Streep cooks as Julia; photo from Columbia Pictures
Writer/director Nora Ephron’s biographic dramedy “Julie and Julia” is, as the advertisements make clear, based on two true stories: “My Life in France”, the autobiography of renowned American chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep), and “Julie and Julia”, the story of blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams) who, in 2002, embarked on a mission to cook all 524 recipes in Julia’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in one year.
Ephron’s film is essentially two movies in one, flipping from Julia to Julie as they learn about cooking and gradually gain success. While admittedly there are parallels in the two women’s lives, the film feels like it lurches between two completely different, rather than similar, stories, and this is mainly due to the leading ladies, whose characters have polar opposite personalities.
Julia
Julia Child’s story begins in 1940s Paris, where she and her government-worker husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) have just moved. Paul works, but Julia needs something to do, and since she loves to eat more than anything else, she starts taking cooking lessons, ultimately rising to the top of the class and put to work on a French cookbook for American women. Streep is absolutely infectious in the role, embodying Julia’s unbridled optimism and humor all too easily. Tucci is also wonderful as Paul, and together they make a believable and sweet couple.
Here’s the thing about Julia: she loves what she does, and despite the obstacles she sometimes faces, knows why she’s doing it. And the events in her career progress in a logical order. She begins relatively inept as a chef, but has the drive to learn and so gets better and better. She co-authors a cookbook, but has issues getting the book finished and later published, rather than it all happening magically at once.
Julie
Julie Powell’s story begins in 2002 Queens, New York, where she and her husband have just moved in to a tiny apartment above a pizzeria. Julie works as a secretary at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and isn’t really satisfied with her life. After hearing of her friends’ career successes, Julie, who likes cooking, starts a blog detailing her experience cooking through Julia Child’s cookbook in one year. Over time, she gains faithful readers and fame, though her journey tests her patience and her marriage to Eric (Chris Messina).
Here’s the thing about Julie: she’s a pretty despicable person. Incredibly self-centered and impatient, usually deals with her problems in a childish fashion. Although Adams is a great actress, she just isn’t very likeable in the film. That’s not why this half of the movie doesn’t work as well as the other, however. Not being very familiar with Powell’s story before seeing the film, for all I know that’s probably what the real Julie’s personality is. It’s rather her motivations for starting her blog that puzzle me. While Julia starts learning to cook because it’s what she loves, Julie does it to impress her egotistical friends, and the whole time she writes her blog constantly talks about not how much she loves cooking, but how much she wants a publishing contract. Despite her almost obsessive admiration for Julia, Julie seems in it for the fame and fortune rather than for the love of food, which detracts from the film significantly.
However, “Julie and Julia”, despite its glaring flaws, is enjoyable enough, and Streep’s delightful performance more than makes up for the not-as-good Julie half. But if there was ever a cook-off between Julia and Julie, I think you can guess who my money would be on.
3 out of 4 stars. Runtime: 123 minutes. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality.
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