User reviews

Twenty years after writing her best screenplay so far, When Harry Met Sally... (movie directed by Rob Reiner), Nora Ephron has finally matched it, at least with one story in her latest attempt titled Julie & Julia. In the meantime, combining it with her writing talents, she has directed a string of movies, including her commonly most acclaimed film Sleepless in Seattle, as well as seriously under-appreciated, though oddly amusing lineup of eccentric characters, brought together in the movie Mixed Nuts, remade from its French original.

Julie & Julia has immediately placed itself on top of my personal list of her self-penned directorial accomplishments. Based on two true stories, movie combines six decades separated lives of Julia Child (Meryl Streep), wife of an American diplomat (Stanley Tucci) in post-WW2 Paris, discovering her passion for French cuisine, then introducing it to American amateurs, and modern era Julie Powell (Amy Adams), professionally reduced to a hot line counselling 'cubicle girl', desperately entertaining her unfulfilled literary ambitions via blogging about her attempt to try and finish all 524 recipes from Julia Child's cookbook in 365 days.

Ms. Streep's acting is great as always, this time even aided by the physical grandeur of her greater-than-life on-screen persona, undoubtedly achieved by means of never visible pair of platform shoes, providing that she's impersonating genuinely tall person, as real Julia Child apparently was. Adding to it Mr. Tucci's notable performance in his role of a diplomat and supportive husband, as well as Ms. Adams's, well, not so remarkable, but still passable performance in her role of Julie, backed by yet another understanding and supportive husband (Chris Messina), combined they present us with the movie abundant not only with gastronomic treats, but cinematic ones, as well. (8-star rating as a rounded up average between 9-star Julia's and 6-star Julie's story.)

The good parts of "Julie and Julia" are so darn strong, beautiful, and new that J&J becomes an instant classic. Grateful audiences are going to be laughing and crying and being inspired by this movie for a long, long time. The Julie portion is the weaker of the two, but not so weak that it sinks the film.

Meryl Streep as Julia Child is one of the most endearing, arresting performances ever. That the real Julia Child and her groupies irritate me no end in no way interfered with my appreciation of Streep's amazing characterization. I laughed and cried several times, I was so engaged in the cinematic Streep/Child's story.

Streep's chemistry with Stanley Tucci as Paul Child, Julia's husband, is breathtaking. No attempt is made to make Streep or Tucci conventionally attractive. No attempt is made to make them look young and dewy – they weren't – Julia married Paul when she was in her thirties and he was ten years older. Julia is tall; Paul is short; Julia is loud; Paul is bald, quiet and retiring. It is implied that they can't have children. They don't share conventionally romantic movie moments; they don't "meet cute," there's no candlelight, no slow dances, no full frontal nudity, no vulgar language (with one hilarious exception involving cannelloni).

All Paul and Julia do is share the drudgery and rewards of working life: hers as a cook, his as a state department official. The key to Streep and Tucci's chemistry is that they portray two characters who love each other. Watching a loving, married couple in a marriage that works is one of the great, and sadly rare, pleasures of this film. Steep and Tucci are every bit as charismatic a couple as Tracy and Hepburn. Jane Lynch is also brilliant in a small role as Julia's sister.

The Julia segments take place in post-war Paris, and the Paris of this film, one of elegant cafes, haute couture and vintage cars, is someplace we all wished we lived (except for the ever-present cigarette smoke.) No matter how you feel about cooking, the film gets you to care about Julia's slowly being drawn into her destiny as one of the legendary chefs of all time. You also care about, and respect, Paul, his career and its ups and downs in the McCarthy era, and his support of his wife.

The Julie Powell portion of the movie is the weaker portion. I really like the film's structure of switching back and forth between contemporary Queens and post-war Paris, contrasting a career woman's attempt to cook all of Julia Child's recipes with Julia Child herself, before she became famous. I just think that the film fails its own structure by simply not making the Julie Powell portion as interesting as the Julia Child portion. Some have complained that Queens is depicted as being too dismal, and Paris too elegant. It's more than that, though.

I think Ephron, a brilliant filmmaker, drops the ball with Julie Powell because she never engages the tough questions about Powell's experiment. Was Powell just someone eager for fame in the Warhol era of "Everyone is famous for fifteen minutes"? Was Powell parasitizing Child's fame? Was Powell a bad wife to her husband as she obsessed on completing her self assigned task? Have blogs killed quality writing? Was Julia Child correct in her condemnation of Powell? I am not saying that the answer to any of the above questions is "Yes." I'm not bashing Julie Powell. I'm saying that by not engaging them, Ephron made the Julie portion of the film simply not as interesting as it could have been had these very real questions been engaged. Instead, Ephron tries to turn Julie into a cute, bland Meg Ryan character, and it never works, not for an instant. When Powell has lunch with her career gal friends, her friends are such Gordon Gecko style sharks that we care less for Powell for being so needy as to want to impress them. The absolute worst scene in the movie comes when Powell, who has never been depicted as feeling happy or fulfilled, not with her job, not with her husband, not with her home life, plays 65 answering machine messages from agents, editors, and publishers who want to make her famous. As these messages play, she has sex with her husband, and her husband's comment lets us know that this is the first time in a long while that he has experienced satisfaction from his wife.

The message of that scene is so tawdry, it cheapens the glow created by the Julia portion of the film, that shows Julia Child achieving satisfaction *before she ever becomes famous*. Julia *loved* cooking. Julia *loved* her husband. Yes, she celebrates when Knopf wants to publish her book, but she is so divorced from the rat race that she doesn't even know how to pronounced "Knopf" – whether the initial K is silent.

Julie Powell is depicted as needing fame to feel good about herself, and the movie never interrogates that. Had it done so, the Julie segments would have been as interesting as the Julia ones.

In any case, this is a great film that will enjoy a much deserved embrace by its fans.

Ms. Streep's performance alone makes this film worthwhile--in recent years she has really shown her great talent as a comedian (Adaptation, Devil Wears Prada, this film). She has great comic timing, and always goes just far enough for the laugh, and usually not too far that it feels staged or unnatural.

From the reviews I read, I was really expecting not to like the "Julie" half of this movie--but I was pleasantly surprised. I read both "Julie and Julia" and "My Life in France" earlier this summer, and I have to confess that I didn't love the Julie Powell book. Amy Adams really brings this character to life and makes you care about her (more so, I think than the book did). One problem with the balance in this project is that Julia Child did something really important for cooking in America, and so her story is inherently interesting. Julie Powell wrote a book. That became a movie. Add to that the fact that the heavy hitters in the film all live on the Julia side--Streep, Stanley Tucci, and a great cameo by Jane Lynch--and the deck feels fully stacked. Full credit to Amy Adams and Chris Messina, then, for making us care about the half of the film that teetered on the edge of the perfunctory.

This film is all the more remarkable in that it is so rare to see a film these days that just revels in joie-de-vivre. I'm sure a lot of the rough edges of Julia's personality are smoothed over--but some of the stressful moments are there. I just felt so much affection for Streep's Julia Child in this movie--and I laughed repeatedly and heartily at her antics. A fun time at the movies--which is a rarer pleasure than it should be.

Saw it at a Sunday matinée in the multiplex up the street. The place was packed and we got there just in time -- the theater sold out right after we got our tickets. Seems to be a popular movie, here in DC anyway.

Young married Julie Powell is a miserable cubicle-dweller whose husband encourages her to write a blog about preparing every recipe in volume one of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in the space of a year. Great premise, right? Clever story involving a young woman finding fulfillment through Julia Child, the French Chef, the first Public Television superstar? Well, I read the book and I gotta say I didn't care too much for Julie Powell, who came across as a basically unpleasant human being I'd never invite to dinner. But the premise really got to me. "Mastering the Art..." is the cookbook I have always turned to when I want to prepare a truly special dinner. I've had the box set of volumes one and two since the 70s, and gotta tell you they're well-used. Volume one is falling apart, in fact. (Anybody know a good book binder in DC?) So what WOULD it be like to devote a year's spare time to that wonderful instruction manual for home chefs? I wanted to have the experience without doing the work, so of course I read the book. But golly, I didn't want to read about Julie's ovaries and her girlfriends' weirdnesses and her lust for some actor and on and on with the girl talk. What a totally tiresome book it was.

Anyway, I plowed through Julie and Julia thinking I'd eventually be charmed, but I wasn't. Too bad. And now comes the movie, and I'm thinking Nora Ephron will surely correct the book's biggest flaw, which was too much time (~90%) devoted to Julie's blog-slog and only a few fascinating pages devoted to Julia Child.

And I was right. The movie gives the stories I'd say about equal time, which is still too much Julie/Amy Adams, and not enough Julia/Meryl Streep, but it's SO much a better mix than the book. The life of Julia Child could make a good movie on its own without all the gimmickry. But this is a perfectly entertaining movie in spite of it.

Speaking of Meryl Streep, she is a marvel to behold in this movie. Her impersonation is dead on, even better than Dan Ackroyd's, which is featured prominently and hilariously in the film.

"Julie and Julia" argues that Julia Child changed the way America eats, and the more I learn about her the less I feel inclined to argue about that. The movie brings her fascinating story to life and if I had to put up with a few scenes of Julie Powell melting down, well ... so what? It's a great movie if you have been in love with Julia Child as I have for many years, and a perfectly good one if you haven't.

Meryl Streep continues to amaze. There's never been an actress quite like her. Her body of work is a gallery of character without parallel. After 3 decades she is still brand new. She never became a parody of herself like many other great actresses before her and, chances are, she never will. Here she recreates a popular icon, fearlessly. Her joy is utterly contagious and her side of the film is a marvel. Amy Adams, good as she is, becomes an unwelcome distraction. We want to stay with Meryl's Julia all the way. I think that Norah Ephron (Mixed Nuts) must have known, she must have! Didn't she notice in the cutting room, that we were going to be turning away from the story every time we move away from Julia Child? In any case I'm glad we had the chance to see this new Meryl Streep creation. Kudos also to Stanley Tucci. Stanley and Meryl create one of the most original believable couples in decades. Thanks to modern technology we will be able to re-edit the film for private consumption and have a sensational short : Julia in Paris.

Nora Ephron's terrible miscalculation doesn't spoil things completely but it certainly hurts what it could have been, one of the best films of the year with a superlative performance by Meryl Streep. The performance more than survives, thank God, because I believe in years to come it will be considered one of Meryl's best. Imagine that! I loved her! Her Julia Child is total, complete, overwhelming, enchanting, inspiring. A woman of her day that was way, way ahead, in every department. A woman who was capable of love in the most direct and powerful way. She even loved the French for all the right reasons. When the films moves away from her the film suffers, terribly. The modern, neurotic kitchen of the modern woman is much more "passè" than the vintage one. In fact the vintage one is the ultra modern. But, as Billy Wilder used to say, we have to take the bitter with the sour. The film gets your gastric juices going and vindicates the power of butter in a way we hadn't seen since Last Tango In Paris. Stanley Tucci is also a delight and a perfect foil for her much taller wife. Bravo Meryl. once more, thank you, you're my hero.

I was lucky enough to receive tickets for an advance screening, and was plenty excited about attending.

There was a slight hiccup when someone started the film 15 minutes before it was meant to start so they stopped it ten minutes in and then restarted it again at the actual time. This actually was not annoying at all because it gave me a chance to look at the background details. Mid-20th century Paris is beautifully rendered and early 20th century New York is given gritty charm with a primary setting of an apartment over a pizza parlor.

Now I know it was an advance screening and everyone was excited to be there, thus much more prone to laugh, but honestly, this film had brilliant moments of humor in it. Myself, friends, and the rest of audience had a number of laugh-out-loud moments. A lot of these stem from the mannerisms of Julia Child, which are as incredibly endearing as they are humorous.

Meryl Streep's acting is, of course, superb. Though my familiarity with Julia Child is a combination of what seems to be legend, a visit to her kitchen in the Smithsonian, and Dan Akroyd's SNL impersonation, Meryl plays Julia so charming and so convincing, you can't help but feel like Julie and fall a little in love with her. On screen, Meryl's Julia brought a constant smile to my face.

Amy Adams is also wonderful, and I really connected with her as Julie Powell. She also does great humor. I found her to be very subtle in her approach and even quite sympathetic when not going through her good moments. Chris Messina as Julie's husband, Eric, does a lot to keep these moments fresh. Finally, Stanley Tucci as Paul Child plays well off Meryl, and dare I as a 21-year-old say it about actors so much older than me? Meryl and Paul honestly have great chemistry.

What really steals the show and appears great on cinema is both Julia and Julie's cooking expenditures. Make sure to eat before attending, I can't stress that enough because the food looks amazing.

As for the negative, the film does drag a bit in the middle. The switching between Julie and Julia POV works great at the beginning and at the end, but I think in the middle, it just makes the plot drag.

Overall, definitely worth going to see and quite enjoyable just make sure to eat before attending!

"Julie & Julia" is based on the book by the same name, which is based on the true story by Julie Powell about "The Julie & Julia Project". Julie (Amy Adams) is a government employee working in New York City in the year following 9/11. She, her husband Eric (Chris Messina) and their cat live in an apartment above a pizza parlor. All of her friends are successful in their careers. Julie is not. Of course, we all know who Julia Child is!! Meryl Streep was a fantastic Julia Child, who started out as a bored housewife in Paris looking to fill her time and ended up being a major influence on American cuisine.

One evening, while bemoaning the lack of meaning in her life, Julie picks up Julia Child's cookbook and decides to cook all 524 recipes in the book in a year, while blogging about her experience. At first, no one is interested, but as time goes by, Julie gets more and more followers of her blog.

I liked the parallel stories of Julia and Julie. They had similar experiences, yet there were drastic differences. Julia's husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) was extremely encouraging of Julia's cooking, while Julie's husband was kind of a jerk!! He was not very supportive of Julie's project. Seriously, if someone was going to be cooking me delicious food for a year, I would be 100% encouraging them along every step of the way!! Julia and Paul had a beautiful residence (with a maid!!), while Julie and Eric lived in a tiny apartment.

I enjoyed seeing the delicious meals both Julia and Julie prepared, especially boeuf bourguignon (YUM!!!). One of my favorite scenes in the movie was when Julia's sister Dorothy (Jane Lynch) comes to Paris to visit her. It was adorable to see two grown women squealing like little girls because they are so excited to see each other. There was quite a bit of passion in this film – passion (romantic and non-romantic) for each other and passion for food.

The movie dragged a bit, with a running time of just over 2 hours – I thought some scenes could have been trimmed down a bit.

Overall an enjoyable dish – go see this movie with your mom, your sister, or your best friend. Whatever you do, DON'T go hungry because you will regret it!! Madison Monroe - iratefilms

Saw this movie at a private screening last night. What a lovely movie! Amy Adams is playing Julie -- a part that Meg Ryan used to play when she was young and adorable. Amy so is! Chris Messina as Eric, her husband, is a saint (you'll understand why I say that when you see the movie). Stanley Tucci is wonderful and you'll just love him. But nobody can top La Streep! Every time she appears on screen, the film just glows. She is amazing and you will smile every time you see Julia on screen. The only thing that might upstage Meryl is the food being cooked. I had eaten dinner before I went but was actually salivating several times during the movie. Julia Child made French food accessible and you will want to eat -- a lot afterward. Everyone was laughing a lot -- sometimes on top of lines being said, which made us miss the next few lines. This is NOT a chick flick -- I highly recommend this for people 14 and older (younger kids will probably be bored ---- silly younger kids!). I am just amazed at Meryl Streep! She's a true talent. Oh, I was happy to see Jane Lynch appear briefly. Love her! Go, go, go!

Greetings again from the darkness. Meryl Streep is amazing. I can't imagine how many times I have said or written that over the years. In a short period of time, we have watched her as the cold, manipulative nun in "Doubt"; the free-wheeling, singing mother of the bride in "Mamma Mia"; and now as TV and cooking icon Julie Child. She always delivers more than can be expected.

That is an odd way to begin the comments on this film, but Ms. Streep is so far and away the best thing about the film, that it only seemed appropriate. She captures not just the spirit for life that Julia Child carried, but also the ambition and focus to create something for many to enjoy. Many are laughing this off as an fun loving impersonation of Ms. Child, but there is much more depth to the performance than that. She brings the pride of accomplishment to the role.

I experienced a very odd sensation while watching the film. During the Julia portion, I was glued to the screen and focused on every nuance. When the "switch" would occur, I could feel the droop in my body - literally like a balloon that was losing air and then got a shot of helium for the good segments! I just found the Julie Powell chapters to be lame and a drag on the film. If not for the lovable Amy Adams, I would have thoroughly disliked Ms. Powell and her selfish antics. No wonder Ms. Child was no fan.

Definitely a must see for the amazing Meryl performance. I know it's early, but another Oscar nomination seems a must for this treasure of film.

i never really liked Meryl Streep that much until "Doubt" last year. and i've always been in love with Amy Adams. so when i found out the two were in yet another film together, i jumped at the chance to go to a prescreening.

i expected the film to be good, but it was even better than expected. humor was one of the driving forces of the film, but that didn't take away from some more serious moments- rather, it accentuated them and made them all the more poignant and even heartbreaking.

Ms. Streep is nothing short of perfect as cooking personality Julia Child. in fact, it may be the best performance yet i've seen from her. hilarious, lovable, passionate, and tender, she hit every note perfectly.

Ms. Adams, likewise, was superb as Julie Powell, a government worker who decided to tackle Julia Child's 500+ recipes in her groundbreaking cook book in a year's time while documenting online the whole process in a blog.

the two true stories are perfectly balanced, and the screenplay (adapted by the director Nora Ephron) strikes some wonderful parallels between the two women, and paints, or rather, cooks up two great ingredients to become one delicious dish.

there is a bit of a lag in the second half of the movie, but this is forgiven by the fact that the movie never becomes distracted from its purpose. excellent cast, fantastic story-telling, and wonderful direction. Julie & Julia will have you holding out your dish begging for more.

I'm waiting for the sequel to this film that's all about Julia Child, her husband and her sister spending a weekend cavorting in Paris. I want all three characters to be played by the three actors who play them in this film -- Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Jane Lynch -- and I don't want one single shot of the film to show me anything other than these three and their exceptional screen chemistry.

This lopsided movie spends far too much time on the contemporary story of Julie Powell, a whiny failed writer, and her attempts to cook her way through Julia Child's formidable cook book. Amy Adams, who has given lovely performances in other things, perhaps plays Julie too well, because I wanted to strangle her. She seems to think she learns something about herself through her self-imposed challenge, and obviously owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Child (who she never meets), but what she learns I couldn't ever figure out. Her husband, played by the vaguely unlikable Chris Messina, is depicted as the Most Loving Husband on Earth, but still somehow manages to come across as a cocky jerk. Not one scene that Adams and Messina have together feels authentic -- too bad, since this movie spends about 80% of its time with them.

The other 20%, you ask? Sigh.... It's spent with the splendid Ms. Streep and Mr. Tucci mentioned above, and the brilliance of their performances only serves to bring awareness to the weak movie surrounding them.

Grade: B

The moment that Julie flops on her bed, lamenting "Julia hates me!" is the only moment that made me credit writer/director Ephron with some small degree of insight and artistry, because in that moment Ephron acknowledges that Julie deserves no admiration for her kitchen marathon. Throughout the movie, it's obvious that the supremely accomplished Julia Child would never have respected Julie Powell for turning the former's masterpiece into the latter's superficial stunt.

Streep is superb as Julia Child, playing her as she gloriously was, larger than life and full of vigor, making believable her passion for food and for cooking. Amy Adams is fine, too, but Julie is a thankless role. The most obvious problem: Only a fool would cook 524 recipes in 365 days, let alone 524 French haute cuisine dishes from a two- volume tome that, incidentally, isn't a simple cookbook. And by the way, Julie the fool would also have to be (1) wealthy enough to afford the rich and meaty ingredients and the well-equipped kitchen that the 524 recipes call for, and (2) willing to eat leftover boeuf Bourguignon or lamb stuffed with kidneys for breakfast or lunch.

But let's just accept that Julie is a determined fool (and a wealthier one than she pretended). What I could not accept in Ephron's formulaic film or in Powell's original project is the fact that Julie never actually learns how to cook, or even seems to want to learn-- yet she miraculously succeeds in nearly every recipe the first time! She cooks by rote, more like an assembly-line worker at an auto plant than a creative chef. Hardly admirable, or believable.

I want to reiterate what Anderson said. I read the book and was so utterly disappointed that I tossed the book into the rubbish. I rarely do that and usually donate to libraries, but in this case, I didn't want to share the pain inflicted by reading it.

Nevertheless, being a fan of Julia I was compelled to see the movie. Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were outstanding. Her portrayal of Julia Child was captivating and nothing short of brilliant. Unfortunately those parts were too few. Instead the viewer gets an overload of this self-absorbed whiny bi-polar type character that annoyed me so much that I left during one of her parts. While she was on the screen it was as painful as reading the book.

It would be wonderful if they would take the same two actors (Meryl and Stanley) and make a full movie of just that.

It was so apparent that Julie was trying to use the fame of Julia Childs for her own benefit. It's not ethical, period! And she even tries to be a sad little victim after it was implied that Julia didn't endorse her. grrrrr! I don't admire anyone who uses people like that, especially passionless whiny people who seem to act like everything revolves around them.

So, seven stars go only to the portrayal of Julia and husband. and 1 star to the Julie character because it was a fun idea to do the blog on the recipe experiment. I just didn't like the lack of passion and the free ride she took on a lovely brilliant lady who gave so much to us amateur chefs.

Most anyone can be taught things, but the charm and passion come from within. Julia was one in a million!

This is a delightful movie about present day blogger following the recipes of legendary chef Julia Child.

The acting and casting are perfect. Amy Adams is so sweet and charming and Meryl Streep does a spot on portrayal of Julia Child. Jane Lynch is quite funny as her sister. Stanley Tucci is good as Julia's supportive husband. The screenplay is well written, touching and funny. It includes some pretty insightful dialog and characterizations. The art direction is beautiful with attractive sets.

This charming movie made me buy a Le Creuset pot! Tried Bourguignon at home because of this movie too.

I saw this film in preview last evening and believe it's a winner on several levels. The performances by the leads and the many supporting roles are great - you can't help loving the characters portrayed. The biographic nature of the 'Juila' story combines nicely with the more present day 'Julie' storyline - leaving the viewer to route for Julie's cooking goal while simply falling in love with Meryl Streep's Julia Child. In both stories we are treated to the women's relationship with food, husbands and the challenging worlds they inhabit. Predominantly, there is a real sweetness about the support each husband gives his wife and a fair amount of chuckles throughout. I'll admit that there could have been a few more edits but this film still satisfies while paying homage to the iconic figure that Julia Child is.

Meryl Streep is the Queen of Hollywood. In the first three decades of her career she had splendid performances in films like The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs Kramer, Sophie's Choice, Out of Africa, and The Bridges of Madison County that cemented her as one of the greatest female thespians of all time. This decade has been something else though. Never has someone graced the screen so effortlessly and managed to capture the audience regardless of the quality of the film. Adaptation, The Hours, The Devil Wears Prada, Rendition, Mamma Mia! and Doubt have all had varying success, but one thing remained the same: Streep was magnificent. You can go right ahead and add Julie and Julia to that list.

What could have been an overdone and overwhelming caricature of a woman larger than life, Streep turns Julia Child into a lovable woman whose positive outlook on life becomes infectious. I've never seen someone like her, maybe those people don't exist anymore. However Streep only plays one half of the titular pairing and it is to Amy Adams' credit that Julie Powell is almost just as intriguing. A stark contrast can be seen immediately between her modern day pessimist and the bright light that is her idol, causing Julie's tale to seem slightly trivial at times, perhaps unfairly.

Being the first motion picture based on a blog – watch out for the flood of blog-aptations to come – may have some superficial benefits, however the undercooked screenplay formed around it is evident. It is drawn out and the beginning of the third act dishes up the obligatory "fall before the rise" arc, which is normally integral to any underdog tale yet here feels completely unnecessary. Also, watching the trailer a few months before it was released you already knew how the beginning, middle and end would play out, subsequently putting a lot of pressure on the aesthetic aspects of the film to excel.

Stephen Goldblatt's cinematography and Mark Ricker's production design are complimentary of each other and equally beautiful. Following Julia around the streets of 40's Paris is like being transported to both time and place. Their depiction of 2002 New York still feeling the effects of 9/11 (an early scene pays particular attention to this) is suitably broken and unsure, whilst Julie's rundown yet charismatic apartment is a wonderfully utilised metaphor for her life.

The failings of the screenplay aside, this is a delectably light-hearted film that will have you walking out of the cinema with a great big smile and a rumbling tummy.

4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)

Nora Ephron's Julie & Julia is a film about the empowerment of women who grow in strength not in spite of their husbands but because of their loving support, a rare break from Hollywood's obsession with dysfunctional families. Meryl Streep, an icon in her own right, portrays the celebrated author and TV personality Julia Childs whose book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was one of the most influential books of the last century. To say that Streep brings verve to the role is a vast understatement.

She is Julia with her bubbly, over-the-top magnetism that makes everyone in contact with her feel energized. Based on Julia Child's memoir, "My Life in France", the film follows Julia's growth in Paris in the 1950s as she moves from being simply the wife of U.S. Embassy cultural attaché Paul Child (Stanley Tucci), to the development of her lifelong passion - an interest in cooking and writing. Julia enrolls in the Cordon Bleu cooking school where she is faced with an unpleasant owner, Madame Bressart (Joan Juliet Buck) and competition with professional men. Soon, she is slicing onions with the best of them. From there, the process leads her to meeting with Simone Beck (Linda Emond) and the development of a project to teach Americans how to cook with a French accent. The rest, as they say, is history.

A parallel thread in the film is the story of Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a young woman who lives in a small apartment with her husband Eric (Chris Messina) in Queens above a Pizza shop and who struggles with her day job, working for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation fielding phone calls from residents disturbed over issues related to 9/11. To reinvigorate a life that had become stagnant she embarks on a year-long project to prepare all 524 of Julia's recipes. Soon she will be recording her experiences murdering lobsters in a blog that will eventually turn into a best-selling book "Julie & Julia," Though not the dominant presence of Streep, Adams creates a character that engages our interest and whose progress we follow closely. Though Julie and Julia never meet, they are inextricably linked by their love of food and the similarity of the circumstances of their lives, writers who are seeking a deeper connection to life, something that makes them feel truly alive. Supported by loving husbands, the only conflict in the film is an argument between Julie and her husband about her growing obsession to the detriment of other marital endeavors.

However, this does not last long, given the supportive nature of their relationship and Julie is able to maintain her enthusiasm thanks to her love of cooking and the inspiration of the Julia Child in her head. Julie & Julia is, as one viewer put it, "a celebration of life, culture, people, food and the wonder of an incredible love relationship between two people", a rare effort from a mainstream media that is obsessed with the culture of conflict and the false duality of good versus evil. Julie & Julia is about the simple joys of being alive and expressing it with passion, a recipe worth devoting 365 days a year to trying.

While never really reaching heights beyond its aim as with all of Nora Ephron this is a good little escapist movie.

For those who love real food or the 1950s there is no denying that these are the strongest parts of the movie.

For those who would rather Julie wasn't there I wouldn't disagree; as a purely historical piece this would have worked well, and the New York scenes seem very lightweight after Streeps and Tucci beautiful comedy of manners.

However it all works together to create a lovely light comedy about food and the extraordinary force that was Julia Childs.

Slightly long at over 2 hours, it has a wonderful sense of style and this is a film that women will particularly enjoy - the humor is geared for them - and the social life of Paris in the 1950s were our favorite parts.

If you like food and comedy and biography, you won't be disappointed; just don't expect greatness...

There isn't much wrong with 'Julie & Julia', but there isn't much going for it either. It's a pleasant yet bland biographical drama film that bores just as much as it entertains. The story is weak and just not interesting enough to be made into a film, though it is partially rescued by Streep and Adams, who bring personality and energy to their roles.

As a biographical film, perhaps it would have been a better idea to focus on Julia and give a more detailed account of her life and career. Instead we have two stories running parallel, neither of which are properly explored, and the films suffers for it. Overall, 'Julie and Julia' is a pleasant but bland and uneventful drama.

Probably the coziest movie I've seen in a while. I'm kinda of amazed that my current t-shirt and shorts didn't just turned into a giant blanket and the fireplace didn't automatically start. Kinda want to start to cook now...