Julie & Julia: a movie review
August 16, 2009
I didn't want to write about this movie right away. I wanted to let it simmer like a great Beef Bourguignon which you, by the way, will be craving at the end of this film. It's a sweet movie that does not offer any great drama nor comedy, but it is enjoyable. The variety of flavors (stories) make up for an entertaining experience, even over 2 hours long. "Julie and Julia" is written and directed by Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) who is an expert at love stories. And I think she succeeded at this one - you have the Julia Child love story (more on this later), Julie Powell's re-connection with her husband, and finally the love for cooking, food and life in general.
"Julie and Julia" is based on the two books of its protagonists and each has a different effect. Julia Child's "My Life in France" is understandably more romantic, interesting and exciting, as you expect France would be. The music and architecture of Paris make it so much more believable. Meryl Streep is magnificent in this part; it's as if she was born to play Julia Child. She dons on not only the mannerisms, the voice, she even looks taller (Julia Child was 6'2"!), and she completely belongs in France with her "joie de vivre". She is perfectly paired with Stanley Tucci (Mr. Child), who is truely "the butter to her bread" as he later oh-so-romantically states during one of their Valentine's Day dinners. Their love story is one of the best parts of the movie. Julia was having a great tme when her husband was on diplomatic assignment in Paris, yet she longed to do something of her own. Since she loved to eat, she went off to the Cordon Bleu cooking school. Few of course believed that an American woman could cook but she proved them all wrong. She was a hard worker and tested all the recipes she made and created, which eventually paid off. Her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is now in its 49th edition, she basically paved the way for future TV chefs and made cooking into an art worth watching and trying. The movie definitely captures it all. Now, off to the other protagonist.
Julie Powell, a 29-and counting permanent temp at New York's ground zero government agency, has an interesting story. If you read her book "Julie and Julia", which is a hoot to read, she is really a writer from the start, but it takes her some almost 30 years to realize this. She is searching for the purpose in life and one day decides to cook all the 524 recipes from the Julia Child's first book in 1 year (365 days if you are counting). Her husband then suggests making it into a blog. Recipes are followed, they eat well and stories are written, nothing out of the ordinary. Then one day she gets a good following, the press picks it up and she is famous overnight and in high demand as a writer. Julie's story is less about passion and more about finding yourself. I felt that Amy Adams, though doing a great job, was not the right cast for this part. I sense a more rebellious spirit in Julie with all the swearing and straight talking than sweet Amy Adams portrays. Yes, she marries her high school sweetheart and is one of the few married women at 24 in the New York City, but that alone is not enough to take all the edge away from her. I also regretted that her brother (whom she labeled Heathcliff), her mother and especially her friends Sally and Gwen weren't really part of the story. I think these characters helped shape Julie in her book and without them her story was a little bit in shallow waters. I think overall the pace was a bit better when Julia/Meryl Streep was on the screen than the somewhat dragging parts with Julie/Amy Adams. Julie's story is still interesting and good to watch, it just pales in comparison.
Despite the negatives, the movie is fun to watch. Since it is largely about cooking, don't go hungry and prepare to be ravenous afterwards. If it doesn't inspire you to cook, at least it will inspire you to make something great out of your life.