Monday, October 26, 2009

JULIE AND JULIA

Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina


"Passion. Ambition. Butter.
Do you have what it takes?"


Cinema 1, Shang Cineplex



The numerous reviews on this film came with a specific warning - watch it on a full stomach. Well, I just had lunch and the 'free' ticket (the Citibank reel promo) came with a meal coupon which entitled me to free popcorn and soft drinks so my stomach was indeed full. But the recipes shown in the film had so much butter, eggs and unhealthy ingredients - it made me lose my appetite. Heh!

Nonetheless, I applaud the film for showcasing the lives of two extraordinary women and the men who supported them through thick and thin. Julia Child was a pioneer in the food industry. She met a lot of hurdles and obstacles since back then it was a field dominated by men. Yet she persevered at it and through the unwavering support of her diplomat husband Paul, she became a connoisseur in the culinary world. Meryl Streep was excellent as Julia Child. Her cheery disposition, her accent even her appearance was totally credible. I especially like how the film portrayed Paul and Julia's relationship. I admire them for having such a healthy and solid marriage despite being childless. Being a former diplobrat, I could easily relate to Paul's (Stanley Tucci) apprehensions at being relocated to another posting in his career. It can really be quite stressful when you keep changing residences every few years.

Julie Powell's task to cook Julia Child's 500+ recipes from her groundbreaking cook book in a year's time while documenting the whole process in her blog was ambitiously daunting! But she succeeded and got a book (published) and a movie out of her project. I figure Amy Adams was rather subdued in her portrayal of the blogger because if you read her interesting blog, she does come across as being quite feisty especially in her 'flowery' language. Yet again as in the case of Julia, Julie had the loving support of her kind husband Eric who pushed her to continue her project whenever she felt like giving up.

The film was fun to watch as it juxtaposed the stories of both women alternately. They showed scenes from different locations (Paris and New York) and different time frames but the editing was quite good. An interesting scene is where they showed both Julia and Julia in different time zones. Julia was whisking away manually while Julie was using a blender. Then you see Julia using a manual typewriter to record her recipes (with carbon paper to boot!) while Julie was blogging her entry on her computer keyboard.

The movie had a good cast and a plot filled with humor, drama and romance. Plus it was a visual feast of gastronomic delights so you won't be disappointed ... maybe just get hungry!

2 comments:

docemdy said...

I got hungry even if I ate a full meal at Pepper Lunch. Ha ha.

D@phneL@ur@ said...

Em Dy I know! hehe :D