Julie & Julie Review

After waiting for months to see Julie & Julia, last night's viewing left me happy and inspired. Not only was I captivated by the sensational acting of Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, but the stunning real life story of Julie and Julie. The movie highlights the transitioning lives of two American women of different generations but other than the dates, the two are very similar.

The movie follows the life of the somewhat feminist, ambitious, fun-loving Julia Child as she moves to Paris, totally dedicated to learning the secrets of French cooking because, as she states in the movie, she loves to eat. The movie continues to highlight her passionate personality as she struggles to get her cookbook published. Meryl does a thoroughly entertaining job of portraying Julia's charming quirks and distinctive voice.

As for Julie - the struggling writer, stuck in a dead-end bureaucratic job in NYC - she is surrounded by sucessful friends and dreading her 30th birthday. At the enouragement and support of her husband, she starts a blog to document her cooking through Julia Child's cookbook. Since cooking was her daily release, she knew she'd love this task, as daunting as it seems. Through ups and downs in the kitchen and her personal life, Julia brings Julie alive.

Throughout the movie I found myself with a huge grin on my face as Julia began exploring the wonders of Paris, which made it difficult for me to focus on the movie because I was reminiscing about my time in Paris. Oh, a trip back would be a dream... some day!

The movie very much brought to life the title of Julia's book - the main characters love food so much, they put oodles of time and effort into their meal preperation - just like an art project.

I loved all the little parts of the movie like the beautiful French kitchen stuffs including the copper pots and Le Creuset dutch ovens, to the kitchen of a 1950s French kitchen, to the fashion of the '50s, to the struggles of a modern couple in a tiny NYC apartment. So much to appreciate in this move.

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I walked away from the theatre feeling happy and inspired. A sweet, relaxing movie for anyone who loves hilarious kitchen happenings and life-evolving stories!

And now, I am on the search for a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child The movie also roused me to push myself a bit more and try some more challenging recipes, like boning a duck (gotta see the movie)!

Photos from the official Julie & Julie website from Sony Pictures

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