The Hundred-Foot Journey

A family of immigrants from Mumbai (led by the marvelous Om Puri) moves into a small French village and establishes an Indian restaurant right across the road from the town's one Michelin-class dining establishment (operated by the equally marvelous Helen Mirren). A small war ensues, with Puri's son (Manish Dayal) and Mirren's sous-chef (Charlotte Le Bon) caught in the middle, Romeo-and-Juliet style. Adapted from Richard C. Morais' novel by Steven Knight and directed by Lasse Hallström, the movie could stand 10 or 15 minutes' worth of trimming, while less-muted cinematography from Linus Sandgren might have made the culinary atmosphere a lot more mouthwatering. Still, there's charm enough to more than offset those cavils, with a nifty balance between old pros Puri and Mirren, and new faces Dayal and Le Bon.