Movie Musings: Julie & Julia

After weeks of anticipation I finally took in the delicious treat that is Julie & Julia. The movie, based on a book by Julie Powell, chronicles the life of Julia Child as well as the every day life of New York City girl Julie.

Julie is a young, talented writer, who despite having a handsome and loving husband, does not feel accomplished in life. While her friends are journalists and realtors with assistants and Blackberrys, Julie works a phone job she hates and lives in an apartment over a pizzeria in Queens.

Julie's husband suggests that she reignite her passion for writing by staring a blog. She decides to tackle cooking all 524 of Julia Child's recipes in just one year and blog about it as she goes. Over time, she gains a following, and begins to feel alive again.

Meanwhile, the film also follows the life of Julia Child herself as she moves to France with her husband and learns to cook. She has an unparalleled appreciation for food and you cannot help but drool while watching her create a new dish.

Julia and her husband travel all over the world, taking her massive amount of kitchen supplies with her everywhere they go. Eventually Julia receives a book deal for the cookbook she slaved over for years, cementing her as expert on French cooking.

In the film Julie is played by Amy Adams (I seem to be on an Amy Adams kick this week) who comes off as whiny, pathetic and self loathing in a way that's not entirely endearing. Although she does have some laugh out loud moments (making her first lobster dish), overall her performance underwhelms.

Her husband is played by newcomer Chris Messina, who has a Mark Ruffalo vibe about him. Not jaw droppingly handsome, but loving, supportive and relatable. I hope to see more of him in upcoming rom-coms.

And finally, the legendary Julia Child is played by the incomparable Meryl Streep. I could go on and on about Meryl's accomplishments as an actress, her incredible range, her vivacious spirit, her intensity, but instead I will say this - in this film, it felt as if I was watching Julia Child play Julia Child, not Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. She mastered her voice, her facial expressions, her body language, her style. It was absolutely superb. If she does not win the Golden Globe, the Oscar and the Screen Actors Guild award, I will be shocked.

Julia Child's husband in the film is played by Stanley Tucci, who after seeing in "The Devil Wears Prada" I cannot imagine as anything other than gay. Their chemistry was not believable, despite their adorable Valentine's Day tradition.

The other star of the movie was the food! Kudos to the set and prop magicians who made Julia's food come to life. I was warned by a friend not to go to this movie hungry, so I was armed with a king size bag of Skittles. Good thing too, as every morsel looked delectable.

If you love food, you will love this movie. You will drool, you will feel inspired to master these recipes and you will feel privileged to witness Meryl Streep's performance.

Bon Appetit!

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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