Right questions, wrong answers: Spirituality in Eat, Pray, Love
Posted by The Skyliner on September 1st, 2010Kyra Alexander
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“Let yourself go this August,” was the tag line for the spiritually controversial movie Eat, Pray, Love.
Based on the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert (Pilgrims and Committed), Eat, Pray, Love takes viewers on an emotional journey of the heart. Liz Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts (Valentine’s Day and Mona Lisa Smile), has everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having – a husband, a house and a successful career. Yet like so many others, she finds herself lost, confused and searching for what she really wants in life after everything falls apart.
Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone and risks everything to change her life and embarks on a journey around the world in what becomes a quest for self-discovery.
In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy, the power of prayer in India and finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.
The positives of Eat, Pray, Love, are that it shows Liz’s independence as well as her journey in trying to love herself, forgive herself and find God.
On the negative side, however, Gilbert attempts to find God in selfish indulgences. She tries to find God first through food, then Buddhism and lastly, love.
Strictly speaking, as movies go, Eat, Pray, Love has a strong plot and is very interesting. But when looking at it from a spiritual perspective, it asks the right questions but gives the wrong answers.
Rated PG-13 on appeal for brief strong language, some sexual references and male rear nudity.
Look for a review on Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, in the next edition of The Skyliner.
Tags: Fall 2010, Vol. 111 Fall - Issue 1