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Julia Roberts' Good Life

Is Eat, Pray, Love star the next Meryl Streep?

A portrait of an idyllic life if ever there was one: Julia Roberts’ career shows no sign of cresting, and her role in the film adaptation of the wildly successful book Eat, Pray, Love is just another notch in the actress’ seemingly near-perfect life. The 42-year-old will star alongside Javier Bardem, James Franco, Viola Davis, and Richard Jenkins. The movie, which opens August 13, is expected to receive as wide a reception as the bestselling book by Elizabeth Gilbert. Roberts traversed the globe to film the movie, taking her family along with her to New York, Rome, India, and Bali—all the while battling adverse filming conditions that resulted in a 102-degree fever in India and too much pasta and pizza in Italy. The New York Times goes so far as to wonder if Roberts, who is nearing the age when most actresses face a decline in substantial roles, is the next Meryl Streep.