Eat Pray Love - the critics are divided.

I have read quite a few reviews on the highly anticipated chick-flick-with-a-spiritual message, Eat Pray Love.

Some are not pretty. A few, far more favourable.

This one is pretty harsh, and reads like many of the Sex & The City 2 movie reviews I endured before seeing the film.

Here is the opening par:

"Published in 2006, but on bestseller lists seemingly much longer than that, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love is the true story travelogue of the author’s journey into Italy, India and Indonesia as she attempts to understand who she is and what she wants in the wake of a broken marriage. It’s one of those books enjoyed predominantly by women who own toe rings, read Psychologies magazine and enjoy Ani De Franco records."

Oh, sheesh.

http://www.nme.com/movies/reviews/movie-review-eat-pray-love/11604

And this one is not far off:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/sep/23/eat-pray-love-review

This one is far more positive, though still calls it like it is:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/reviews/2010/10/08/3032808.htm

And then, the barometer of all things flicks - Rotten Tomatoes - gives plenty of varied views on the movie.

David Stratton - renowned film critic for SBS's At The Movies - says:

"The director, Ryan Murphy, brings only the most obvious sentiments to the borderline intolerable proceedings."

Read the rest of his review here:

http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s3005051.htm

This one sounds more like it:

"While undeniably a chick flick, this is a classy one bolstered by an all-round excellent cast and well crafted script." Annette Basile, from FILMINK, Australia.

I am going with Annette's perspective until I see it myself.

I started the book some time ago. Had twins. Twins now almost three. Still haven't finished it. I hope this won't reflect how I'll react to the movie; that is, I had this ever-so-subtle feeling as I read about Elizabeth Gilbert's life issues that were a little too "first world problems."

I have been instructed by my close bud to finish the book before we see the movie this coming weekend. I hope it doesn't disappoint (the book and the movie), but I am going in with a similar (if slightly more positive) attitude to SATC2 - that while it won't be Ben Hur (no, I haven't seen this movie but most film buffs refer to this as the celluloid benchmark) it'll still deliver a great escape from my own life, and perhaps a message or two to take away and contemplate.