Eat Pray Love

The wait is finally over as the Eat Pray Love movie launched in the US on Friday the 13^th August, following its opening premier on August 10^th. The film, starring Julia Roberts is an adaptation of the autobiographical novel of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert, shot on location in New York, Italy, India and Bali, Indonesia.

The premier was held at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York and attended by Elizabeth Gilbert, Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem and several other actors from the film, along with the director, Ryan Murphy. Following the US release date, the movie will also be released in Europe and Asia between August and November 2010. Eat Pray Love grossed an estimated $8.5 million on its opening night and is expected to be a box office hit.

The Indonesian premier of the film will be shown in Bali during the BALINALE 2010 International Film Festival from October 12^th – October 17^th 2010. The BALINALE film festival is co-founded by Christine Hakim who plays the Balinese traditional healer Wayan Nuriyasih. The film festival will also feature a selection of 25 films from around Indonesia and the world as well as workshops, a children’s program and short film competition.

The movie is sure to be a must-see for fans of the Eat Pray Love book as well as newcomers to the work of Elizabeth Gilbert. Unlike many book to film adaptations, it is not necessary to have first read the book in order to fully understand the story and sympathize with the characters.

Julia Roberts claims to have put on 10lbs while filming in Rome for the ‘Eat’ section of the story. Like Elizabeth Gilbert herself, the actress ate huge amounts of pizza and pasta during several shoots although she found it easy to lose the weight again after finishing filming.

While some critics have claimed the film (and book) is a superficial exploration of eastern spirituality based around a spoiled character, there is no denying the feel-good aspect of the movie. The uplifting story combined with sumptuous filming in the exotic locations of Bali, India and Italy make this a real treat for the senses.

Fans of the movie can even travel to Bali, visit Ubud where the majority of it is filmed and meet the real life characters from the book on an Eat Pray Love tour. Spiritual tourism is increasing in popularity and the release of the Eat Pray Love movie promises to encourage even more people to set off on a soul-seeking journey of their own.