Feelgood drama based on the memoirs of Julie Powell and Julia Child, starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci, about the lives of two women and their passion for cooking. Julie (Streep) is a French cook who became famous through her cookery shows shown on American television in the 1960s and 1970s, while Julia (Adams) is a young American woman who in 2002 decided to attempt to cook all 524 recipes from Julie's cookbook, 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking', over the course of one year and chronicle it in an online blog. The intertwined stories of Julie and Julia show the parallels that exist in their very different lives.
| Starring: |
Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond, Helen Carey, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jane Lynch, Joan Juliet Buck, Crystal Noelle, Vanessa Ferlito, Jillian Bach, George Bartenieff |
| Director: |
Nora Ephron |
| Run time: |
123 minutes |
| Languages: |
English |
| Distributor: |
|
MyMovies
What do you get if you add two parts Oscar-nomed Starlets, one part of Character Actor Supreme and a pinch ...
What do you get if you add two parts Oscar-nomed Starlets, one part of Character Actor Supreme and a pinch of Queen of Rom Com? Well, apart from this overstretched cooking analogy, you get "Julie & Julia" - the latest slice of Feel Good from director Nora Ephron ("When Harry Met Sally") and featuring the mercurial talents of Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci. It may lack a certain seasoning, and won't be to everyone's tastes, but "Julie & Julia" is one rom com that's very well done. Streep plays Julia Child (for UK readers, Child was the Delia Smith of American cooking), a determined lady who, having moved to the Paris of the 1950s with her husband Paul (the aforementioned Tucci), finds herself with too much time on her hands and no real direction to speak of. Fortunately for her though she's in the land of good living and even better food - where haute cuisine died and went to heaven. And so it goes that Child, with the loving support of her hubby, breaks into the male-centric world of AAA cooking and even begins to compile her recipes into a book (which will later be known as Mastering The Art of French Cooking). So, Ephron's latest is based on a true story. Well, it's based on two to be precise as we flit between Child's culinary adventures and those of Julie Powell (Adams). Julie, like her cheffing idol before her, is in a funk. A talented writer with no outlet for her skills, she's penned into a stressful job and her laid back boyfriend (Chris Messina) is not helping matters. So, like most aspiring, movie-deal clinching, writers these days, she blogs. She blogs about cooking her way through Child's hefty tome and acquires quite the following in the process. Like a souffle, "Julie & Julia" is a light and airy rom com but what leaves a pleasantly sweet taste in the mouth upon impact soon turns to a wispy nothingness when you allow it to settle. Both Streep and Adams give admirable performances but the latter is laboured down by a one-dimensional role. It may be based on two true stories but Powell's mirrors that of Child's in almost every way barring a soupcon of relationship strife. Ephron would have been better served just stretching out Julia Child's half of the film. At least that way we would see more of Tucci who effortlessly steals the whole film when no one is looking.
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Press Association
The luminous Meryl Streep looks certain to secure a record 16th Oscar nomination for her tour-de-force portrayal of an American ...
The luminous Meryl Streep looks certain to secure a record 16th Oscar nomination for her tour-de-force portrayal of an American cultural icon in the new comedy from writer-director Nora Ephron (Sleepless In Seattle). Based on two memoirs set more than 50 years apart, Julie , &, Julia is a frothy and entertaining tale of cuisine, l'amour and the art of killing lobsters. As a film of two distinct halves, Ephron's confection is hopelessly unbalanced. Scenes involving Streep in post-Second World War France are utterly delightful and every time she is off screen, we hunger for more. Present day sequences headlined by Amy Adams, Streep's co-star in the Oscar nominated Doubt, are a mere amuse bouche in comparison, lacking the warmth or the depth of emotion that takes hold in late '40s and early '50s Paris. Julia Child (Streep) is an inspiration to generations of women across the Atlantic. She was the first American woman to study at the esteemed Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and then introduced authentic French cuisine to the kitchens of her homeland, signing off her television show with her catchphrase, "I'm Julia Child. Bon appetit!" Ephron's film opens in the French capital in 1948 as Julia and her doting US diplomat husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) settle into new lodgings and the European pace of life. Blessed with an indefatigable spirit, Julia yearns for something productive to keep her amused. "What is it you really like to do?" asks Paul as they tuck into a hearty lunch. "Eat," replies Julia with gusto. "And we're so good at it," grins her husband. So Julia flouts convention and attends the Cordon Bleu cooking school where teachers deride her initial efforts. However, she perseveres, practising for hours so she can out-chop her male counterparts and pass the test to receive her diploma. "You have no real talent for cooking but the Americans will not know the difference," comments the French examiner snootily. Meanwhile, in 2002 New York, enthusiastic cook Julie Powell (Amy Adams) feels emotionally worn down by her work for an organisation that is part of the effort to rebuild the World Trade Center. She decides to work through all 524 recipes in Child's seminal tome, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, in just 365 days and pen a blog about her exploits. Ephron cuts back and forth between the two storylines, contrasting Julia and Paul's rock solid marriage with Julie's foundering relationship with her husband Eric (Chris Messina), who grows weary of his wife's obsession with rich sauces and her annoying habit of publicly airing their dirty laundry in her online missives. Julie , &, Julia rises like a souffle thanks to Streep's portrayal of Child, whose distinctive, high-pitched voice was famously caricatured by Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live. She imbues the statuesque gourmand with pluck and vulnerability, and the chemistry with Tucci is irresistible as he toasts Julia at a dinner party with the heartfelt words, "You are the butter to my bread, the breath to my life." Adams and Messina have to work much harder in their segments to win sympathy and hold our attention. "I'm never going to meet her," whines Julie. "But you already know her," replies Eric soothingly. Indeed, we feel like we do know Julia Child by the end of Ephron's film, which simmers nicely but never quite comes to the boil.
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