Julie & Julia Directed by: Nora Ephron Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins Rating: PG-13 Release Date: August 7, 2009
Plot: Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia tells the story of how cooking star Julia Child (Streep) got started, and also how Julie (Adams) decided to cook and blog through Child's entire cookbook in one year.
Who’s It For? Foodies will be pleased, and this is one of those rare, feel-good (in general) movies where you just keep thinking, "nice."
Expectations: I like my history in fiction form, plus the added twist of getting another drama thrown in there with one of my favorites (Amy Adams) I was looking forward to this one.
SCORECARD (0-10)
Actors: Meryl Streep as Julia Child: This Streep lady might just have an acting career ahead of her. Once again, she loses herself in the role. She'll be nominated and her it's almost a game of how happy can she be? Julia is constantly making people in the film smile and the same affect should be true for audiences. There is also just a hint of sadness that isn't really the focus with Julia not being able to get pregnant. Streep truly shines with those subtle moments. Score: 9
Amy Adams as Julie Powell: I'm a big Adams fans. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day beats out Junebug as my favorite of hers. A couple things are amiss for me here. Her character tackles the overwhelming task of cooking all of Child's famous cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." This never feels all that tough though, especially compared to her day job dealing with the 9/11 aftermath. Plus, she reads from her blog, a lot. So a big chunk of Julie is just voice over work. Score: 6
Stanley Tucci as Paul Child: Who knew? I didn't. Paul and Julia have the near-perfect marriage and Tucci is up to the task of working along side Streep. Here's another example of the film focusing on the positive ... clearly Paul is having some difficult at work, but he rarely wears it on his sleeve. I personally hadn't seen Tucci in anything good for the last couple of years, and cooking seems to always be the answer (The Big Night). Score: 8
Chris Messina as Eric Powell: When I saw the preview, I didn't recognize Messina from his previous work. He's a blender (blends in with the background). Eric is Julie's love interest but it's pretty bland. There's just not a lot of flavor to work with here. And really, the big fight between the two comes out of nowhere, and it's shocking to find out that Eric moves out over it. He explains that Julie is incredibly selfish with her cooking taste, we just don't see it that much. Score: 5
Talking: "I thought I was speaking French to you." That's just one of the winning lines that Streep gets to say. In fact, it seems she gets all of the good ones. I'm not complaining, but it does help create a divide in which I'm excited when we're in France in 1949, but not as much when we're in New York in 2002. Score: 7
Sights: Streep is able to capture the essence of Julia Child without looking exactly like her. And I can't believe I'm going to say this, or that I care about this, but Julie ... you need a different hairstyle. I don't care if it's historically accurate with the real-life Julie Powell, I wasn't a fan. And yes, I'm a little disappointed in myself for caring about hair. By the way, France looks good, but the food ... my mouth waters every single time I think about some of the dishes. Score: 7
Sounds: I don't really recall the score. Sometimes that's good, other times it's bad. Here, the only song moment is with The Talking Heads' "Psycho-Killer." It's a little overdone, not the song, but the whole lobster killer awkwardness. Plus, any lobster killing scene needs to seriously decide if it can compete with Annie Hall. Score: 6
PLOT SPOILERS
Best Scene: Onions and tears. Julia gets worked by other chefs on her first day of a cooking class. She goes home and dominates a huge table of onions even if it drives Paul away. It's funny, but it's also a showcase for how determined Julia is to succeed.
Ending: So, what's the deal with Julia dissing Julie? I can't really tell, but it also seems like the film doesn't either. It's something that seems to raise more questions than it's worth. And since we're watching the movie, aren't we expecting Julie to get a book deal (and then movie deal)? The process is more interesting than the end result. That's the opposite of cooking for me.
Questions: Paul has a twin brother? That's not something that gets randomly brought up unless it matters, except in this movie I guess. I heard Amy Adams only cooked about a dozen recipes from the cookbook, pretty much everything you see on the screen. That's not De Niro-type dedication.
Rewatchability: I wait until it's on TV, Tivo it, and then skip a lot of Julie, and rewatch a lot of Julia.
OVERALL
This is the story of famous people who aren't quite there yet. We're not going to see much of the TV show that makes Julia Child a household name. And we're also not going to see Julie Powell's book tour. What you will get is a breath of fresh air with Meryl Streep. She puts a smile on your face every time, and it's not just because of all the food she's making. The problem is, the modern day story of Julie just doesn't compare. One of the best parts with Adams and Messina is when they're watching the Dan Akroyd sketch of Julia Child's getting cut in the kitchen ... that's not much of a compliment. Julie's story is based on a blog, and even though it's set in 2002, if feels dated.
One important note ... eat before this film. I made the mistake of not having a full stomach. I was just drooling at the recipes, not enough to follow the path of Julie toward Julia, but still enough to appreciate the love of food that Child brought to the world.
Final Score: 7/10