86 replies to this topic

[GlorifiedRice]

Meryl Streep as Julia Child?

Columbia is cooking up "Julie & Julia," starring Streep as the famous chef and Amy Adams as a mastercook wannabe.

Read on:

http://www.variety.c...1117975130.html

[Doodad]

Meryl Streep as Julia Child?

Columbia is cooking up "Julie & Julia," starring Streep as the famous chef and Amy Adams as a mastercook wannabe.

Read on:

http://www.variety.c...1117975130.html

I saw that as well on other outlets. I will hold off comment for now, but Streep is not even the same body type or size as Julia. That and the blog bit. Is this like "Play It Again Sam" where she has visitations of Julia?

[nibor]

It is hard to imagine who they could get to play her ....

[reeeeeen]

With the right accent, the right clothes and the right posture, I can see Meryl Streep pulling it off. I'm not a big Streep fan, but I actually can see it working.

The biggest danger as I see it (and the reason I'm NOT a Streep fan), is the possibility of it becoming more of a satire than a depiction. I may be in the minority, but a lot of Meryl Streep's work seems overdone and takes me completely out of the narrative being illustrated. But I'm crabby and inclined to bitch, so, it's probably just me.

[Lonnie]

Absolutely she can do it! Will she? That's another question. This is one I'll go out of my way to see.

[GlorifiedRice]

It is hard to imagine who they could get to play her ....

Im afraid to answer that and have Childs fanbase on here come after me with legs of lamb and pizza peels and cleavers!

LOL

[nibor]

Jean Stapleton would have been perfect.

[Lesley C]

Angela Lansbury!

[eatrustic]

Dan Ackroyd!

[GlorifiedRice]

http://www.buzzfoto.com/?p=3435

First shots of Meryl Streep as Julia Child...

I think it looks just like her!

[suzilightning]

http://www.buzzfoto.com/?p=3435

First shots of Meryl Streep as Julia Child...

I think it looks just like her!

nice photos but she and paul had been in a car accident the day before and she was sporting a pretty big bandage and a few cuts when they married.

[eatrustic]

.....and Stanley Tucci plays her husband Paul. This should be a fun movie.

[abooja]

Since when is there a Prospect Park in Queens?

Nonetheless, I will be seeing this movie when it is released.

[andiesenji]

A friend in the entertainment business, who knows I am a foodie, sent me this link today.

Apparently the post production is taking longer than expected but they are aiming for a release date in August.
Julie & Julia

I am anxious to see it. Loved the book.

[maggiethecat]

I'm eager to see it too. My prediction: Meryl will nail it.

[insomniac]

IMO MS is like the eraser at the end of the pencil i.e a blank page....she can transform herself into any character she chooses to play...look forawrd to it...

Edited by insomniac, 13 March 2009 - 11:53 PM.

[Jaymes]

I can easily see Streep playing a large middle-aged woman. The one I had a hard time with was the rail-thin fashionista in "Prada."

[violetfox]

I think that if there's any actress around who can capture Julia's enormous personality and charisma, it is Meryl Streep. I'm looking forward to it, too. Honestly, I'd watch any movie with Meryl Streep and the great Stanley Tucci.

[mrsadm]

I think Jean Stapleton would have been fantastic. But still I can't wait to see it!

[FistFullaRoux]

I just saw the spot for the movie on Hell's Kitchen. I had to come out of a somewhat self-imposed exile to post on this.

I watched the preview with mouth agape, mumbling to myself "They freakin did it."

I just had to pipe up on this, knowing the subject had been of great interest in these parts. And I'll be around a little more, as I am no longer traipsing about the bloody country living in hotels and trying to eat economically. Plus I have a local job that allows me to sleep in my own bed each night, while still trying to eat economically.

Edited by FistFullaRoux, 30 April 2009 - 06:47 PM.

[Old Timer]

I just saw the spot for the movie on Hell's Kitchen. I had to come out of a somewhat self-imposed exile to post on this.

I watched the preview with mouth agape, mumbling to myself "They freakin did it."

I just had to pipe up on this, knowing the subject had been of great interest in these parts. And I'll be around a little more, as I am no longer traipsing about the bloody country living in hotels and trying to eat economically. Plus I have a local job that allows me to sleep in my own bed each night, while still trying to eat economically.

I caught it too.
Streep actually nailed several of the mannerisms of Julia Child.
The trailer appears to delve into her government work during the War years too.
It should be a fun movie to see.

[philadining]

There's a trailer on Hulu here>>

Streep looks, and sounds, pretty amazing, at least in these clips. And the movie itself looks more appealing than I would have imagined.

Edited by philadining, 05 May 2009 - 03:31 PM.

[CKatCook]

Yea! I loved the book and this is something nice to look forward to.

[Dianabanana]

I agree, Jean Stapleton would have been perfect. You know who else? Assuming she can act--Susan Boyle!

After I read Julie and Julia, I did some internet sleuthing and for a while was following the author's personal life, which seemed to have fallen apart after all the publicity surrounding the book died down. I suppose she will be making boatloads of money from the movie now, and thrust back in the public eye. It must be a strange life.

[prasantrin]

I watched the preview. I'll be passing on this one. Just judging from the short bit I watched, they seem to have reduced Julia Child to a caricature. And the Julie character (I say "character" because I don't know how much of "real life" made it into the movie) seems like a moron.

[Peter the eater]

I watched the preview.  I'll be passing on this one.  Just judging from the short bit I watched, they seem to have reduced Julia Child to a caricature.  And the Julie character (I say "character" because I don't know how much of "real life" made it into the movie) seems like a moron.

That may be a little harsh. I never met her, but the Julia Child I know comes from reading many books and watching all ten years of The French Chef (on dvd) and most of Juila and Jacques: Cooking at Home (on PBS). Meryl Streep's portrayal appears faithful to me.

The Hulu clip is unavailable outside the US, but YouTube is here.

<edit for spellling>

Edited by Peter the eater, 11 May 2009 - 03:55 PM.

[lala]

I like the idea of using both books, to show Julia's development. I am a bit scared about it being a Nora Ephron project, though.

[JeanneCake]

I got a more intimate sense of Julia Child's personality after reading My Life in France; and some of that spark and spunk that came out of the book I can see in the movie clips.

Sometimes I worry about seeing a movie adaptation of a favorite book - will it change how much I enjoy the book? I didn't read the Julie/Julia book so I have nothing to compare it to and I don't think it will diminish my respect and admiration of Julia Child. It's not meant to be a documentary so I will enjoy it as entertainment. And wouldn't it be nice if Meryl Streep gets another Oscar nod for the role!

[prasantrin]

I watched the preview.  I'll be passing on this one.  Just judging from the short bit I watched, they seem to have reduced Julia Child to a caricature.  And the Julie character (I say "character" because I don't know how much of "real life" made it into the movie) seems like a moron.

That may be a little harsh. I never met her, but the Julia Child I know comes from reading many books and watching all ten years of The French Chef (on dvd) and most of Juila and Jacques: Cooking at Home (on PBS). Meryl Streep's portrayal appears faithful to me.

The Hulu clip is unavailable outside the US, but YouTube is here.

<edit for spellling>

In what way was it harsh? The character Meryl Streep portrayed, as seen on the preview, is little different from the character Dan Akroyd played on SNL. Granted, we are only seeing snippets of the movie, but from what I saw, Julia Child was no deeper or more complex than a pot of boiling water, and to top it off, from the trailer I got the feeling she was merely a silly woman who wanted to cook. I think there was a lot more to her than that. (And am I to believe she gave a raspberry to some lady who told her she had no talent for cooking?)

Poetic license, blah blah. Julia Child was a real person, and if the trailer is an indication of how she is portrayed in the movie, then she deserved a more respectful portrayal than that (but if the movie were true to her life, it never would have been made into a movie--certainly not enough of a hollywood-esque life to entice the masses).

[Peter the eater]

I watched the preview.  I'll be passing on this one.  Just judging from the short bit I watched, they seem to have reduced Julia Child to a caricature.  And the Julie character (I say "character" because I don't know how much of "real life" made it into the movie) seems like a moron.

That may be a little harsh. I never met her, but the Julia Child I know comes from reading many books and watching all ten years of The French Chef (on dvd) and most of Juila and Jacques: Cooking at Home (on PBS). Meryl Streep's portrayal appears faithful to me.

The Hulu clip is unavailable outside the US, but YouTube is here.

<edit for spellling>

In what way was it harsh? The character Meryl Streep portrayed, as seen on the preview, is little different from the character Dan Akroyd played on SNL. Granted, we are only seeing snippets of the movie, but from what I saw, Julia Child was no deeper or more complex than a pot of boiling water, and to top it off, from the trailer I got the feeling she was merely a silly woman who wanted to cook. I think there was a lot more to her than that. (And am I to believe she gave a raspberry to some lady who told her she had no talent for cooking?)

Poetic license, blah blah. Julia Child was a real person, and if the trailer is an indication of how she is portrayed in the movie, then she deserved a more respectful portrayal than that (but if the movie were true to her life, it never would have been made into a movie--certainly not enough of a hollywood-esque life to entice the masses).

I watched the clip again, and I still think "moron" may be a little harsh. Child is a woman of unusual talent, personality, size and voice. I haven't seen Silkwood since I was a teenager but I know Streep and Ephron can work well together. If there's a problem it's with the lightweight Ephron, not the best-actor-of-her-generation Streep.

I guess the clip wasn't enough to make me wince and get angry -- maybe I'll watch it one more time to be sure. I'm not much of a romantic comedy chick flick kinda guy. I can think of many, many other preferable writer/directors.

There's a good A&E bio piece from shortly after her death.