Tonight we went to the movies. It's been a while, actually, since we went last, and I was rather looking forward to it. Actually this was the second time we'd attempted to go to see this particular movie - the first attempt being derailed by a rather tragic hair-related debacle. So tonight, hair straightened into submission, off we set for dinner and a movie. But this was not just any movie; this was Julie and Julia - a film I've been dying to see since I first heard the story had been made into a movie.
So, the premise (in case you don't know it, but I'm sure that any foodies would be hard pressed not to have heard of it at the very least in the lead up to the film's release), is that government secretary Julie Powell decides to give her life meaning by cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (MATFC) by Julia Child in one year. She blogs about it along the way and in the end the Project became so popular that a book deal was signed (Julie/Julia - read it - it's hilarious!)
The movie takes Julie's story and splices it with that of Julia Child, based on a new biography chronicling the writing of Child's seminal cookbook. And the movie is wonderful. Actually no, the movie is lovely. Meryl Streep can't help but steal the show - she's over-the-top perfection in every joyous and heartbreaking moment (much as I imagine Julia Child was). The food is gorgeous and the film is definitely lovely. The problem for me is that the book (Julie/Julia, not MATFC) is not lovely. It's crass, delicious, smart and laugh out loud funny, but not lovely. And that's why I love it - it's why I've read it about 3 or 4 times. Julie Powell has disasters and dramas and her tales of woe (as well as being snortingly funny) are what then make her triumphs over the art of French cooking such a joy to read. I really don't think the movie was true to Julie, but for all that, it is a lovely flick and definitely worth an evening. You'll fall in love with Meryl/Julia.
A note though. Don't take your poor lad with you - he will find himself in a tiny minority amongst a majority of middle aged/elderly women! Poor boy. And then to top the evening off, your car will be hit from behind at an intersection on the way home leaving him fuming and you nursing a whip-lashed neck.
French food for us tonight I think! Bon Appetit!
Oh no! Really, you got hit by a car on the way home? Hope you're both okay - and the car?
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the movie. Actually, I think I heard someone else, a fellow fan of the book, say the same thing about it cleaning up Julie's story. I really want to try and read the book first before I see it...
Yeah, car is fine as are we (me thanks to immediately taking neurofen and applying a hot water bottle to my neck when I got home...I've had 2 really serious cases of whiplash in the past so it doesn't take much to make it flare up again).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not just me who thinks that about Julie's story. The Julie portrayed in the movie is lovely, and certainly very likeable, she's just not Julie Powell. They also really condensed the whole cookbook marathon story, so certain scenes of meltdown seemed massive over-reactions, when in the book you get a much better sense of the stress of it all. But I'd expected something of the sort so it wasn't a shock or anything.
I hope you find a copy of the book. I'd send you mine but it's currently in Greece for the second time this month! (two friends, two different holidays to Greece. Sad that my book gets to go and I don't!)
I actually really want to read the Julia Child bio now...
I saw the film with Mum and Paul the other night and we all loved it. I found it funny, charming and engaging. Meryl was simply wonderful - what a breathe-of-fresh-air Julia Child seemed to be. Having still not read the book, I could nevertheless appreciate what you had to say about them Julie's story. I would have appreciated a crasser, louder, smarter and funnier version to contrast more starkly with the Julia-storyline (which was definitely the more compelling although I don't think it should have been). I am still determined to read it. Mum went straight out to buy the Julia Child cookbook!
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's brilliant, good on her! I hope she enjoys the recipes! I should really buy the book actually. It and the Julia Child bio are on my to-get list!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the film - Meryl was fabulous, wasn't she?! Julia just seems like she would have been wonderfully fun to know.
I'm definitely keen to hear what you think if/when you read the book - hopefully you'll find Julie's real version of events just as engaging as the film...!
(glad Paul liked it too! So did Andrew, although since he doesn't really cook, I don't think it resonated quite the same way for him)