If you didn't have these two cookbooks or this movie poster in your possession before this weekend don't expect to find them on the cheap now. You can thank this weekend's opening of the movie Julie & Julia. What's that? You're still stuck in your Y2K bunker eating Spam and have not a clue as to what I'm talking about? Nora Ephron's killing of two birds with one stone effort, combining the memoirs of Julia Child and Julie Powell into one hurky jerky movie. I went, I saw, I say eh. Should you go see it? If you love food, Julia Child, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Jane Lynch, Paris, and well styled food in movies, sure, especially if you're fed up with movies that blow crap up but frankly I'd go during the matinee, screw full price. Here's my main beef (or Beef Bourguignon if you prefer) why not just a movie about Julia? Does Hollywood believe that Julia's life wasn't interesting enough to warrant her own movie? That the only way audiences would come if it was paired up with a foodie blogger's brief exploration of Julia's cookbook? Apparently the answer is yes and that just sucks. So I suggest you go over to PBS and watch some of her
original shows or try to find the book My Life In France and enjoy Julia straight up.
As for the other half of the movie? A bored NY cubicle wonk who enjoys cooking spends a year cooking all the recipes in Julia's seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blogs about it. If you enjoys narcissism and temper tantrums, then you will especially enjoy that part of the movie. Me, not so much. I've never read her original blog, her subsequent blog or her book and this movie does not inspire me in the least to read her book. What is sad is that while the movie Julie professes much love for her long suffering husband, in real life she apparently has an affair. So much for him being the butter on her bread. It only leaves me wanting more of Julia and her Paris pals.
If you didn't have these two cookbooks or this movie poster in your possession before this weekend don't expect to find them on the cheap now. You can thank this weekend's opening of the movie Julie & Julia. What's that? You're still stuck in your Y2K bunker eating Spam and have not a clue as to what I'm talking about? Nora Ephron's killing of two birds with one stone effort, combining the memoirs of Julia Child and Julie Powell into one hurky jerky movie. I went, I saw, I say eh. Should you go see it? If you love food, Julia Child, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Jane Lynch, Paris, and well styled food in movies, sure, especially if you're fed up with movies that blow crap up but frankly I'd go during the matinee, screw full price. Here's my main beef (or Beef Bourguignon if you prefer) why not just a movie about Julia? Does Hollywood believe that Julia's life wasn't interesting enough to warrant her own movie? That the only way audiences would come if it was paired up with a foodie blogger's brief exploration of Julia's cookbook? Apparently the answer is yes and that just sucks. So I suggest you go over to PBS and watch some of her original shows or try to find the book My Life In France and enjoy Julia straight up.
As for the other half of the movie? A bored NY cubicle wonk who enjoys cooking spends a year cooking all the recipes in Julia's seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blogs about it. If you enjoys narcissism and temper tantrums, then you will especially enjoy that part of the movie. Me, not so much. I've never read her original blog, her subsequent blog or her book and this movie does not inspire me in the least to read her book. What is sad is that while the movie Julie professes much love for her long suffering husband, in real life she apparently has an affair. So much for him being the butter on her bread. It only leaves me wanting more of Julia and her Paris pals.
16 comments:
Owned both the books since I was a toddler in heels, nope to the poster but wish I did (you do, I bet!), and agree with you totally that the movie should have been 100 percent ALL ABOUT one of the most fabulous people not only to ever wave a spatula, but also to breathe. Sheesh. So, yeah. Thanks for the heads up. Exactly what I was expecting, but I'm going to see it anyway next Friday on date night, followed by a fabulous meal.
Moi I do have to say, the vintage Paris shoes and copper pots are cool.
Heh, fine review Shamu.
I seen Nora and Meryl on the Charlie Rose Show last night-they showed clips from the movie, and the girls chatted each other up like best pals--how artistic it all was, but I did think their emphasis was on Julia.
I'se goin' ter see it--exactly fer the reason ya gave--Paris location--and Stanley can be a hoot.
I have both books, plus the VOl 2 of Art of French Cooking (The JOY a wedding gift, ART a gift to myself. An' both is appropriately splattered wif years of workin' mah own way through 'em. Simca's Cuisine too.
To this day I cannot make soup with any stock other than what I make-- Julia intimidated me.
But please heaven, if they make a movie from MFK Fisher's life, let it be fer us purists--what a character! Thar' ain't nothin' like her The Art of Eating--and her description of France an her own discovery of real food--Incomparable!
I hope you guys either blog about how you liked the movie or come back here and let us know. I guess half a movie is better than 10 movies about blowing crap up.
Jane! Lynch! Just sayin.
I own none of the three things pictured, but I MUST. HAVE. the poster. Holy tomato water!
OK so this one I'll Netflix. I loved Julia Child, but not interested in bloggers other than myself and the few I deign to grace with My Presence. Ha!
Nora Ephron is pretty good at what she does and I really want to see how she brings these two characters together and why.
Money.
I'm hoping the movie will be better than the book!
I read as much as I could tolerate. Julie Powell is as hard to stomach as Julia Child was delicious.
Lez, you are a better woman than I but if nothing else I think you'll enjoy Jane Lynch as Julia Child's sister.
The latest issue of Harper's Bazaar contains a beside-the-point, bordering-on-insulting, piece by Julie Powell on how the "fashion-challenged" Child nonetheless had oodles of style. Where the heck fire do editors come up with this stupidity? I guess despite the movie, even Powell has to pay the mortgage.
Not smart for sure because now Julie gets to be examined under the hot laser for her own styling choices. Good luck with THAT Julie.
I've seen this movie advertised and I always liked Julia Child, but I have absolutely no idea who Julie Powell is. I even looked her up in Wikipedia and I still don't really know. I will watch it for what I anticipate will be some decent food porn, but I think I'm going to wait until this comes out on cable in a couple of months.
Don't know much about Julie-Blogger, but if you want to read a really good article then maybe you can go here. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?_r=1&scp=10&sq=julia%20child&st=cse
I heard an interview with Michael Pollan on NPR this afternoon that referenced this article. Thanks for linking it.
Shamu, when you mention the narcissitic Amy Adams character and "why do they need to add her instead of a movie on just Juila?," I thought the exact same thing (and commented that) when I saw the trailer first on Fabulon. The blogger seems so whiny and I'm sick and tired of people making a living/money/profit off of other people's talents while they have none of their own!
I watched a decent bio on Juilia on the Food Network once and really enjoyed it. I do remember watching her shows when I was little.
Husband offered to take me to see it on our date night but I'm waiting for DVD and Final Destination on the big screen, so I can really laugh my a$$ off!!!
I think you're smart to wait, then you can freeze frame on the food. You know I was thinking about it over the weekend and Julie Powell is much like the guy who wrote Marley and Me, working that one trick pony for all it's worth. Julie's had her run so I don't think we'll be seeing much from her in the future.
Unless The Food Network hires her. Because that's the way this crazy world work.
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