Julie and Julia

Due to the fact that we could not for the life of us get a TV signal with our rabbitt ears, Kinsey and I had to break down and buy cable for our new apartment in Rochester. Just basic cable, mind you. Very basic. But the great thing is that we get six PBS stations. It might be a bit dorky, but we watch the crap out of these stations. Lydia's Italy, Barbecue University, Mexico One Plate at a Time, we eat these shows up (pun!).

So it goes without saying that we were definitely in the mood for a foodie movie when we went and saw Julie and Julia last night. Julie and Julia is a based on a book which is based on a blog written by Julie Powell. In said blog, Julie chronicles a year-long expedition of cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's landmark cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The movie spends half its time with Julie and her challenge and half its time with Julia Child coming into her desire to be a cook while in Paris in the 1950s.

The first thing that has to be said about this film is that Meryl Streep nails it once again as Julia Child. Not only does she nail the vocal tones and fluctuations and body movements, she takes it beyond mimicry and makes her "make-believe" Julia Child a full-fledged personality. Her interactions with Stanley Tucci (playing her husband) are subtle and fantastic. I was smiling every moment she was on-screen.

I wish I could say the same thing for the Julie part of the film. Not to take anything away from Amy Adams, who plays Julie, but her character is boring and self-absorbed. There's just no stakes, no conflict to really care about. With Julia, you have her attempt to break into a male-dominated profession, to break through a culture barrier, to rewrite the history of cooking. With Julie, you have burnt beef bourguignon and stupid fights with her husband. Frankly, I could have done without the Julie in Julie and Julia.

Wade: 3/5 stars
Kinsey: 4/5 stars