Julie and Julia - the movie

[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 May 11, 2009 by Peter the eater (log)

[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.

[prasantrin]

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.

←

Agreed that moron may have been harsh, though I was calling Julie a moron, not Julia (I have little patience for women of Julie's ilk who whine and complain and act like little children--which is pretty much what we see of her in the trailer).

And I wasn't angry about it. It was more of an eye-rolling comment rather than one of anger.

Edited May 13, 2009 by prasantrin (log)

[JeanneCake]

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).

←

She talks about Madame Brassartin the book (My Life in France) and the hard time M Brassart gave her during her education; I'm kind of surprized she didn't deck her in that scene, she would have deserved it!

Edited May 13, 2009 by JeanneCake (log)

[divalasvegas]

I seem to recall reading that Julia Child was not at all enthusiastic or impressed by the whole Julie/Julia project. My impression was that she was rather irritated by the venture. My feeling upon hearing about the project at the time was basically that someone was seeking fame and fortune by latching onto Julia and her cookbook. Perhaps this was Child's feeling as well? I don't know. If true, and they've reduced this remarkable woman to a Saturday Night Live caricature, it makes me less than likely to see the movie though I know that Julia Child said she loved the way Dan Akroyd spoofed her on SNL.

[lala]

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).

←

This is why I'm fearful of the Ephron effect - she turns any character into a stereotype, playing to the lowest common denominator. I love Julia, and acknowledge that her mannerisms already bordered on characature, so I hope they're really careful about this.

[kitchensqueen]

I'm not sure why having an actual Julia Child in the movie is even relevant, unless it's a sales gimmick. She (in a proper, real-life form) wasn't even in the book, and she didn't much care for the project anyway...

They need to make sure they have an authentic copy of Mastering, not Meryl Streep.

Edited May 13, 2009 by kitchensqueen (log)

[zoe b]

I seem to recall reading that Julia Child was not at all enthusiastic or impressed by the whole Julie/Julia project. My impression was that she was rather irritated by the venture. My feeling upon hearing about the project at the time was basically that someone was seeking fame and fortune by latching onto Julia and her cookbook. Perhaps this was Child's feeling as well? I don't know. If true, and they've reduced this remarkable woman to a Saturday Night Live caricature, it makes me less than likely to see the movie though I know that Julia Child said she loved the way Dan Akroyd spoofed her on SNL.

←

I couldn't have said it better myself!

I saw the trailer and it appears to show about the same level of character development as "You've Got Mail".

This gives me the same icky stay far away feeling as the movie Iris did--I read some of the articles in The New Yorker that Baylor wrote and it looked to me like revenge against a wife who was more famous than he was--taken when she was weak and helpless.

Zoe

[jamiemaw]

Well, 'Bone Appe . . . teet!'

We just returned from seeing the hilarious stew that is Julie & Julia and I can warrant you one thing with some certainty: Just as Michael Jackson's albums have been flying off the racks, post mortem, soon too will 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking', again.

And another: Boeuf Bourguignon will be the surprise hit of the autumn, and as ubiquitous on fall restaurant menus as last year's short ribs. (Note to self: better stock up on cross-rib before it skyrockets.)

The movie is a joy. You already know the story: a young New York civil servant blogs her way through the more than 500 recipes in MAFC in a calendar year. Then lands a book and movie deal while preserving her marriage and considerably extending her circle of friends.

The interface between this story-line and that of the creation of the MAFC itself, and the history of the itinerant Childs (Paul Child is gracefully, and understatedly, played by Stanley Tucci - is it a coincidence that he has starred in the two best English language food movies of all time?); Julia Child delightfully by Meryl Streep (and yes, they hired a lot of jockey-short extras to pull it off); Julie Powell by Amy Adams. The screenplay, by Nora Ephron, is tighter than a stuffed coquelet. The only down-note is the character of Julie Powell's husband, played by Chris Messina, whose ham-fisted acting oversteps (his character has the table manners of a goat - watching him eat his brushcetta is painful), and is distracting in the first two reels.

Eh bien, tant pis - even he is smoothed as the stew thickens.

Wonderful touches abound of post-war Paris and its food stalls, the imperious owner of Le Cordon Bleu, the Child's Buick Roadmaster station wagon (got woody?)gavotting down narrow alleys, Black Ops corresdpondences, references to Joe McCarthy, and finally, after nearly a decade of writing and trial and error recipe-testing, the publication of the 700-page brick that it is now in its 49th printing.

As I mentioned above, no doubt that will be 50 come autumn, as sure as braises.

Edited July 12, 2009 by jamiemaw (log)

[daisy17]

Well, 'Bone Appe . . . teet!'

We just returned from seeing the hilarious stew that is Julie & Julia and I can warrant you one thing with some certainty: Just as Michael Jackson's albums have been flying off the racks, post mortem, soon too will 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking', again.

And another: Boeuf Bourguignon will be the surprise hit of the autumn, and as ubiquitous on fall restaurant menus as last year's short ribs. (Note to self: better stock up on cross-rib before it skyrockets.)

The movie is a joy. You already know the story: a young New York civil servant blogs her way through the more than 500 recipes in MAFC in a calendar year. Then lands a book and movie deal while preserving her marriage and considerably extending her circle of friends.

The interface between this story-line and that of the creation of the MAFC itself, and the history of the itinerant Childs (Paul Child is gracefully, and understatedly, played by Stanley Tucci - is it a coincidence that he has starred in the two best English language food movies of all time?); Julia Child delightfully by Meryl Streep (and yes, they hired a lot of jockey-short extras to pull it off); Julie Powell by Amy Adams. The screenplay, by Nora Ephron, is tighter than a stuffed coquelet. The only down-note is the character of Julie Powell's husband, played by Chris Messina, whose ham-fisted acting oversteps (his character has the table manners of a goat - watching him eat his brushcetta is painful), and is distracting in the first two reels.

Eh bien, tant pis - even he is smoothed as the stew thickens.

Wonderful touches abound of post-war Paris and its food stalls, the imperious owner of Le Cordon Bleu, the Child's Buick Roadmaster station wagon (got woody?)gavotting down narrow alleys, Black Ops corresdpondences, references to Joe McCarthy, and finally, after nearly a decade of writing and trial and error recipe-testing, the publication of the 700-page brick that it is now in its 49th printing.

As I mentioned above, no doubt that will be 50 come autumn, as sure as braises.

←

Awesome. I can't wait to see the movie, and I almost can't believe I just said that. Julie Powell's original blog was absolutely hilarious - although I don't expect the movie to be - and I didn't read the book. I was skeptical until I saw the trailer, which made me cry. Seems to me that Meryl nailed it, as she always does.

[David Ross]

I was fortunate to have been invited to a private screening of "Julie and Julia" in May when I was in Las Vegas reporting on "Klatsch: Popping the Cork in Vegas." I included some thoughts about the movie in our discussions. At the time, I thought the film was fun in terms of the relationship between Julie's blog and Julia's life in France. I didn't take it too seriously at the time and other than a quick visit to Julie's blog after seeing the film, I haven't been back.

In the months since I saw the film, I've found myself reading through the copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" that was given to each member of the screening audience. I think that's a credit to the film that a few months later I'm still thinking about it.

I've always been a fan of Julia Child, and the release of the movie is certainly going to generate renewed interest in her work and I suppose many hits to Julie's blog.

[Kim Shook]

My daughter's birthday gift to me is lunch at my choice of restaurants followed by seeing the movie. I can't wait. I loved the book and the project. I think Streep has nailed Julia and I hope that her bawdiness has made it into the movie.

[Pierogi]

My daughter's birthday gift to me is lunch at my choice of restaurants followed by seeing the movie.  I can't wait.  I loved the book and the project.  I think Streep has nailed Julia and I hope that her bawdiness has made it into the movie.

LOL, one of my best friends is as food-obsessed as I am, and I like to think I helped mold her into the foodie she's become. We both share an undying love for Julia. She turned me onto the book, I had vaguely heard about the blog, but didn't follow it.

MY birthday present from her is dinner and the movie ! If only August 7th would get here quicker ! I've been looking forward to it since I heard the casting.

[MaxH]

Haven't seen book or movie yet but regarding caricature, the subject invites it. Since her death, some people are inclined to make a saint of JC (relics of the True Kitchen were even reverently displayed at the Copia museum). Parts of her life like her OSS service in Ceylon in WW2, mundane in her own accounts that I saw, and in Fitch's original biography and other writings (JC worked as a file clerk there and by some accounts, a fairly inept one) can be cheaply spun for drama (wartime spy!). Despite actual gastronomic angles from that time (the "flied lice with mix" from the local restaurateur, mentioned in her 1970s cookbook FJCC -- is that interesting detail in the movie??)

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

←

Peter if you mean the hour-long A&E Biography TV program, that aired in (IIRC) March 1997 while JC was very much alive. It was an independent production, and at least parts of it were filmed in 1996. Of course it was re-broadcast after her 2004 death, and at other times (and presumably will be again, whenever new interest in JC surfaces). I thought it was good too, including the part where JC's sister describes the three siblings, all of them six feet two inches tall, and her mother's accounting of producing "eighteen and a half feet of children."

[Sneakeater]

I'm boycotting this movie because they didn't cast Dan Ackroyd.

[rooy1960]

hi friends-

i saw julie & julia last night at a private screening for the lupus foundation. i liked it. i thought meryl streep did a sweet job. stanley tucci was wonderful as paul. i mostly liked how the movie focused on the existential struggle of both women. julie's personality rubbed me the wrong way, but still the movie was nicely done (imho).

-rooy

[JFLinLA]

I haven't seen the movie yet but here's one thing I found ironic. The story about the movie that appeared in the LA Times, was in the Entertainment Section yet focused a great deal on Nora Ephron, her love of food, and problems she encountered in making Julia's french apple tart at home. That story is here. Meanwhile, the the story in the New York Times, appeared in the Food Section and was mostly about the technical issues of showing food and food preparation in the movie, and the role of food stylists in this and in other movies.

In other words, the story in the entertainment section (here in tinsel town) focused a great deal about food and food preparation. However, another paper put the story in the Food Section and focused more on the technicalities of making the movie.

I just found that interesting. Nothing wrong with it. Just saying . . .

[jgm]

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I have heard that Streep did an excellent job with her role.

I'm not sure how the movie deals with it, but for me the interesting part is the juxtaposition of the two women's lives. Julia was a pioneer, to be sure, and someone who absolutely would not be successful in today's media circus. Can you imagine The Food Network putting her in a skin-tight, low-cut top?????? So many of her antics, which endeared her to so many of us, would have been coached into submission if she were on television today.

Julie Powell, however, is someone who combined the old (MTAOFC) with the new (blogging). From what I've read, it wasn't so much that Julia disapproved of what Julie was doing, as much as it was a form of communication she didn't really understand or care about.

I plan to see the movie for entertainment purposes. I don't expect it to be entirely authentic. If it lets me live in a world where Julia is still alive, for a couple of hours, that will be fantastic. And if the result is a new printing of her books, and (dare we hope?) a new emphasis on cooking, we'll all be the better for it.

[jgm]

Saw the movie, and found it delightful. Is it one of the great movies of all time? No, of course not. But I don't understand why it's getting negative reviews.

I thought it accomplished what it set out to do and stayed fairly true to both books. Nora Ephron took great care to draw the parallels between the two women's lives, and while some think she hammered that point too much, I think it wasn't too much for a movie aimed at a general audience. I found the first few moments pretty disturbing, because Meryl Streep really does capture Julia, and for some reason it kicked up some fresh grief over losing her. Fairly quickly, however, it dived into the story, and some of the scenes were hilarious. I found it to be a very entertaining movie, and one that didn't significantly depart from the real story, as so many modern productions do, just to enhance the action for the movie audience.

Keep in mind that people like us are not the audience; it's intended for the general public and I think it very successfully introduces dear Julia to the next generation of cooks.

[Pierogi]

Two words - LOVED IT.

As JGM said, is it "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca" or even "Gone With The Wind". Uhhhhhh, no.

But its wonderful and supremely entertaining, especially the "Julia parts" (the "Julie parts" sort of dragged for me, but I'm much older than her target audience, and her book dragged for me as well). But still, there were many good moments in the "Julie parts" as well.

Meryl Streep *is* a bit over the top in a couple of scenes, but for sure has Julia's essence. Stanley Tucci is freakin' BRILLIANT as Paul.

LOVED the inclusion of the Danny Ackroyd SNL skit.......that was brilliant.

All in all, I'll watch it again when it comes on cable, I may even buy the DVD, and it absolutely, positively made me want to cook something. Immediately. Preferably from one of Julia's books. Instead, we went out for French food !

I'd say the theater I saw it in (a MegaMultiPlex) was 95% full, and most of the audience applauded at the end.

JGM, I have seen NO negative reviews. The LA Times loved it, the NY Times loved it, even my rinky-dink hometown paper that buys reviews from a syndicate loved it. Dunno who's panning it, but I sure haven't seen it.

[KatieLoeb]

Dinner with a good friend at a lovely French BYO restaurant, followed by a showing of Julie & Julia was my entertainment this past Friday evening. Couldn't have been better! We snuck our leftover wine into the theater in my oversized handbag, bought an overpriced $3.50 bottled water with two plastic cups and enjoyed our wine as we laughed our way through the film. A tad naughty, very Ab Fab, but loads of fun. Meryl Streep was fabulous, as was Stanley Tucci as her husband Paul. What a great love they shared. And Amy Adams does a great job as Julie Powell. The parallels between the two women's lives are both poignant and unexpected, given the difference in the times in which they live(d). Yet, in the end, their love of food/cooking and it's enduring place in their lives is what binds them together. It's a shame Julie never met her object of adoration, and vice versa. I suspect they'd have gotten along famously despite the difference in their ages.

[Libationgoddess]

I had to do a double-take, but I thought Frank Bruni's cameo appearance in there at the end was pretty clever. Just as she's presenting the duck to her dinner guests...

Audrey