Julie and Julia

It would have been easy to dismiss 'Julie & Julia' as a film strictly for the ladies. It is probably a greater experience for those that are fans of Julia Child's as well as people who enjoy cooking, but for someone who knew very little about the the famous cook and her reputation and knows even less about cooking-I didn't expect to take much of a liking or to gain much from watching it. So, when Meryl Streep first appears on screen, i had no preconcieved notions that made me smile at the sight of this character-but after about five minutes it was hard not to completely love Streep's version of Child. She plays the woman with such an open heart and mind, a woman searching for her place in the world while knowing the one thing she really loves to do is eat, and what she enjoys eating most is French food. It would be easy to say this movie would have been better off strictly as a Julia Child film, especially with Streep in the role, but it is also likely if that was the case many would complain the character was too much for two straight hours. What Ephron has given us though is a film based on a book by Julie Powell, a young cubicle worker in, who, in 2002, cooked and blogged her way through Child's cookbook. Amy Adams is always adorable and there is no change here as she plays a woman that in some ways has a life that parallels her idols, but she also shows the audience this is a modern woman, who isn't always happy with her husband, her life situation or her friends. Powell gains a following as she blogs about her day to day cooking experiences and Ephron flows from one time period to the other very smoothly allowing for the two stories to unfold in a way in which they completely compliment one another. It is a light and cheerful film, one that breezes by for the first hour and a half, but drags slightly at the end. It must be noted that Ephron and her team do a wonderful job of staying consitent in keeping Streep's child the proper height throughout as well as giving major kudos to the two men playing the husbands; both Stanley Tucci and Chris Messina equal there other halfs on screen and give these women an anchor in which they really believe they can achieve their goals. It was also a nice treat to see Jane Lynch here, but in the end, as always, the real treat is Meryl Streep who turns in a wonderful performance that will surely not be forgotten by the time awards season rolls around.