Julie and Julia

Released August 2009

Directed by Nora Ephron

Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina

First Viewing: August 20^th 2009

Roger – 3.5/5 stars

 “Julie and Julia” is a tale of two movies, or rather, a tale of two women, who both find their path in the world through the delicious experience of French cooking. It is based on a novel, written by a woman who wrote a blog (!), who, in an inspired moment, decided to devote a year of her life to cooking all the recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Her story runs parallel to Julia Child’s herself, and we follow the legendary woman’s adventures in France with her devoted husband Paul.

Meryl Streep immerses herself in the role (and by immerse I mean completely becomes Julia Child), and the scenes from her life are interesting and touching. Also informative, as we learn how she went from housewife to household name. It was refreshing to see the daily life of a good-natured, married couple. No action/romantic clichés to be seen, just genuine, heartfelt moments.

The other half of the movie is Julie the Blogger’s tale, and while I love Amy Adams, I didn’t really enjoy the character of Julie. She was a little too self-centered and dramatic for my taste, and could her husband learn to close his mouth when he eats, please?

“Julie and Julia” has its moments, many of which are quite sweet, and Meryl Streep as Julia Child is worth seeing the movie for. Not to mention there are some wonderful shots of mouth-watering dishes interspersed throughout. This movie is close to being delightful, but is weighted down with the modern Julie’s dramatics and the somewhat disappointing (anti?) climax with the two characters. I won’t say any more than that, however, and you should give this movie a taste test for yourself.