Starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem. Rated PG. Opens Friday, August 13

More than commas are missing from Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. The author of this three-part travelogue could be annoying, and amusing, because she had opinions on everything, as well as self-paralyzing insights regarding her emotional life. The screen version of Ms. Gilbert, as portrayed by Andie MacDowell—excuse me, Julia Roberts—irritates because she exudes few qualities apart from the majestic self-pity that only unexamined privilege affords.

This successful writer flies and dines not on the dime of a publisher already paying for her year abroad but simply as a journey to understand why she dumped a perfectly nice husband (Billy Crudup) and then strung out a way-station actor (James Franco) who should have been a simple fling. This affords Roberts many opportunities for crying on the floor, but the cliché-packed script gives us few reasons to comprehend or care about her generic woes.

Still, even at 133 minutes of this, there’s no reason not to enjoy Liz’s well lit and superbly edited journeys to Italy, India, and Indonesia. I was particularly impressed by the offbeat way cinematographer Robert Richardson (veteran colleague of Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino) filmed Rome and Naples, with equal amounts of grunge, gastronomy, and golden charm. The Indian section, shot near Delhi, is less engaging, although Richard Jenkins is brought in to add heft in the acting department, as a folksy new-age Texan. Naturally, Javier Bardem brings a lot of appeal to the third act, set in lush, forgiving Bali, even if the heavy-accented Spaniard makes an unconvincing Brazilian. (The leads are two years apart in age, instead of the almost two decades separating Gilbert and her real-life namorado.)

It’s clear why Glee director Ryan Murphy and cowriter Jennifer Salt (who worked on Nip/Tuck with him) were drawn to the material. I’m just not convinced that they actually read the book.