L.A. Confidential

Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem In “Love”

The stars will play love interests in "Eat, Pray, Love"

-Carrie Seim

Sexy Spaniard Javier Bardem has just been cast as Julia Roberts’ love interest in the film adaptation of the Oprah-licious book, Eat, Pray, Love.

The memoir tells the story of author Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey from overeating in Italy to overpraying in India to over-sexing-it-up in Indonesia.

I couldn’t be more delighted with the choice of Javier as Julia’s knight in shining islandwear. After his sultry spin in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and his terrifying turn in No Country for Old Men, Senor Bardem is welcome on my big screen – or my big bed – any night of the semana.

Seriously, friendo. How much do we have to pay Penelope Cruz to “borrow” you for an evening of eating and praying and loving? I take that back – how much do we have to pay to borrow both you AND Penelope for the evening? The sex appeal of that couple is off the Kinsey Scale.

I think we can all agree that Javier is equipped to cover the love base in this little (ha!) flick. But I agree with Jeremy Medina of Entertainment Weekly, who frets that the pairing of Julia and Javier “sounds odd and/or like a sign of the apocalypse.”

I’m struggling to see the chemistry between these two stars. Javier is so subtle, so sexy, so Spanish. Julia is so … Julia. She’s tough and strong and smart, which are all qualities to be proud of as a woman and an actress. But the attraction between these two escapes my imagination. I did enjoy Julia in the superb spy dramedy Duplicity. (Netflix it, people!) But I’ll admit I enjoyed the elegant portrayal by Julia’s costar, Clive Owen, far more, and it was difficult for me to buy into the two of them as a couple.

My only hope for Eat, Pray Love is that Javier will seduce Julia in the same way he’s seduced the rest of us. At which point she will be putty in his strong, powerful, grande hands.

What do you think? Who would be your dream cast of Eat, Pray, Love? Do you think Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem make a good couple?

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