Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia has a clever narrative structure. How America’s most famous chef, Julia Child, came to write her first cook book is intertwined with contemporary blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 attempt to cook all the recipes in that book. Writer/director Nora Ephron is a veteran when it comes to “chick flicks”. Her dialogues are sharp and funny and she knows to grab the audience’s hearts. The movie is really a love story between Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) and her husband, Paul (played by Stanley Tucci). Streep and Tucci are perfect in their roles and despite the fact that Streep is 11 years senior of Tucci, it is actually believable to see Tucci playing someone 10 years older than Streep’s character. I am not a big fan of Streep in general, but have to admit that she has captured the essence of Julia Child in this movie. It is just a pleasure to watch her performance. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Julie Powell part of the film. It is not Ephron or actress Amy Adams’ fault. Julie Powell is simply a whining, boring presence who is a by-product of our current internet age. I wish the entire film were dedicated to Julia Child, however, even with only half serving of Julia Child, Julie & Julia is still a piece of top gourmet food.