 |
Liz (Julia Roberts) falls for a Brazilian tour guide (Javier Bardem) who nearly runs her over with his car in Ryan Murphy’s “Eat Pray Love.” |
Before we get to Julia Roberts, we must first acknowledge the most stellar performance to be found in Ryan Murphy’s movie adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-seller about a woman’s search for truth and happiness.
It belongs to Richard Jenkins.
Yep, the same Richard Jenkins who was born in DeKalb and won an Oscar nomination for best actor after starring in the 2007 indie production “The Visitor.”
In “Eat Pray Love,” Jenkins plays a character called Richard From Texas, a cranky, middled-aged fussbudget who begrudgingly befriends Liz Gilbert (Roberts) in India.
She has come there seeking enlightenment after a lifetime of confusion, disappointment and restlessness.
Richard has also come to India seeking life answers. We don’t why. Not at first.
He takes Liz under his tattered wing and becomes her de facto life coach, propping up her saggy self-esteem, but harshly challenging her to stand up to her problems and face her inability to forgive herself and love.
Jenkins initially presents Richard as a grumpy shadow of the main character. But Richard harbors a dark secret.
When he chooses to reveal it, Jenkins conjures up a performance filled with so much pain and regret (“an ocean of regret,” as he puts it), that the film feels alive and vital.
When Richard leaves “Eat Pray Love,” the movie never quite recovers. Jenkins’ performance is so solid and meaningful, I would be shocked if he didn’t earn an Oscar nomination for it. (Read more…)