“Julie and Julia” is a bland chick flick, but Meryl Streep’s spot-on impersonation of French chef Julia Child makes it fantastic.
“Julie and Julia” is partly an autobiography of Julia Child’s own life and a memoir from Julie Powell, who wrote a blog in 2001 documenting her experience of cooking 542 Julia Child recipes in 365 days. The film is divided into two stories: one is set in France in the 1950s from Julia Child’s perspective and the other is set in New York Bronx in 2001 from Julie Powell’s perspective.
Powell (played by Amy Adams) is a bored secretary who loves cooking from Julia Child cookbooks, who wishes to write something interesting in her spare time, like her other friends. Her husband Eric, played by Chris Messina, gives her the idea to write a cooking blog, documenting her progress in cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s cookbook in 365 days.
However, this part is somewhat disappointing, partly because Adams’s character, Julie Powell, is not nearly as likable as Julia Child. She’s very sulky and irritable, especially in the part of the film when she messes up twice cooking the boeuf bourguignon (beef stew). She throws a tantrum, kicking a trash can around for not taking the beef out of the oven on time. So it’s completely understandable that Eric would get somewhat irritated with Powell, who doesn’t cuss nearly as much in the film as she does in the book.
But this story is really about Julie’s growth as an individual and as a cook. There’s no better idol for Powell than the happy Julia Child, played marvelously by Meryl Streep. Her performance in this film is incredible. She catches all of the French chef’s wit and charm, from her bubbly voice to her mannerisms. She’s so good in this movie that she may get nominated for best actress this year.
It’s no wonder that Julia Child is a master chef, taught at the Cordon Bleu in France. She’s a true splendor from beginning to end, and her journey from being a simple housewife to a master chef is so much fun to watch.
Streep plays Julia Child like a merry Santa Claus, greeting her big sister enthusiastically with open arms. Her relationship with her husband, Paul (played by Stanley Tucci) is like the taste of comfort food—very warm and delicious.
While Streep is the main spotlight of the movie, Adams does a good job playing second fiddle. Even if Adams’s character, Powell didn’t have the skill of Julie Child, she has the endurance to withstand some pretty difficult arguments with her husband.
Despite the anti-climactic ending of Julie Powell’s story at the end of the film, Meryl Streep’s picture-perfect re-enactment of Julia Child more than makes up for it. It’s incredible how Streep makes Julia Child one of the most pleasant female characters ever seen in a movie. Her Oscar-worthy performance makes “Julia and Julia” one of the must-see romance films this year.
