This was the first film I saw in the theater all summer, and I have not viewed it since, so bear with me as I try to recall my feelings upon it from half a year ago...
Julie & Julia follows the lives of Julia Child, the now legendary chef famous in the 1960s, and the modern day Julie Powell, a struggling wife who finds motivation from Child's legendary cookbook, The Art of French Cooking.
Meryl Streep stars as Child and Amy Adams stars as Powell, with both women giving great performances (especially Streep, who will almost certainly earn another Oscar nomination for her spot-on portrayal of the idiosyncratic chef). The cast is rounded out by some strong (though less memorable) supporting actors and actresses, including Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina and Jane Lynch.
Overall, Julie & Julia is that rare kind of movie: one that is truly heart-warming and uplifting, without seeming overly unrealistic or sugar-coated (not surprising, as both story lines are firmly based in fact). However, it is this same fact that makes the movie a good one, and not a great film that is worthy of a Best Picture nomination. Although it's nice to see Child achieve success in a male-dominated cooking society, and Powell become popular through her online cooking blog, the film remains nothing more than that: just nice. It's not the kind of movie that will leave you with a strong lasting impression, other than simple delight.
Although I certainly enjoyed the film, and left the theater joyfully, it's not exactly a movie that will be Oscar bait (aside from, as previously mentioned, a nod for Streep's efforts).
7/10
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My family rented this movie about a week or two ago and it was pretty good actually. I was expecting a movie where I would just watch for five minutes and decide to leave the living room but it was actually entertaining.
ReplyDeleteMeyrl Streep's roles in all of the movies I've seen with her have been very good.
The fact that Meryl Streep's performance in this is award-worthy isn't enough for me because everything she does is. However, I would watch it for Stanley Tucci, if you haven't seen the movie "Big Trouble" I'd recommend it, Tucci is very funny in it.
ReplyDeleteMy parents saw this while I was out one night, and both told me that it was "great, and not what I expected". Sounds good to me, and now that Streep won the Golden Glove I'll give it a look.
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