It may not be her most successful film, and it will not be as popular as Notting Hill, Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich, but Julia Roberts’ performance in Eat Pray Love has definitively anchored her place among the all-time elite actresses. It could also land her the second Oscar of her already-illustrious career.

Her role as Elizabeth (Liz) Gilbert, one full of emotional upsets, renewals and rebirths, was not easy to fulfill, but Julia did it excellently with her natural warmth and versatility. Present practically in every shot of the movie, it is thanks to her great acting that the 140-minute film is worth watching.

Without her, the film would not have been given the high ratings that it has received so far. Her dancing eyes and engaging smile accompany the viewer all throughout her experience of self-discovery following a bitter divorce, which take her from New York to Italy to India and finally to Bali, where she meets her soul-mate and happiness.

The film, of course, is not only about Julia Roberts and her talents. It is about finding one’s heart and soul, and viewers quickly identify themselves in the different situations that Liz finds herself in – the collapsed marriage, the seeking of a new relationship, the formation of new friendships, and the finding of a new love, all with the ups and downs that we have all been through.

We may not have had to go to exotic places to search for a new beginning, but we have all experienced a lost relationship, an unreciprocated love or one that finished in tears. Liz’s experience however teaches us not to give up, even when matters look gloomy and unhappy. There is always a silver lining to any cloud.

There are films that one sees and forgets as soon as one walks out of the cinema. Eat Pray Love is not one of them.

Initially, it may seem just like another other love story. It may also appear that there are no links between the various episodes of the main character’s life. But the depth of the message that is the common denominator of the different passages of the storyline as well as the few shots that bring them all together in a clincher towards the end of the film leaves the viewer with thoughts that he or she takes home.