Julie & Julia - The Movie

This movie could very well be the Bridget Jones for 2009. It follows the story of two women, from two different worlds and times but with a common passion for cooking… not just cooking but mastering French cuisine! Julia Child (Meryl Streep) is a seemingly bored housewife who is searching for her purpose in life after WWII, as an American living in Europe. Julie (played by relative newcomer, Amy Adams) is a new age sophisticated naughties woman and government employee. She finds herself questioning her place in the drab corporate world of insurance as she speeds toward the dreaded “30”, drawing inspiration form Julia’s life work.

The movie is based around the True Story of Julia Childs’ induction to the world of French cuisine and how she then delivered this same culinary excitement she felt to the housewives of America. It is also the true story of Julie Powell, whom 50 years later felt inspired by this and in an attempt to offer some direction to her own failed ambitions, she creates an internet blog about challenging herself to complete every single recipe in Childs’s Mastering the art of French cooking….in only 365 days!

The movie jumps between the two lives of these women which at times could be a distracting element of this movie but the delivery of this I feel only enhances the rawness of the story, which is at no time over the top. It allows you to feel a part of the story! So much so in fact that I felt as though I knew the supporting cast already with the movie offering little to no introductions to the rest of the cast, which in turn created the sense that I was actually a part of the story myself!

Julia & Julie sees the return of “Devil wears Prada” costars Streep and Paul Tucci, who plays her on screen husband. These are in very different roles from their previous high fashion characters. The pairing made for some awkward intimate scenes, and I often found myself comparing Paul and Julia Child to Nigel (Tucci) a dedicated fashion editor trying to get ahead and the devil in Prada herself – Miranda Priestly (Streep). This is not to say that the performances in this movie are over shadowed by this teaming, but I think more of a personal diversion from the bizarre yet brilliant chemistry on screen.

All in all Streep has backed another winner, with Julie & Julia, and is a testament to Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve got mail) as a director. I challenge you not to leave the cinema and want to push harder for a dream… be it as something as small as having a Hotdog for dinner to being the youngest person to sail around the world or what ever takes your fancy. Julie & Julia is playing now in selected cinemas, check local guides for session details. I give Julie & Julia 3 out of 5 Stars.

Listen to the review by our reviewer Ben by pressing the play button below...

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Research the real Julia Child Here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Child

Watch the preview below.

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