All sorts of people are labeling themselves as a “foodie” these days. Whether they are guided by the southern twang of Paula Deen, the loud scratchy voice of Rachel Ray, or Ina Garten’s soft New England accent, it’s all thanks to the genius of a 24 hour channel devoted to all things food. But before the Food Network came along to inspire and entertain, whom did we turn to? Believe it or not, Julia Child lit up the television screen for nearly 4 decades. She delivered can-do classic French recipes with a smile to typical American households.
In Julie & Julia, the latest from Sleepless in Seattle director Nora Ephron, Meryl Streep captures the voice, the gestures, and the spirit of Child. Yes, we all recall the SNL skits and the parodies throughout the years, but Streep goes beyond just delivering the voice. She brings the towering presence of Child back to life on the screen.
Streep celebrating another brilliant
performance.
The story intertwined with Julia’s is the one of Julie Powell, played by actress Amy Adams. Her voice is that of a writer, eager to seek meaning in her otherwise dull cubicle worker life. She begins her quest to blog about cooking all 524 recipes in Child’s 1961 “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”throughout the course of a year. (Yes, this means she made all seven meat-flavored aspics…yikes!). As the movie switches from Julie to Julia, from the world renowned Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to a tiny understated apartment kitchen in Queens, we find ourselves in the midst of two women’s lives, both having a true passion for life and enjoying food. We find ourselves wanting to stay with Julia, though, as the scenes quickly whisk us back to Julie and the present day.
Thanks to the overall mood and intimate look at the leading ladies, the film is an overall enjoyable experience. We root for them, we laugh with them, and we look away as the five-second rule is often applied. Thanks to this film, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”and Child’s memoir “My Life in France”have once again risen to the top of bestseller lists.
The Flick Chick represents the feminine side of www.featurefilmreview.com. Email comments to ffr (at) featurefilmreview (dot) com.
