Julie and Julia tells two stories. The first is a biopic of famed TV chef Julia Child: how she became interested in French cooking, how she got the idea of writing a French cookbook (for English-speaking audiences), and how she overcame the obstacles in her way to achieve success.
The second tells of modern-day Julie Powell, an obscure office worker who decides one day to cook all the recipes in Child's cookbook in one year, and write about it in a blog. The blog eventually goes viral and leads her to fame.
Of the two, the first story is by far the better. Streep's portrayal of Child is positively spectacular; the cadences of speech, the rise and fall of the vowels are just perfect. But more than mirroring the original, she gives us insight into her character, her desire to break through gender barriers and do something important with her life, rather than basking in idle leisure. Her husband, endearingly played by Paul Tucci, is another delightful character, and their love affair has real chemistry. It was nice, by the way, for Hollywood to show a middle-aged couple really in love, as opposed to the 20-something hormonally driven variety. The settings in post-war Paris are just lovely, and the food just makes you drool (especially that first pan-fried fish)! I'd give this portion a 9/10.
The Julie Powell story is a bit hollow. Yes, she writes a blog, and becomes famous through it, but ultimately when it's all over, what has she really achieved? Her success is a lot like the blog itself: ephemeral and intangible and, as the movie explicitly points out, narcissistic. There could have been more done with her character; an early scene shows her interacting with former college friends, all of whom are overachievers and fabulously successful, but later on when Julie achieves success, she never goes back to reconnect with them. Somehow I never found myself in sympathy with Julie, and I was just waiting for those segments to finish so we could go back to Julia. I'd give this portion a 6/10.
The movie could well be seen as an extended commentary on the changing definition of "publishing." Julia Child's cookbook is a tangible, lasting legacy that will likely be around for centuries. Meanwhile, the blog was entertaining for a while, then soon forgotten. Each Julie(a) achieved fame through publication, but are they truly commensurate?
The second tells of modern-day Julie Powell, an obscure office worker who decides one day to cook all the recipes in Child's cookbook in one year, and write about it in a blog. The blog eventually goes viral and leads her to fame.
Of the two, the first story is by far the better. Streep's portrayal of Child is positively spectacular; the cadences of speech, the rise and fall of the vowels are just perfect. But more than mirroring the original, she gives us insight into her character, her desire to break through gender barriers and do something important with her life, rather than basking in idle leisure. Her husband, endearingly played by Paul Tucci, is another delightful character, and their love affair has real chemistry. It was nice, by the way, for Hollywood to show a middle-aged couple really in love, as opposed to the 20-something hormonally driven variety. The settings in post-war Paris are just lovely, and the food just makes you drool (especially that first pan-fried fish)! I'd give this portion a 9/10.
The Julie Powell story is a bit hollow. Yes, she writes a blog, and becomes famous through it, but ultimately when it's all over, what has she really achieved? Her success is a lot like the blog itself: ephemeral and intangible and, as the movie explicitly points out, narcissistic. There could have been more done with her character; an early scene shows her interacting with former college friends, all of whom are overachievers and fabulously successful, but later on when Julie achieves success, she never goes back to reconnect with them. Somehow I never found myself in sympathy with Julie, and I was just waiting for those segments to finish so we could go back to Julia. I'd give this portion a 6/10.
The movie could well be seen as an extended commentary on the changing definition of "publishing." Julia Child's cookbook is a tangible, lasting legacy that will likely be around for centuries. Meanwhile, the blog was entertaining for a while, then soon forgotten. Each Julie(a) achieved fame through publication, but are they truly commensurate?