I happened to catch this one opening weekend , and I had been meaning to post it. Julie and Julia is about a woman, who is really frustrated with her career in a cube and her unfinished novel. The only time she feels happy is when she cooks. So to add some purpose to her life she decides to cook a different recipe from Julia Childs cookbook every day for one year and to blog about it. So wanting to support the success of a fellow blogger, curiosity and not to mention that Meryl Streep, who plays Julia Childs is always worth seeing on screen is what made me purchase a ticket.
This was a good movie. Meryl, captured the spirit and accent of Julia Childs perfectly (we knew she would). What made me go mmmhhh, was how they got Meryl Streep to look so big. Julia Childs was a statuesque woman. I know it was a camera trick, but wow. What surprised me most was that I was just as much interested in the life of Julia Childs in the 1940’s as I was with Julie in 2001. Julie becomes so fixated on Julia Childs that she learns not just her recipes, but begins to take lessons from her life.
I will say that you cannot see this movie on an empty stomach or with that slick, greasy popcorn. Make sure you eat a good meal before hand or have dinner reservations afterward. I haven’t been so tempted by food in a movie since Chocolat w/ Juliette Binoche, Johny Depp and Judi Dench (you should see that one, too). Food was not the only thing the Julie’s had in common. Seeking a purpose, finding their calling, discovering their talent were what both women in different decades set out to do. Both of them also had very supportive husbands. And the love stories played out in a way that wasn’t over the top. The only part that brought a twinge of sadness, was that in real life, Julia Childs, then in her nineties, wasn’t enthusiastic about Julie’s blog project.
What I took away from this movie is the importance to do your best, you never know who you might inspire. I was inspired to cook a live lobster. I had my own action flick, right here at home. The lobster jumped. I screamed. The dog ran. It was real drama.
