The Mistress of Spices (2005)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Paul Mayeda Berges

Writers (WGA):

Gurinder Chadha (screenplay) &
Paul Mayeda Berges (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 April 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

One spice for passion. And one woman who knows its name.

Plot:

In India, Tilo has the ability of foreseeing the future. When their parents are killed by bandits, she...

Plot Keywords:

Spice | Taxi Driver | Cab Driver | Grandfather Granddaughter Relationship | Guilt

Cast

Aishwarya Rai	...	Tilo
Dylan McDermott	...	Doug
Nitin Ganatra	...	Haroun Rehman
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Kwesi
Caroline Chikezie	...	Myisha
Anupam Kher	...	Geeta's Grandfather
Shaheen Khan	...	Jagit's Mother
Sonny Gill Dulay	...	Jagjit
Nina Young	...	Doug's Mother
Toby Marlow	...	Young Doug
Padma Lakshmi	...	Geeta
Zohra Sehgal	...	First Mother (as Zohra Segal)
Paul Bhattacharjee	...	Satish - Geeta's dad
Ayesha Dharker	...	Hameeda - Haroun's neighbor
Rebecca Bowden	...	Bougainvillea Girl

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violent images and sensuality

Runtime:

92 min | Canada:92 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:Atp | Italy:T | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Baker's Beach, Presidio, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Balle Pictures

Trivia:

Gurinder Chadha and her mother made all the mango and carrot pickles seen at the spice store.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tilo makes "paan" for Kwesi, she is shown putting some betel nuts and finally a cardamom in the paan. However, upon revelation, a clove is seen in the paan which was never there before.

Movie Connections:

References Chocolat (2000)

Soundtrack:

Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha

Light but tantalizing.

All the prickly hate surrounding this film is perplexing. Aishwarya Rai fills the chapals of Tilo perfectly and Dylan McDermott is ravishing as Doug. The chemistry between Rai and McDermott is palpable.

The source material for the film is pretty thin itself. So given that Berges was able to fashion this tasty, meaty film -- that lets you feel the sizzle of the chilies or the lapping of the almond milk while providing a cute folktale in the U.S. -- is commendable.

The movie's failing attribute is how slow it is to start -- but a quirky cast and hypnotic cinematography make this a movie that's easily along the lines of The Lake House or Chocolat in the realm of accessible magical realism.