NEWS JUNKIE POST
Jan 19, 2010 at 9:05 pmMeryl Streep is ‘Golden’ as Julia
Nora Ephron may have missed the gravy boat, but Meryl Streep makes Julie & Julia a delightful epicurean ride. Streep–who scored Critics’ Choice ( in a rare tie with Sandra Bullock) and Golden Globe Awards last weekend,and may well be headed for her third Oscar– magically transforms herself into the awkwardly lovable Julia Child, embodying her every mannerism, her voice, her height. Had Ephron chopped off the Julie half of the film, she could have cooked up a truly delicious bio-pic of the celebrated chef, and maybe scored a few awards herself.
Sharing a place at Julia’s table in Paris in the early 1950′s is so inviting; watching her eat up the food, the people, the very romantic city itself is simply delectable. Unfortunately, our five star tour takes jarring 2002 detours to Julie Powell’s drab little apartment above a pizzeria in Queens. Julie( another journeyman performance by Amy Adams) is a frustrated writer who escapes her draining bureaucratic job by preparing Julia’s classic recipes.
Egged on by her adorable and saintly husband Julie vows to complete 500 plus recipes in a year’s time. And blog about it. She dives into the project with zeal and a grating ( and not in the yummy Pecorino Romano way) spoonful of kvetching, She complains to her husband, her mother, her far more successful friends. The trouble is: we’ve seen this sort of thing before. Hey, some of us have even lived it ( well, maybe not the part about the 500 recipes). The book upon which this half of the movie is based–which is supposedly based on a true story–may well be funny and heartfelt. But on the screen it just doesn’t make for a very satisfying meal.
Every time Julie drops a duck breast or laments lassoing a live lobster, I yearn to be back in Paris where Julia is dazzling her classmates at the Cordon Bleu,while circumventing the snarky woman who runs the school; making demo dinners for a her sweet hubby( the always winning Stanley Tucci) or meeting the quirky characters who will become her cookbook collaborators.
There are so many exotic flavors, so many juicy details in the Julia Child story. Yet Ephron–hellbent on making a movie about the power of happy matrimony(she does dole out a smattering of sweet and savory love scenes)– offers only a morsel here, a nibble there. We know Julia’s husband, Paul is a diplomat, but his exact position remains elusive. At one point he is summoned to Washington where he’s subjected to a grilling from Sen. McCarthy’s henchmen and in short order is assigned to one less glamorous outpost after another. There is Julia’s contentious relationship with her staunchly Republican father and an amusing visit with her equally off-beat and enthusiastic sister(a nice turn by Jane Lynch). All these intriguing ingredients add up to little more than an amuse bouche. After all, there’s simply no time, when we’ve got to get back to Queens to watch Julie angsting over aspics and blubbering over burnt Boeuf Bourguignon
I’m sure another filmmaker will be tempted to dish out a five course, five star banquet–one that captures the richly textured layers of Julia Child’s fascinating life. And the service might be faster than you think. Remember those two brilliant Truman Capote movies a few years back? Capote–which came out first–garnered most of the attention and accolades including an Oscar for Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Toby Jones’ Infamous–lighter and more spot-on was quickly relegated to DVD and is certainly worth adding to your NetFlix list. Sad to say, but Meryl Streep’s not likely to be clanking around Julia’s kitchen again. Maybe Emma Thompson could sink her teeth into the role. Or Joan Cusak.(Don’t bother auditioning, Dan Aykroyd; you had your shot on SNL).
In the meantime, if you want to indulge in a foodie movie that will make your mouth water at both the menu and the characters, check out Big Night, the 1996 nugget about two Italian immigrant brothers trying to make a go of the restaurant biz while preparing for a visit from crooner Louis Prima in the 1950′s. Come to think of it, this one was co-written and directed (along with Campbell Scott)by Stanley Tucci, who also starred as one of the brothers. I sense a party game: 360 degrees ( for 2 hours and 14 minutes) of Stanley Tucci.
A wafer thin confection, Julie and Julia – now out on DVD–is still worth the price of admission or rental thanks to Meryl Streep’s scrumptious performance. Just don’t expect a cinematic feast. What you’ll enjoy instead is a tasty snack. One that leaves you hungry for more. And less.
Another great job by a very talented writer – thank you Amy Beth for such an elegant review. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have another movie entirely about Julia – she was a very interesting character and Meryl Streep did a superb job in portraying her. I’ve seen the movie and would have loved to have seen more of Julia! How about it Amy – is there a screen play in your future??????
Streep was brilliant in this one–in fact, she “made” the the film.