Movies so entertaining that they earn a rousing round of applause at the end plus positive buzz from viewers as they walk out of the theater are hard to come by. But such was the situation I experienced while leaving The Hundred-Foot Journey.

This movie covers many genres -- including travel, competition, disappointments, success, friendship and family bonding. The story begins in India where a loving family exists in a country of chaos, under development, little opportunity and a minimal food supply.

When the family suffers a tragedy, the Kadam patriarch, Papa (Om Puri), decides to take what’s left of his family to a place where they can exist in peace and harmony, relying on their creative traits. They make the long journey to France – because that’s where their Van breaks down – where Papa expects to open their own restaurant. After a short search, they find the perfect rundown building. The problem? It’s only a few hundred feet across the road from Madame Mallory’s (Helen Mirren) award-winning French restaurant, Le Saule Pleureur.

As Papa keeps the family busy cleaning and remodeling their new restaurant Maison Mumbai, Madame Mallory keeps busy bugging the Mayor (Michel Blanc) to stop the building of the restaurant across the street because of various violations. However, the mayor finds that hard to do because he’s fallen in love with the family’s Indian food, especially the dishes made by Papa’s son Hassan (Manish Dayal), who’s become a very talented Indian cook by learning his mother’s recipes.

Hassan loves cooking, but he’s also fascinated by one of Madame’s chefs, Marquerite (Charlotte Le Bon). Soon she and Hassan are spending time together riding bikes and searching for mushrooms, as each has the respect for the other’s cooking talents.

Although they are totally different, Papa has his eye on Madame Mallory. Every stunt she tries to pull on them as she sees customers filling their chairs, doesn’t stop Papa from dreaming. He already knows dreams can come true.

While the cat-and-mouse plot of the story comes across as nothing extraordinary, it boasts some memorable moments such as when Hassan is still fed by his mother’s passion and these words she once said to him, “To cook you must kill. You cook to make ghosts.”  I found all of the food elements highly interesting, but the movie deals with more than food.

The French countryside is the perfect place for romance.  Le Bon and Dayal portray their characters the way they fix their popular food dishes. Begin with something simple, add a dash of spicy mystery ingredients, let it settle, then move ahead.

The admirable Mirren needs little effort to cement both the good and bad in her character. Dayal, who has made some feature films and many TV appearances, really shines here in his projection of a character who seems romantic, passionate about his trade, and loyal to his family.

Equally impressive is Om Puri. He’s appeared in more than 250 movies -- mostly Indian films -- and displays a diverse talent that both humors and entertains.

The film is based on Richard C. Morais’s novel. Directing from a screenplay by Steven Knight, director Lasse Hallström continues to make something special out of a simple story. He brought engaging films like Chocolat, The Cider House Rules (one of my favorites) What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and many more to the big screen.

The Hundred-Foot Journey, aided by Linus Sandgren’s (American Hustle) beautiful cinematography, ends up as a film many will remember the next day – and want to advise their friends to see.

(Released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and rated “PG” for thematic elements, some violence, language and brief sensuality.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.