I went to this film because it was advertised as being in the "Bend It Like Beckham" vein, which was not only a misleading come-on, but in the end also a film as ineffective as the real Beckham in the recent World Cup. Right from the beginning the viewer has to wonder about the motivation. Why on earth does Tilo go to San Francisco and why is she designated the Mistress of Spices? Yes, of course, there is small reference to the upheavals and uprisings in India and going to San Francisco could have been for reasons of escape. However, this is not made at all clear and the next time we see Tilo she is in her spice shop greeting a number of stereotyped types with trivial, boring dialogue. It doesn't stand very well on its own but when compared to other culturally-centric films such as "Like Water for Chocolate," "East is East," it brings up the bottom of the spice barrel. You'd be better off going to a good Indian restaurant rather than wasting your time and money on this film.