Julie & Julia...only semi-delicious

“Julie & Julia” is a film about two women and their joy of cooking, unfortunately one of the woman’s story is more interesting than the other, making it only entertaining for part of it, or maybe it’s better to say that you are left only half full.

The screenplay is adapted from two books, which gives the feeling of even more separation. First the autobiography of Julia Child, entitled My Life in France and the book based on a popular blog by Julie Powell called Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously (this is the paperback title given). Director and writer Nora Ephron has taken on an ambitious project by taking on two different stories while trying to connect and condense them into only one feature film.

We are introduced to Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams, amidst all her problems, which include her job, her living situation and her loving and supportive husband. None of this seems really that bad but she needs to put herself to some sort of task. She turns to cooking and proposes to cook her way through Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking while blogging about the experience. The parallel story follows the lovely Julia Child, played by Meryl Streep, as she discovers her love of cooking and follows her journey that brings her to writing and publishing one of the most famous cookbooks to date.

Streep is perfectly cast as Mrs. Child. She brings a buoyant fearlessness and joy to all of her passions within the film, whether it be food or her husband. Streep never holds back with the character, making you feel like you are given a glimpse into the world of Julia Child. Her husband, played by Stanley Tucci, compliments her nicely; physically Julia towers over him, but there is no sense of intimidation within their relationship, only love.

Adams is not given much of a character to develop. Powell is mousey and trying to find her own voice through Julia Child. You can tell that Powell truly loves food and cooking, but it is overshadowed by her need to figure out her own sense of identity. She doesn’t take pride or joy in what she has accomplished along the way, as she only looks towards a deadline.

But even the way the film is shot, Ephron seems to favor Julia’s story. The colors and costumes give a real sense of what France was to Julia. Her story takes her out of the kitchen, to the streets, to parties, to walks on the bank-to her everyday life. For Julie Powell, the contrast is so claustrophobic; she is stuck in a small apartment, with no real friends, slaving away in a kitchen.

This is not to say that there aren’t wonderful moments that happen for Powell. The audience can connect nicely with her, being that she is cooking in the modern kitchen. We get to laugh and watch as she tries out all of these different recipes. We all can relate to a fear of cooking live lobster and the scene about it will make you jump in your seat. But in contrast Child shows love for every recipe, it’s almost as if you can taste how good her food really is when she brings a spoon to her lips and smiles.

Perhaps the end title card sums it up the best. The film fades up and text comes to the screen explaining how influential Julia Child’s cookbook became and when she passed away. It then says that Julie’s blog was turned into movie…yes, I think we all realize that, we had just watched it. What a strange taste to be left with.

The contrast of the two stories seem like they could pair nicely, like a great wine and cheese-they could be delicious on their own, but when paired together, they bring new flavors to the palate. Unfortunately, one of the stories carries more weight in “Julie & Julia”, leaving you wanting one more than the other.