Julie & Julia
I don't cook. Literally, I have no ability or desire to even learn.
I am a bachelor and have no one to impress so I don't really see the need to learn. However, I do love to eat, so anything involving food I have a soft spot for. This summer's film, Julie & Julia, just recently became available on Blu-Ray and DVD, follows famed chef Julia Child in the years before she became famous. In a parallel storyline, the film also follows blogger Julie Powell as she attempts to cook every recipe in Child's famed cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in just one year.
These two storylines could have become unwieldy and confusing if the cast and the script weren't pitch-perfect. Meryl Streep perfectly embodies the person of Julia Child. She gets everything right about her, from her mannerisms to her voice and inflection. It's a great performance and definitely Oscar-worthy. Amy Adams once again co-stars with Streep, even though they never share the screen together, and she more than holds her own as Julie Powell, lowly government employee by day and blogger/chef by night.
Nora Ephron has directed some of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail are all established classics of the genre, so any film she makes now comes with lofty expectations. Meryl Streep is regarded as one of the greatest actresses working in the industry. She has received more Oscar nominations than any other actor or actress in history. The two together have crafted a film that stands as a singular work of art. What we have here is a film that examines marriage and food and regards the two as essential to each other. Both Julie and Julia's husbands (played by Chris Messina and Stanley Tucci respectively) are patient and understanding as their wives embark on these crusades. I think they both put up with more than the average husband has to deal with. Julia Child started learning how to cook because it gave her something to do all day while her husband was at work. Julie Powell started her cooking blog as a way to feel some sense of accomplishment. Both women began their respective journeys as a way to feel that they accomplished something with their lives, but they ended up achieving much more than that. Both women discover that cooking brings out the best in them, and both their lives and their marriages are better for it.
I think what the film achieves is poetic and beautiful. It takes a real, honest look at marriage and the sacrifice that couples must be willing to make in order to make a marriage work, some of which seem insurmountable. Indeed, at one point, it looks like Julie's marriage may be over. I loved the interactions and the chemistry that both couples had with each other. Tucci and Streep are perfect together and feel like a real couple while Adams and Messina both complement each other beautifully.
The food in this movie looks delicious, and it made me want to learn how to cook so I can eat them myself. That's a minor miracle in itself. Julia Child changed the way Americans viewed cooking and is regarded as a legend. My grandmother and mother both grew up watching her on TV and she heavily influenced their cooking. I think Julie & Julia pays tribute to Child's legacy and Streep's performance is one for the ages. She does not always deserve the high praise, and indeed, I have only become a Streep fan within the last couple of years, but this film cements her status as one of the premier actresses around. I loved this film and Meryl's performance was captivating.
Every second of this film is great, but I would not recommend watching it hungry – it might make you want to chew your arm off! This is one of the year’s best films. Grade: A-
