Read our Julie & Julia review. Food lovers and incurable romantics won't be disappointed by the new Meryl Streep film. Plus watch an exclusive clip.
Julie & Julia
Stars Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci
Foodies, bloggers – indeed, anyone with tastebuds and a heart – will have their cockles warmed by this charming film from Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally) that intertwines two real life stories; that of legendary American TV personality Julia Child (Meryl Streep), and writer Julie Powell (Amy Adams, featured here with her on-screen husband) who cooked, then blogged, all 524 recipes from Child's influential tome Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
At first, Julia’s privileged post-war life in Paris, as wife of an US Foreign Service employee, seems starkly disparate to Julie’s, a frustrated writer living above a pizza shop in post-9-11 New York. Julie, by contrast, leads a discontented life, married to a compassionate man but dismissed by high-flying friends whose disapproval of Julie tucking into breadsticks at lunch signifies a cold disdain for eating that denotes a distinct lack of feeling.
Half a century earlier, the unique Julia (6’2” in her stocking feet) is also dissatisfied; happily married but childless, she’s limited by the chauvinistic traditions of the age, and has to fight to be allowed to study at the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school.
As the film progresses the women’s lives run parallel as they both find a release and self-fulfilment in cooking. Funny, romantic and beautifully shot, it’s as much about how empowering a strong marriage is as it is about the restorative power of food. With a charismatic cast and sensuous food scenes (warning: eat before you watch), Julie & Julia is a life-affirming reminder to follow your passions that’s set to become a food lover’s movie classic. Julie & Julia official website
Read Julie Powell's Hungry Traveller feature about NYC
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