and “bulls--," plus one “motherf---er.”

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Some social drinking at parties, bars, and restaurants. A woman gets drunk at a a party and suffers a huge hangover the morning after. Some references in casual conversation to Xanax and meth.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Couples kiss tenderly. Lots of flirtation, some references to “sexy time,” and talk about a woman's need to end her self-prescribed celibacy. In one scene, a man strips down and asks the main character to go skinny dipping -- viewers see his bare backside a couple of times.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Not many labels, but the book and the movie have encouraged many Eat Pray Love -inspired product tie-ins

Positive Messages

The movie suggests that when you find yourself living a life that turns out to not be what you wanted or dreamed of, it’s time to reboot, even if that means a complete overhaul. Yes, feelings will get hurt, and the pain may last for months or even years. But the risk is worth it, the movie says, to find happiness.

Positive Role Models

Liz is lost in the beginning of the movie. She doesn’t like the life she has, and she doesn’t know how to get the one she wants. She opts to take big risks to seek wisdom and joy, which is admirable. But there are casualties in her search for enlightenment.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (6)
Kids say (12)

Based on 6 parent reviews

Well-Made, Thought-Provoking, and Beautiful Film; Too Racy For Kids

What's the story.

Writer Elizabeth Gilbert ( Julia Roberts ) suddenly finds herself feeling trapped in a marriage she doesn't want, in a life she didn't envision. Despite the fact that she chose to fashion that very life, now she wants out -- and that realization will destroy her husband ( Billy Crudup ) and worry her friends. A love affair with a young actor ( James Franco ) isn't the answer, and neither is disappearing into her sorrows. So she decides to go to Italy, where she hopes to rediscover her passion for food, and, perhaps, life; to India, where she seeks spiritual connection; and to Bali, where she may finally forgive herself. It's there that she meets a Brazilian man ( Javier Bardem ) who just might convince her that love is worth the risk.

Is It Any Good?

All hail Julia Roberts: As Elizabeth Gilbert's avatar in this cinematic adaptation of the bestselling memoir Eat Pray Love , she's luminous and beautiful. Her faint wrinkles assure us that she hasn't been Botoxed or plastic-surgeried to death, and she's every bit the likable America's sweetheart she's known to be. With her in the starring role, a supporting cast filled with the likes of Bardem, Franco, Crudup, Viola Davis, and Richard Jenkins , and an inspired-by-real-life story set against some of the most photogenic locales in the world, how can it go wrong?

On one level, it doesn't. The film is convincingly stirring, and it hits all of the emotional notes that movies like these are supposed to hit. It's dreamy, it makes you think, and it even makes you cry. But poetic and unforgettable it's not. Some moments have been fashioned with heavy hands; you can feel the filmmakers pushing you to Feel Something. The film skates over why Liz can't abide the life she leads and the wreckage she leaves behind. And it incites the same debate that the book itself did: Is this chronicling a so-called self-indulgent journey that only the affluent can embark upon? Is it superficial? Or is it transformative? And does that matter when the film is, yes, entertaining?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the movie's messages. Who do you think it's trying to reach? What is it saying to that audience?

Liz finds her bliss through a complete change in scenery, literally and figuratively. How realistic is this option for most people? What do you think would have happened if she hadn't been able to escape?

What eventually persuades Liz to leave her husband? Is her struggle relatable? Believable?

Movie Details

In theaters : August 13, 2010
On DVD or streaming : November 23, 2010
Cast : Billy Crudup , Javier Bardem , Julia Roberts
Director : Ryan Murphy
Inclusion Information : Gay directors, Female actors
Studio : Columbia Pictures
Genre : Drama
Run time : 133 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : brief strong language, some sexual references and male rear nudity
Last updated : October 14, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

Thelma and Louise

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Cast & crew

User reviews

Eat Pray Love

Crucial point in the story left out in the movie.

Feb 13, 2011
Calicodreamin
Feb 1, 2021

The Freudian Pizza

marcosaguado
Aug 13, 2010

An Unlikable Protagonist's Journey

Nov 13, 2010

Me,me, me, me, me and the others

liufilms-yl
Aug 14, 2010

Mystic Julia

littlemartinarocena

The greatest emotion I felt from the film was hunger (for Italian pizza), thirst (for Italian wine)

Aug 12, 2010

It's just not for anyone

amalalkhatib-99
Dec 17, 2021

Not too bad at all!

andredejongh
Jan 31, 2011

Watch, sleep, forget

May 6, 2012
meserethassan
Nov 9, 2010

This. Movie. Sucks.

Aug 17, 2010

Review from a Male Chauvinist Pig

Bob_the_Hobo
May 19, 2011

I have never written a review before....

EvilDonut13

Should make version for men- Drink, Prey, Cheer

What it could have been....

Feb 6, 2023

What planet is she from?

roastmary-1

A life lesson

Jul 6, 2020
Sep 3, 2010

I Guess Money Can Buy Happiness

Dec 26, 2011

I really found myself in the movie and, yes, I have the courage to admit it

marinel1310
Oct 23, 2010

A nice tale of one woman's journey of self-discovery

Aug 31, 2010

Epidermic Journey

claudiaeilcinema
Aug 18, 2010

Roberts' rock-solid performance guides the film.

RyanCShowers
Aug 16, 2010

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Movie review: ‘Eat Pray Love’

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If there is one constant in “Eat Pray Love,” the imperfect yet beautifully rendered adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir on a year of heartbreak and healing starring Julia Roberts — it is this: There will be tears.

Happy tears, sad tears, tears of relief, tears of regret, gut-wrenching sobs, really almost any variation imaginable — and that’s just the guy in the next row who didn’t think he’d need Kleenex in a movie, ever. So no need to blush if you find yourself getting teary, nearly everyone in the movie — Roberts, Javier Bardem, Billy Crudup, Viola Davis, Richard Jenkins — cries before it’s over too.

If anything, it was the crying – and the catharsis that comes with it — that made such passionate fans of the book in the first place, myself included. Despite (or because of…) all the education, the career success, the years of therapy, the rich circle of friends and family, Gilbert found herself still getting it completely wrong when it came to relationships with the men in her life. A thoroughly modern, high-class problem that turned out to resonate deeply and widely. The movie hews so closely to all those emotional colors, with Roberts breaking apart so completely and luminously as Liz, that it is likely to touch that same chord.

Just as the book turned out to be a perfect vehicle for Gilbert to work through all manner of emotional highs and lows, the movie creates space and a place for Roberts to give into wave after wave of feelings as she moves through resentment, guilt, regret, forgiveness, joy and hope to change her life.

In Ryan Murphy she seems to have the perfect director. He’s made a career of broken people, bad relationships and fractured self-esteem quite brilliantly, most notably on TV with “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee.” And yes, I know film and TV are very different mediums, but that’s not the problem here. Murphy wrings all of his actors emotionally dry, scraping to the bone to expose vulnerability, but he hasn’t quite figured out how to control that power. So this gorgeous but messy affair isn’t always as satisfying as it should be.

The film basically begins where the book does with Liz Gilbert at 30, a successful writer with a handsome underachieving husband in Stephen (Crudup), a house in a posh New York suburb, on her knees in the middle of the night sobbing a prayer to God to fix what is broken.

The answer is a divorce, which quickly turns catastrophic. Even a dreamy rebound lover named David played by James Franco can’t break her depression. So Liz sets out on a yearlong search for balance and New Age-y enlightenment: the sumptuous feast of Italy where food is the cure, the meditative Indian ashram with Richard from Texas (Jenkins) as her spiritual advisor, and the final months in Bali with the ministrations of local medicine man Ketut (Hadi Subiyanto) and a new romance with Felipe (Bardem).

Meanwhile, the canvas for all these mood swings has such a saturated beauty that it can bring you to tears too. Cinematographer Robert Richardson’s (Oscar winner for “The Aviator” and “JFK”) shots of pasta and pizza, and the Italian cafes and countryside kitchens where Liz partakes, will leave you desperate for a taste; the light filtering through the ashram bathes those scenes with an ethereal glow; the lush tropics of Bali through his lens turns up the heat, though honestly with Bardem around, you don’t need it.

But it’s not all perfection. “Eat Pray Love” was never going to be an easy adaptation given how interior a story Gilbert crafted. The book’s self-help, self-absorbed qualities, which made a publishing hit, threaten sentimental mush on the big screen, and there are times when the film comes close. A few characters have been streamlined, others have been dropped, but Murphy and screenwriting partner Jennifer Salt, stay true to the spirit and construction of the source, and that is part of what takes the film off track.

Liz’s inner voice, which drives the book, turns into extensive voice-over, which Roberts handles well enough. But the conceit of narration cheats the character development time, which would have made for a richer film. You feel this most acutely in Italy, the first leg of the journey. The film never finds its footing there — there’s virtually no connection between Liz and the cast of characters that flow into her life, and almost no story. India, however, is made worthwhile by Jenkins, an actor of extraordinary range who makes the folksy recovering Richard someone you’d want to spend time reflecting with. Bali is saved by Subiyanto, who is delightful as the smiling and nearly toothless ancient healer, and Bardem, whose potent screen presence makes anything look absolutely right for the moment.

Any time Murphy pulls away from the book, the film gets better. The scenes between Liz and her ex, Crudup’s Stephen, are intriguing and always welcome. In their flirts and their fights there is some of the crackling bite that Murphy can give dialogue when he’s at his best, and it hints at what might have been.

It helps that Roberts rides all the turbulent waves with such ease and such grace, that Jenkins knows exactly what to do with his internal churn, and that Bardem can do no wrong. It makes the many tears worth it — or at least it will for those in the mood for a good cry, and all those fans of the book who already knew to bring tissues.

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Former Los Angeles Times film critic Betsy Sharkey is an award-winning entertainment journalist and bestselling author. She left the newsroom in 2015. In addition to her critical essays and reviews of about 200 films a year for The Times, Sharkey’s weekly movie reviews appeared in newspapers nationally and internationally. Her books include collaborations with Oscar-winning actresses Faye Dunaway on “Looking for Gatsby” and Marlee Matlin on “I’ll Scream Later.” Sharkey holds a degree in journalism and a master’s in communications theory from Texas Christian University.

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IMAGES

Eat Pray Love movie review & film summary (2010)
Eat Pray Love movie review & film summary (2010)
Eat Pray Love (2010)
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Eat Pray Love (2010)

VIDEO

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