Review: "Julia & Julie"
Aug. 10th, 2009 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI saw a commercial for this movie and I liked the premise and was amazed by how Meryl Streep easily became Julia Child for me.
I've seen a little of Julia Child on TV. I liked that she showed that you could be quite clumsy and still be a good cook. I liked that she could be just an imperfect human being on national TV.
And so I saw "Julia & Julie" today. I liked it.
I'd heard that Streep was amazing and a thrill to watch but that Adams was wasted and her character was a drag to watch. But I liked both characters.
It was fun to see a slice of two biographies. Not as epic as "Gone with the Wind" or anything, but it did feel a little epic.
It's a little unfair to watch them trying something hard with our extra knowledge that they will succeed. In real life, you don't know. One of these women had a great goal - teach Americans from the 1950s how to cook French food. (Which sounds better? Crepes? Or marshmallow fluff?) The other had a much less useful goal, but I did enjoy her blog voice.
It's also great to see how a supportive marriage can work. I liked the way both couples sometimes devolved into exaggeration. Her: "He single-handedly saved the world." Him: "Well, someone had to do it."
And if you want to know what perfectly chosen gifts look like, this movie has several examples.
It felt a little like one of those life-lesson movies, only for grown-ups.
I also actually laughed aloud several times, both from situational humor and from dialog. I was smiling through a lot of the movie. Well, the Julia in the movie is just so upbeat. "Oh, my! It's Versailles!" she says about her new place.
I sort of went with three friends. They went to the "Feast" version, accompanied by a five-course French meal with accompanying wines. Most of that food didn't sound yummy to me, so I watched it in the next theatre over, with green chili macaroni and cheese (sans marshmallow creme). They got to see the real Julie afterwords and said that she did seem quite similar to how she was portrayed in the movie.
One friend said it was the best foodie movie he'd seen (until I reminded him about "Ratatouille"). One said the movie was disappointing because both books on which it was based were so much better. So, I've got two new books to add to my list.
Disclaimer: I may have gotten some of the quotes above slightly wrong. I'm not good with quotes. But they are close.
I've seen a little of Julia Child on TV. I liked that she showed that you could be quite clumsy and still be a good cook. I liked that she could be just an imperfect human being on national TV.
And so I saw "Julia & Julie" today. I liked it.
I'd heard that Streep was amazing and a thrill to watch but that Adams was wasted and her character was a drag to watch. But I liked both characters.
It was fun to see a slice of two biographies. Not as epic as "Gone with the Wind" or anything, but it did feel a little epic.
It's a little unfair to watch them trying something hard with our extra knowledge that they will succeed. In real life, you don't know. One of these women had a great goal - teach Americans from the 1950s how to cook French food. (Which sounds better? Crepes? Or marshmallow fluff?) The other had a much less useful goal, but I did enjoy her blog voice.
It's also great to see how a supportive marriage can work. I liked the way both couples sometimes devolved into exaggeration. Her: "He single-handedly saved the world." Him: "Well, someone had to do it."
And if you want to know what perfectly chosen gifts look like, this movie has several examples.
It felt a little like one of those life-lesson movies, only for grown-ups.
I also actually laughed aloud several times, both from situational humor and from dialog. I was smiling through a lot of the movie. Well, the Julia in the movie is just so upbeat. "Oh, my! It's Versailles!" she says about her new place.
I sort of went with three friends. They went to the "Feast" version, accompanied by a five-course French meal with accompanying wines. Most of that food didn't sound yummy to me, so I watched it in the next theatre over, with green chili macaroni and cheese (sans marshmallow creme). They got to see the real Julie afterwords and said that she did seem quite similar to how she was portrayed in the movie.
One friend said it was the best foodie movie he'd seen (until I reminded him about "Ratatouille"). One said the movie was disappointing because both books on which it was based were so much better. So, I've got two new books to add to my list.
Disclaimer: I may have gotten some of the quotes above slightly wrong. I'm not good with quotes. But they are close.