 Do
you have what it takes?
Living in an apartment which could fall apart if you clapped your
hands, a job dealing with varying levels of disgruntled people,
contemptuously concerned acquaintances, about to turn 30 without
making any kind of progress towards your original goal… If
you checked yes to even one of the above, you might 'get' Julie
& Julia more than you think. True, Julie & Julia's main
protagonist is almost all the food that both Julia Child (Meryl
Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) are cooking throughout the
film, but it also centres on some of the most inane routines in
life that might drive one crazy if not juiced up a bit.
Julie & Julia opens in Paris, where Julia Child's husband Paul
(Stanley Tucci) has just been posted. Julia falls in love with French
food; French weather and French people, all of whom fall right back
in love with the dauntingly tall future culinary goddess. We watch
her savour her first bite of sole meuniere at a restaurant and fall
back on a bed built for someone much shorter than her 6' 2'' self.
Then suddenly we're thrown almost six decades into the future in
Queens, New York, where it is moving day for Julie Powell and her
husband Eric.
Julie clearly hates her new home from the minute a kitchen door
comes unhinged on her. In Julie's bleak view of life, she has nothing
going for her; including her friends; all of whom have power-jobs,
cob salads for lunch and talk non-stop into their cell phones as
they try to be interested in Julie's life.
Meanwhile Julia in Paris is looking for ways to occupy her time.
She enrolls herself into an advance cooking class at Cordon Bleu
with all-male chefs. Proud and competitive we learn she is, when
Paul walks into the kitchen to pile of chopped onions and Julia
clopping her knife expertly on the cutting board, chopping more.
It is now that Julie and Julia's lives start intervening, albeit
over the distance of about 60 years. As a challenge to herself,
Julie starts the Julie/Julia Project: "Nobody here but us servant
less American cooks," says the blog's headline. The aim is
to go through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
in one year- 365 days, 536 recipes. Much to Julie's own, as well
as her mother's surprise, the blog builds a pretty sturdy fan base
over time. It wins her offers of visits from food critics and editors.
And Julie finally has something in her life that she can't complain
about.
Julie & Julia is filmed in alternating segments between the
two women; which almost makes the viewer feel like they are being
allowed a peek into someone's most vulnerable, intimate moments
of everyday life. The story itself has been compellingly adapted
into film, evoking empathy.
Though the film portrays Julie as vulnerable victim of circumstance,
one can't help but want to roll one's eyes, pop some gum and say
"get over yourself already!"
Julia on the other hand is as strong as she appears; always facing
circumstances with a calm "we'll figure something out."
Julie might throw herself to the kitchen floor if her dinner burns
or throw a weepy wobbly if her husband tells her everything will
be fine (or any time she is give half the chance to), annoying the
kind of people who cannot stand senseless theatrics, take consolation
in the fact that the actual Julie Powell does not play her own character
for the film.
Though one figures that Julie Powell is self-absorbed and far too
dramatic about life, comments posted on the internet about her sort
of confirm that too, one of them even stating that Julie Powell
cooked as a form of anger management. Amy Adams saves the character
thus from being too shrill, frantic or annoying. Meryl Streep once
again fills iconic shoes with an iconic ease. Though at 123 minutes,
Julie & Julia runs too long for one's own taste, it is delicate
and charming nonetheless. Bon Appetit.
Trivia - Julie Powell's original blog can be found at http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/
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