Julie And Julia

Two women, over forty years apart, are floundering in government jobs, trying to decide what to do with their lives. Two husbands, both supportive and nurturing, are asking their women, “What do you love? What do you really like to do?” Both answers centered around food.

The first woman, the wife of a diplomat, found herself in Paris with nothing to do. When asked what she loved, her answer was, eat! So to occupy her time, she enrolled in a French cooking school and eventually the Cordon Bleu. Taking her passion and competitive nature with her, she threw herself into the art of French cooking and then turned around and taught the art to other American wives. Realizing that there were no French Cookbooks published in the English language, she partnered with two like-minded French women and the Mastering The Art Of French Cooking was born. That woman was Julia Child.

Over 40 years later, a woman living in Queens, New York, is frustrated that her dream of being a writer has been derailed. With the encouragement of her husband, she decides to start a blog recreating all of Julia’s 524 recipes in 365 days. The blog leads to an article and the article leads to a book. Julie And Julia, by Julie Powell, is published.

Meryl Streep plays Julia Child and Stanley Tucci plays her supportive husband, Paul. Meryl’s Julia is larger than life, very tall, and a force to be reckoned with. Just short of being a character, Meryl’s Julia was fun, humorous and a bit over the top. At times you wished that the entire movie was based on her life. But upon reflection, that may have been too much. Having the second story, focusing on Amy Adam’s Julie Powell, added warmth to the film and complimented Julia’s tart nature. Like adding sugar to lemonade, one ingredient without the other would have been unpalatable. But together, you have a nice refreshing mix. That is the way I felt about this film.

Chris Messina is winning as Julie Powell’s husband Eric. His job was to put things in perspective and to diffuse the situation when things got out of control. My only complaint about this film is that both husbands were too good to be true. Once again, Hollywood has provided me with an unrealistic image of what to expect from men. Oh, if it were only true.

I recommend Julie And Julia. I really liked the alternating story lines and I liked the underlining message as well. When you do what you love, even when it doesn’t pay, you come out a better person for the effort. Here’s to us all finding our own bliss. Bon Appetite.

Rating: First Run A delicious recipe of fun