AMB Reviews

Julie & Julia: 8.5/10 Stars

Release Date: August 7, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality. Several passionate kisses and implied sex between two married couples. One f-word. A couple of sexual comments/jokes sprinkled throughout.

Review:

I don't really know why "Julie & Julia" spiked my interest, but it did. It was probably the collaboration of two wonderful actresses...

In Short:

"Julie & Julia" is a movie about cooking that will probably appeal to anyone, whether you like cooking or not. It tells the two true stories of Julia Child and Julie Powell. As you must know, Julia Child was a famous French cook. This movie tells of how she first learned to cook and how she went on to publish her first cook book. Julie Powell, on the other hand, is a woman who hates her job and has been known never to commit to anything. Her job: cook every single one of Julia Child's recipes (524, to be exact) all in one year (365 days). Though they never meet in person... this movie intertwines both of their lives. The acting was superb (and may very well be Meryl Streep's passage to her 16th Oscar nomination), and the script well written. It ended up being a very long movie, clocking in at about 2 hours, but it ended up being quite a tasty treat.

In Full:

Back starting in 1950, Julia Child began to build her reputation as a cook. She didn't really know what to do with her life, until she attended cooking school. Now... she's known as one of the greatest cooks of the 20th century. Julie Powell, on the other hand, spends her days in a cubicle, answering phones. She never has really committed to anything, but that is all about to change. She decides to start a blog. But what about? With the help of her husband, she decides to cook through Julia Child's complete cookbook (524 recipes) in one full year. Meanwhile, back in the 1900's, Julia Child is slowly gaining a reputation as a wondrous cook. The whole movie felt balanced, even if it was a bit too long in the end.

Meryl Streep never fails. No matter what film she is in, she pretty much dominates the screen. She has become an acting legend that many actresses look to as the prime example of how to act. Here, she couldn't be better. Playing Julia Child, she has a certain charm that she brings to the screen (as always) and I'm sensing a possible Oscar nomination (her 16th, to be exact). And though many other reviewers have commented on how Amy Adam's part as Julie Powell is very dull... I found it quite the opposite. Without her, the movie would not have ended up as good, and without Meryl Streep, it would've been a very big dud. They worked together wonderfully, even though they never met in the entire movie. Amy Adams just seems to bring a certain delightfulness to the screen, while Meryl Streep is just... Meryl Streep. Enough said. The supporting cast, including Stanley Tucci and Jane Lynch rounded off the movie very nicely.

Let me say this: after sitting through two hours of this movie... it made me starving. Also throw in the fact that I had barely eaten anything that day and you have a not so good combo. Most of the food made in this movie looked fabulous and really inspired to try new things! Let's leave out the fact that they made a jello mold out of a calf foot in this film, because otherwise... it all looked quite delicious. The scenery was beautiful, especially in France. The landscape Julia Child lived in was portrayed as vast and beautiful and very upbeat, while Julie Powell lived in Queens, New York... a bustling, busy, and very crowded city that expressed a lot of how Julie probably felt inside. Overall... the scenery, along with the fantastic visuals ended up being a yummy combo (excuse all of the food metaphors).

Unfortunately, once you begin to see food on screen continuously for two whole hours, your awe and hunger for the food soon turns into downright frustration as your stomach growls grow louder and louder with each moment. As much as I enjoyed the movie, it seemed to start to drag towards the end. Though all of the information in the movie was crucial to the plot and very, very interesting... something or the other should've been trimmed, as a 2 hour cooking movie did seem a bit too long. Other than that, there's nothing really that I can remember that stood out to me as a con. The movie is historical, witty, and quite delightful.

"Julie & Julia" will make you hungry. It will make you crave some type of food or the other. And then it will run on for two more hours, seeming to mock you that you don't have food and Amy Adams/Meryl Streep do. It will inspire you to try new foods, as vile as they can sometimes look, and it will at least make you think about how fun it could be to cook something new. Something weird and something zany. It may be too long for a movie about food, but it sure is an entertaining two hours. Amy Adams and Meryl Streep have great chemistry without ever even working together, while the visuals will make your mouth water. Here's my advice: after watching the very long, yet very good "Julie & Julia..." treat yourself to a nice, big dinner. Trust me... you'll deserve it.