Review of Julie & Julia (2009) by Tony H — 30 Oct 2018

I am not fond of cooking and spending time looking for new recipes. However, I like watching others cook with a broad smile and explain how to stuff the chicken with rice or vegetables. One film has got my attention recently. It is comedy-drama film Julie & Julia directed and written by Nora Ephron. This film is based on the book of the same name. The humour is one of the driving forces of the film. This kind of film attracts me and makes me understand that it is a "touch of reality" in some ways. From the first scene of the film, you can put yourself in the characters' shoes and get over all events with them.

This film develops a story of two women of different ages and lives' histories, but there is one thing uniting them is the gastronomy. The first woman is Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a government employee who lives in the apartment with her husband above a pizza parlour. She is not successful in her career, unlike her friends. She also tries to write and publish her book; however, no publishing house agrees. So, Julia decides to start a cookery blog and cook 524 recipes for 365 days in legendary chef Julia Child's book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". The second woman is the great author of this book, Julia Child (Meryl Streep). Through trial and error, she fights to preserve her vision for a cookbook and defines her legacy. Their histories are deeply intertwined and develop in parallel, one by one. In my feelings, it is difficult to follow the evolution of events and understand the connection. When I watched the film, I turned my mind to a suggestion how they linked. It deflected my attention.

Soft music creates a certain atmosphere and doesn't distract your attention from the main plot. The stage sets are well designed, every scene is full of things that make it alive and bright.

I need to say that one moment misleads me. The scene in which Julia flops on her bed, lamenting "Julia hates me!" makes me believe the director with some small degree of insight and artistry because that idea stays undeveloped to me. It means that Julie doesn't deserve Julia's admiration for her cooking marathon. So, what is next? I can only develop this author's idea by myself. I guess she doesn't get a confession of one of the most important people for her.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes melodramatic, motivational and funny stories. It floats along affably, plasters a broad smile upon your face that doesn't leave for the whole film. . It leaves a good impression and lifts spirits for the rest of the day.