JULIE & JULIA

Ok, so “the spirit of Oscars® past” is right above us, how about the spirit of Oscars® present? And it would be a shame to finish the week without at least one “true story”, right? Well, technically it’s “two true stories” as the film says, but I’m getting slightly ahead of myself…
Julie and Julia is based on two books. One is “My Life In France” by Julia Child – one of the greatest cooks and cooking writers of the 20th century. The second is “Julie & Julia” written by Julie Powell, who is possibly one of Julia Child’s greatest fans… Now, Julia Child (as some of you may know) was the wife of a diplomat. She discovered and fell in love with French cuisine when her husband Paul Child was posted to Paris in the 60’s. She then discovered she had a distinct talent for it. Her life’s ambition became to popularize French cuisine “for the servantless American cook”. And boy did she succeed. As we all know, her recipe book is a household stable item pretty much all around the English – speaking world. Julie Powell was a secretary in a government agency in 2002. She had a loving husband and an OK life but she felt in a rut and was looking for direction. Then one evening, completely by chance, she and her husband happen on an idea. Julie will take Julia Child’s 524 recipe long book, cook every single recipe in it, and try to finish it within one year. She will share this experience with the world, via a blog. By the end of the year, Julie has been through more than she could ever possibly imagine… Throughout the film we go back and forth through time hearing her candidly sharing her experiences via her blog on one hand, and learning about a truly fascinating cooking icon on the other…
First and foremost, this is a film the “gourmands” of this world MUST NOT miss. Cooking and food dominates the film and some of the food shots simply make me salivate to think about them… Secondly, the acting was top notch. Meryl Streep gives a brilliant performance as Julia Child, and Amy Adams as Julie Powell is not too far off… (interesting to note by the way, that Stanley Tucchi who plays Paul Child, Julia Child’s husband and Meryl Streep were also in The Devil Wears Prada together!) This film is good quality, heart warming and fulfilling entertainment at its best. Many “entertaining” films will come and go without a trace, this is not one of them. It will leave its mark. Now go on, take a bite – and bon apetit!