Joy of Desserts: Julie & Julia: Two Lives, One Passion

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Julie & Julia: Two Lives, One Passion

Photo from Flickr public files uploaded by lammoreaux
Meryl Streep as Julia Child in the upcoming movie Julie & Julia

There's an entertaining movie coming soon to a theater near you. I was privileged recently to screen a work-in-progress about Julia Child and blogger-author Julie Powell.

The Julie/Julia Project and My Life In France inspired this movie, written, directed and produced by Nora Ephron, and staring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell.

Going in, I wasn't too sure whether I would like this movie. Julia Child herself thought Powell was disrespectful, and my regular readers know how much I love Julia. But I had to see it for the Julia half of the movie at least. Besides, how bad a movie could it be with Meryl Streep starring?

It's not scheduled for release by Columbia until April 2009, and it was definitely a work in progress. But even as a rough draft, it was quite enjoyable, and the audience could see the excellent potential.

The movie follows both Julie and Julia as their lives seemingly intertwine across time and space. Julie daydreams of Julia in Paris in the 1950s, while she cooks and blogs to escape the daily grind of a life not quite what she had hoped it would be by the time she reached 30, an all-too-universal theme.

Adams does an excellent job of making Julie a likable and even lovable character despite the script repeatedly calling Julie the B word.

Meryl Streep's career speaks for itself, and you already know whether or not you like her. Stanley Tucci is quite memorable in the role of Julia's other great love, her husband, Paul Child.

Be on the lookout for the polished version of this movie, which will be of particular interest to food bloggers or Julie and Julia fans.