After finally getting a chance to watch Julie & Julia on New Year’s Eve, it seems inevitable that I should write a blog about it, right? So here goes…
First, let me say that I had never heard of Julia Child before this movie was released and am now quite interested in learning more about her. Meryl Streep bursts with the energy of Julia Child and from what I can tell, has done an excellent job of portraying her. But, who am I kidding? She’s Meryl Streep! Every role that woman takes on is unique and she never lets the audience down. (A quick glance at imdb.com pointed out that the last four films I’ve seen her in are The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, Mamma Mia and Julie & Julia. Can an actor’s roles get more diverse than that?) You can’t help but adore Julia, thanks to Meryl.
Amy Adams also shines as blogger and writer Julie Powell. Julie’s story particularly interested me and I see a lot of myself in her. I am an aspiring writer and usually start a couple new projects every year. However, I have never actually finished one. Growing up, I was the girl that tried to be artsy by starting crafting projects, but then gave up on them after awhile. I am notorious for starting to read books and not finishing them, even if the books are actually really good ones. (Reading Gone with the Wind in three weeks was one of my greater achievements I think.) I start blogs and hope that someone out there will read them, or care enough to comment. I build up the image of my idols so high that I almost live in fear of meeting one them, just in case they are a disapointment in real life. (My heart broke for Julie at the part in the movie when a reporter tells her that Julia thinks that she is disrespecting her.) Sounds a little familiar doesn’t it?
A search on google led me to the real Julie Powell’s blog, “The Julie/Julia Project.” http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/ It was fascinating to go back and find some of the events that were portrayed in the film and I invite you to do the same. I also noticed a few details that were changed in the script. For example, Powell used a copy of the famous cookbook that featured 536 recipes, rather than the version used in the movie which had 524.
I initially thought that the constant switching between storylines and time periods would be confusing, but this proved to be false. The storylines were woven together in a way that they even paralled each other at certain points. (If you have seen the film, you will probably know what I mean.)
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this film. The acting was superb and the plots were interesting enough. My one criticism of the film was that I felt it ended too abruptly. For some reason, as a viewer I felt I needed more closure than I was given. I don’t really know how to explain it, so if anyone has any insight (or can read my mind for that matter) let me know.
Until then, check out Julie & Julia on dvd!
