Julie & Julia


Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is a frustrated New Yorker who decides to change her life by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook.

Review:

Tim: Julie & Julia is a movie certainly aimed at a demographic which typically doesn't include me. Yet, in director Nora Ephron's capable hands, this is a movie that transcends demographics and even its subject matter. Yes, this is a cooking movie, but it is even more a movie about life and our pursuits of what we love. I enjoyed this movie, I enjoyed the performances, and I enjoyed the different subject matter. Cooking is not the usual movie topic, but here, it works quite well.

The movie is split between two time periods. We follow Julia Child as she creates the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" cookbook, and then, decades later, as Julie Powell tries to cook her way through the cookbook in 365 days. This is a pretty interesting narrative structure, and it keeps the movie interesting as we leapt back and forth between two different time periods, yet are able to see parallels between these two different (and yet, similar) women. This is certainly an interesting way to tell this story. However, this isn't always the best strategy. Too often, one woman's story just starts to get interesting when we are whisked away to another time and place. This creates a choppy feel to the movie. Instead of gaining momentum as the movie progresses, the film consists of a series of starts and stops, which require more effort than it should to get through it. Still, this is a minor problem.

It is easy to overlook a flaw like this because the performances of the cast are so remarkable. Meryl Streep really has to be considered the greatest actress of all time. I cannot think of another woman who is so terrific in every single role she plays. Streep transforms herself into Childs and is just amazing on screen. It was so difficult to pull my eyes away from her, because she was so focused and commanded so much attention. Streep is quite impressive. Amy Adams also manages to hold her own. While these two woman never appear on screen at the same time, the movie is really about them and their relationship (although it really only exists in Adams' character's mind). Adams is proving again and again that she is one of the most talented and impressive up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood. I really enjoyed her performance here, and I think she has the Streep-like ability to be successful in every role she plays. I am excited to watch her career continue to unfold.

While the great performances of Streep and Adams propel the movie forward, they are helped by two additional performances. Stanley Tucci plays Julia's husband, Paul, and gives one of the most understated, underrated performances you could imagine. While never appearing flashy for a moment, he manages to make a lasting mark on the quality of the film. He works very, very well with Streep and I loved watching them interact. Tucci was excellent. Chris Messina is likewise good as Julie's husband, Eric. While he isn't as good as Tucci (or Adams or Streep, for that matter), he still manages to give a good performance. I enjoyed him on screen, although I wouldn't have minded a better actor in this part.

Julie & Julia works because it tells two very interesting and entertaining stories that are connected even though they occur decades apart. That was one of the film's challenges and in one of the ways in which it truly delivered. Both stories impact the other, and work perfectly together in unison. This creates a very enjoyable viewing experience. There are also some very funny moments throughout the film. My favorite scene has to be the onion scene with Streep and Tucci. In a very quiet way, Ephron gives us a hilarious moment. This is a great quality to have, and is apparent throughout the film.

You know, I love action and explosions and blockbusters as much as (and probably more than) the next guy, but I also like to take a break from those. This is a movie definitely geared toward women, but more importantly, is about those aspects of life we can all relate to. This is a film that crosses demographics brilliantly, and should be enjoyable to a wide range of audiences. I never thought that a cooking movie could be powerful, but this one is. I was surprised how interesting this film made cooking appear, and I realized that I wouldn't mind similar movies in the future. This is a very good movie, and one of the surprises of 2009.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Doubt, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Sunshine Cleaning, Mamma Mia!