"Julie and Julia" is a sweet confection (3.75/5)

"Julia and Julia"

"Julie and Julia", a film detailing the life of Julie Powell (Amy Adams) as she tries to cook her way through Julia Child's first cookbook. As Julie Powell cooks her way to a self fulfilling state of triumph, we get a parrallel story focusing on Julia Child herself as she too is working her way to some sense of self worth.

With the film being broken into two, similar stories, one detailing Julie Powell post 9/11 and one detailing Julia Child in Europe post World War II, I was fearful one story would overpower the other. For the most part my fears were qualmed, but I must admit my interest was far more invested in the Julia Child half of the story. Much of this can be attributed to the drama that came through, more specifically Julia's battle to gain recognition in the kitchen, but also because of Meryl Streep's brilliant and vibrant performance. Although not the perfect imitation, Streep is able to adequately capture the many ticks of Julia Child from her high pitch, nasaly voice to her simple zest for love and cooking. She is simply the life of the film. Of course, additional credit must be given to Stanley Tucci who plays Julia's supportive husband Paul. Tucci is excellent in his role, as he and Streep create an authentic and endearing relationship on screen that is hard to resist.

On the other end of the time spectrum, the one concerning Julie Powell, things aren't nearly as interesting or moving, but Amy Adams does a fine enough job for the audience to have some sympathy for her character's plight. Her relationship with her boyfriend (played by Chris Messina) isn't nearly as involving as the one between Julia and Paul Child, but its serviceable enough to feel the highs and lows in their relationship as Julie frantically cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook. Of course, the chemistry between Amy Adams and Chris Messina isn't nearly as good as Tucci and Streep, but there's an honesty in their portrayals that is sweet and tender. So, with peformances aside, one of the bigger faults of Julie Powell's story is that the drama itself is non-existant or if there is any, its solved relatively quick and easy. When placed against the trials of Julia Child, Julie Powell's problems just don't really seem that big of a deal.

This is not to say the film should be over dramatic, but when a film has two seperate stories that don't weigh equally in the dramatic department, the film itself can become stilted thus creating an uneven interest. Yet, despite all of this and the rather hum-drum story of Julie Powell, "Julie and Julia" is still a fun, lightweight film that can inspire some, even if much of it rests on the shoulder of the magnificent team of Tucci and Streep.