Search - Henry Jaglom's Eating - A Very Serious Comedy About Women and Food on DVD

Don't offer these women a cherry pie!

Peter Shelley | Sydney, New South Wales Australia | 10/27/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One has to wonder about Henry Jaglom's mother, when he dedicates a film about women suffering from eating disorders to her. This is one of Jaglom's more successful efforts since there is some dramatic conflict amongst the cinema verite talkfest that is his trademark. One might even mistake this film as a documentary with all the to-the-camera discourse. Otherwise his camera is thankfully still, aided by the excuse of a Frenchwoman making a documentary at an exclusively female (and enormously populated) birthday party. Maybe it's a very "L.A." thing but it's shocking how so many beautiful women have food issues, and the association they make with food and sex, and food and love, makes for a compelling (for Jaglom) social study. He begins uncertainly, as the women gather. Jaglom gets a little carried away with cross-cutting, and there is a definite lesbian subtext which turns out to be misleading. But as the film develops our initial judgment of the women presented, as shallow and stupid gives way to depths of feeling and marvel at the openness and emotional accessibility of the female species. As the eldest of the group and the mother of Helene (Lisa Richards), who resides in the house where the celebrations occur, Frances Bergen represents the voice of reason and the sounding board for the confessions. Jaglom cleverly maintains our empathy for her, aided by Bergen's wonderful naturalness, even when her reaction to news of an infidelity defines the survival strategies of women of her generation. In spite of the heaviness of the subject, there is much humour to be found, partly from the women's own insight into their behaviour, and also from the idea of having Helene seek out the mistress under the guise of mingling. Richards' performance improves considerably after she stops pecking. As her predatory best friend, Gwen Welles adds some amusing spite to the proceedings. Her demonstration of the use of a present of anger-releasing padded poles gets a big laugh. It's no surprise to learn of Welles' bulimia since she looks anorexic, and she is about the only one who doesn't seem to think they are "fat". When the birthday cake is cut, no-one wants to eat it. Since the cast is so large some actors get lost in the mosaic, but mention should be made of Toni Basil in Carmen Miranda get-up as an actress quitting her agent ("If Michael Jackson can fire his father ..."); Aloma Ichinose who has a great riff about smoking; and Mary Crosby looking like a fawn and being very I-shot-JR in a bathroom confrontation. I particularly liked the line "I'm looking for a man who can excite me as much as a baked potato"."

4 1/2 stars: What Women Think About Food

Renee Thorpe | Karangasem, Bali | 03/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This low budget, thoroughly entertaining look at a group of women gathering for a luncheon party is a rare critique of how women have come to be obsessed with food. Quasi-documentary in form, actresses in this film seems to teeter between acting and reality. Certainly many lines are blurred, and the result is fascinating. While something of a "chick flick", men will come away from this film with plenty to think about. Whole film is a real conversation-starter, highly amusing and never gets too heavy. Excellent and very unique in subject matter. Amazing how seldom we see people eating and enjoying their food in movies, yet it is such an important part of our lives. Hollywood sense of beauty is blasted between the lines.Only aspect I objected to was the lack of polish in the production itself. It could have been visually smoother in parts. But Jaglom films always look like this, I suppose. Still a winner."

One of my first independent films which I remember fondly...

Adam | SC | 10/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Henry Jaglom's EATING will always have a special place in my heart. I don't know why, it just will. When I was in middle school, I discovered BRAVO, back when they were commerical free, and televised uncut films. I discovered many foreign and independent films that summer, including SWEPT AWAY (the original, not the Guy Ritchie disaster), LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, BARTON FINK, and last, but not least, EATING.



I have to say that I was impressed. I had never seen anything quite like it before. Before BRAVO, my intake of cinema consisted mainly of Blockbuster films and crappy teen flicks - this was before I discovered John Hughes. However, I have loved film since I sprang forth from the womb, so I had always been open to different kinds of film. I was probably the only kid in middle school who really wanted to see THE ENGLISH PATIENT, but was too young to get in. I'm rambling.



I loved Henry Jaglom's style. The random converstation, the lack of a plot, narrative, whatever was typical in Hollywood fare. It may not be one of the best films ever made. You'd probably have to be in a special sort of mood to watch a bunch of middle aged women talk for two hours about food. However, it helped me to broaden my horizons as far as film goes, and for that, it gets five stars.



I haven't seen it in years, so I'm sorry if this review wasn't that informative. I just bought it from Amazon.



Looking forward to watching it again."