Julie and Julia 2009: A Movie Review

(Meryl Streep as Julia Child. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures.)


There is bread, and there is love. Sometimes there is both. In the upcoming film, Julie and Julia, Stanley Tucci, portraying Paul Child, the adoring husband of Julia, played by Meryl Streep, toasts her, saying: "You are the butter to my bread, the breath to my life." That quote encapsulates the overall tone of the film -- sweet, sincere, and deliciously uplifting.

The film is based on two bestselling memoirs: Julia Child's My Life in France, which was published posthumously, and Julie Powell's Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.

The film is actually like two films: One tells the story of Julia Child's loving marriage to Paul and her rise to culinary fame in post-WWII France. The other tells the story of Julie Powell, who on the eve of her 30th birthday, gives herself a masochistic gift: Cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. In one year. In her tiny Queens, NY apartment. With a cat. And an unbelievably supportive husband. And blog about it.


(Amy Adams as Julie Powell. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures.)

Meryl Streep is extraordinary as Julia Child. She captures Julia's effervescence perfectly, not to mention her delightful way of saying, "do" as "dooooooo," yet never comes close to caricature. She's so charming that I found myself missing her when she wasn't on the screen.

Amy Adams and Chris Messina, who play Julie and Eric Powell, are well suited as actors. Though Adams has the meatier role, Messina does a fine job of making Eric's role interesting. In fact, at an LA movie-promoting event last week, Powell told Messina that his portrayal of her husband was so spot on, it "was freaky."

Ultimately the movie is a celebration of Julia Child and her remarkable influence on the culinary world. It is also a celebration of food bloggers and aspiring writers. For example, when Julie (Adams) says to Eric (Messina) late in the film, "I'm going to be a writer," he responds, without missing a beat, "You are a writer." (Food bloggers will no doubt be cheering at this point.)

Whether you're a dedicated foodie, a blogger, a Meryl Streep fan, or just a sucker for a good romantic comedy, you'll find much to like about this film. For those of you expecting an exact retelling of Powell's book, which was seasoned with wicked humor and stirred with expletives, just realize that the screenplay is loosely based on the book. As Julie Powell shared with her audience in LA last week, "It's a romantic comedy. It's a sweetened version of reality." Exactly. And like any good romantic comedy, everything works out deliciously at the end. Sort of like a light, sweet, beautifully whipped French meringue.

Julie and Julia opens August 7, 2009. Stay tuned though -- I'll be offering 20 complimentary tickets to an early August 6th screening of the film in LA!

My Delicious Day With Julie & Julia

OK, I'm gonna come right out and say it. I like the taste of celebrity. Hobnobbing with Julie & Julia author, Julie Powell, and Executive Chef Brian Malarkey, of Top Chef fame, yesterday in Hollywood was amazing.


Julie & Julia author, Julie Powell.

I was invited to an exclusive event hosted by Columbia Pictures for the upcoming film Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. (Yes, the same two talented actresses from the 2008 film Doubt.)

After meeting at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, we were escorted to the Hollywood Arc Light Cinemas for a private screening of the film. Then we attended a cooking demo hosted by Brian Malarkey of San Diego's The Oceanaire Seafood Room. I know you remember him from season 3 of Top Chef. He was the one with the cute hat, affable personality, and sublime dishes. Yesterday, he whipped up Julia Child's 2 1/2 hour-long-boeuf bourguignon in about 8 minutes, while he chatting amiably with Julie Powell. What can I say? The guy has serious skills.


Chef Brian Malarkey makes Julia Child proud as he prepares her famous boeuf bourguignon.

We also met the film's food stylist, Susan Spugen, who shared some food styling secrets and insider tips with us. And for you food bloggers out there, don't worry if your food looks a little messy; Susan says, "messy is the new black" in food photography. So go ahead, and toss some crumbs on the plate.


Food stylist, Susan Spugen, melts cheese with an electric paint dryer. Yup. That's how it's done.

The day ended with Julie Powell and actor, Chris Messina, discussing their experience with the film. Writer/director Nora Ephron wrote the screenplay, which is based on Julie's book Julie & Julia. Julie said she acted as a consultant on the film, and was thrilled that "beautiful, petite, red-headed, Oscar-nominated Amy Adams" was portraying her.


Actor, Chris Messina. He's even cuter in person, ladies.

Chris Messina, who was surprisingly approachable, self-deprecating, (and cute!), offered interesting insight into filmmaking and acting and said that he was humbled to work alongside such respected actors as Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Amy Adams. He also shared how he prepared for the numerous eating scenes in the movie: he would starve himself all day, so he'd be ravenous by the time of the shoot. Of course, even starving didn't help the day he had to eat 36 bruschettas in a row.

I have a lot more to share with you about the film and my experience. Look for it in an upcoming post. In the meantime, check out my updates about the event on Twitter @foodblogga.



And to top the day off, while in Hollywood, I spotted the adorable and delightful Derek Phillips, who plays Billy Riggins on Friday Night Lights (The best drama on TV). I became so giddy that I didn't even notice the departure of my entire group, that is, except for oh-so-sweet Nicole of Baking Bites, who hung around to take our pic. Thanks, Nicole!

If you haven't seen Friday Night Lights, do yourself a favor. Go buy the first three seasons. Come home, grill some burgers, open up a couple of cold beers, and start watching. Then thank me in the morning.