Movie Review: Julie & Julia (2009)

I just saw the movie “Julie & Julia” starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. I loved it. It is the story how in 2002 writer/blogger Julie Powell blogs about creating all the 500+ recipes from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of french Cooking” in a one year period. It is a wonderful story that shows both stories in the making of Julia Child becoming a chef and publishing a book, and Julie Powell making all the recipes, her relationship with her husband, and the challenges of setting a goal and trying to keep it.

The movie is very engrossing for any foodie. There is a lot about French cooking and their use of ample butter, wine, and how at the time, America needed some culinary advances. Every foodie will enjoy the theme of not giving up and keep trying, no matter if you make mistakes or not.

There are some good cooking tips in the movie. One that stands out for me was making sure one pats dry a meat before sauteing in order for it to brown properly. Another good one was not putting too much food in a skillet so it browns properly, rather than being smothered and steaming.

The acting is excellent as Meryl Streep does a brilliant job as Julia Child. Amy Adams is refreshing in the role, and Stan Tucci as Julia Child’s husband is natural with the chemistry exuding from every scene they are in.

One minor drawback that I found in the movie were a couple political statements that didn’t need to be in there. They didn’t add anything to the movie, and quite frankly, ticked me off a bit. Oh well. It’s Hollywood being stupid.

I highly recommend seeing the movie. I got it through my Netflix service (which I love). On the disk are some great extras including the making of, recipe creations, and a background about Julia Child. I just made some scrambled eggs using the recipe tips from the DVD, and it turned out great. A simple little change from my usual way of cooking the eggs made a nice and tasty difference.

I give it 4 stars!

Here are some things from the movie: