Reel Brief: Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia - B+
Writer-director Nora Ephron, creator of crowd-friendly '90s rom-coms Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, as well as that clunker of a movie Bewitched, returns with a different kind of tale than her usual subjects. Julie & Julia focuses on the stories of two women, NYC cubicle worker turned blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and iconic chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep). From the very beginning, Ephron's smart script, based on both Powell's book of the same name and Child's memoir, intertwines the tales and establishes clear parallels between them. Powell, undermined by her far more successful friends, decides to create a blog chronicling her quest to cook all 524 recipes of Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. ("I could write a blog. I have thoughts.") What follows is a humorous journey through boeuf bourginon, lobsters, and a lot of Bon Appétit!. Powell begins to feel a strong connection to her readers and to Child, but she sometimes gets carried away. Unfortunately, this part of the story employs a lot of the usual relationship clichés: Powell's husband Eric (Chris Messina) gets slightly fed up with her frequent meltdowns and self-absorbed behavior, and drama ensues.
Alongside the Julie story is, naturally, the Julia story, which details Child's life before she became the Julia Child. While her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) works in Paris as a diplomat, Child resorts to cooking as a means of occupying her time. After some trials while studying at the renowned culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu, she fully hones in on her passion when, along with two collaborators, she begins to write what would become Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Both stories highlight the struggles and modest ridicule each woman faces in accomplishing her goals, as well their generally supportive husbands who seem too good to be true.
Adams generally holds up her side well, painting a picture of an ordinary thirty-something searching for meaning in her lowly life. In that respect, the audience can easily relate to her. The always fabulous Tucci has some memorable lines in his brief appearances. But, something seems inherently missing when the vivacious Streep is not onscreen. Her charming portrayal succinctly captures the contagious joie de vivre Child was so famous for. The role inevitably features the traditional "Streepisms", but Streep certainly manages to inject a sense of novelty in it.
Julie & Julia is perhaps best suited for film gourmands. Despite the obvious and predictable flaws, this generic comedy does contain hilarious moments and, if it engages you enough, a few gourmet gifts.

An aside: here's the trailer for The Lovely Bones. The Apple.com version includes an introduction by PJ himself. It looks very intriguing; my excitement is mounting.

I'm leaving for the West Coast before the crack of dawn tomorrow (*groan*), so goodbye blogosphere!