Julie & Julia short movie review
I ventured out for a rare trip to an actual movie theater today, to see Julie & Julia.
Since quite a bit has already been written about the parallel-lives plotline between Julia Child's years in Paris, and modern-day blogger Julie Powell's attempts to cook every recipe in Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I won't recap the plot. In fact, this more of a reaction piece than an attempt at a real review.
The Julia Child storyline, set in post-WWII Paris, was a delight, painting a portrait of a woman who managed to find joy in everything she did, even if it was just a trip to buy groceries at the market stalls in Paris. She's determined to squeeze every ounce of adventure and pleasure out of everything she does.
Julie Powell's storyline begins in the aftermath of the Sept 11th terrorist attacks. She's a customer service drone dealing with insurance claims filed by survivors, rescue workers, and the next-of-kin of the victims. It's a dismal, emotionally-draining job, and she's looking for something creative to do that will give her some much-needed balance.
I've seen a number of reviews that describe why Julie Powell's storyline is less engaging than Julia Child's, and have seen Julie described as whiny and self-absorbed. Which is she is.
But, after doing some thinking about the film, I realized the main thing about the Julie character that made her less interesting to me as a character...whenever she's faced with adversity or any kind of challenge, her first reaction is "No, I can't do this! It's too hard!" and then, once she stomped her feet and angsted about how impossible it all is, she lets her friends and husband talk her into trying it, anyway.
By contrast, Julia plunges right into her challenges with a gleeful, "I'll try this and see what happens" attitude and then proceeds to enjoy the hell out of whatever is thrown her way. Her husband, who's madly in love with her, is very supportive of her efforts, but it's Julia's forthright energy and approach to life which makes her scenes very appealing. (Also, Meryl Streep kicks ass as Julia Child.)
There's a very telling scene, early on in the film, when Julia enrolls in a cooking class aimed at aspiring professionals...all men. The first day, she fails miserably at chopping onions. So, she buys a sack of onions and practices until she can chop them faster than any of her fellow students. It made her much more simpatico to me.
Since quite a bit has already been written about the parallel-lives plotline between Julia Child's years in Paris, and modern-day blogger Julie Powell's attempts to cook every recipe in Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I won't recap the plot. In fact, this more of a reaction piece than an attempt at a real review.
The Julia Child storyline, set in post-WWII Paris, was a delight, painting a portrait of a woman who managed to find joy in everything she did, even if it was just a trip to buy groceries at the market stalls in Paris. She's determined to squeeze every ounce of adventure and pleasure out of everything she does.
Julie Powell's storyline begins in the aftermath of the Sept 11th terrorist attacks. She's a customer service drone dealing with insurance claims filed by survivors, rescue workers, and the next-of-kin of the victims. It's a dismal, emotionally-draining job, and she's looking for something creative to do that will give her some much-needed balance.
I've seen a number of reviews that describe why Julie Powell's storyline is less engaging than Julia Child's, and have seen Julie described as whiny and self-absorbed. Which is she is.
But, after doing some thinking about the film, I realized the main thing about the Julie character that made her less interesting to me as a character...whenever she's faced with adversity or any kind of challenge, her first reaction is "No, I can't do this! It's too hard!" and then, once she stomped her feet and angsted about how impossible it all is, she lets her friends and husband talk her into trying it, anyway.
By contrast, Julia plunges right into her challenges with a gleeful, "I'll try this and see what happens" attitude and then proceeds to enjoy the hell out of whatever is thrown her way. Her husband, who's madly in love with her, is very supportive of her efforts, but it's Julia's forthright energy and approach to life which makes her scenes very appealing. (Also, Meryl Streep kicks ass as Julia Child.)
There's a very telling scene, early on in the film, when Julia enrolls in a cooking class aimed at aspiring professionals...all men. The first day, she fails miserably at chopping onions. So, she buys a sack of onions and practices until she can chop them faster than any of her fellow students. It made her much more simpatico to me.