Review of Julie & Julia (2009) by Johnny T — 13 Aug 2011

Even if you don't give a shiitake mushroom about food, there's much to savor in this lively comedy with dramatic aftertastes. You know the feeling you get when you make a meal of two mildly savory appetizers that don't quite go together, and you leave you wishing you'd eaten one hefty entrée? That's Julie & Julia. Half an hour later, I wanted to watch another movie. The marriage of these two tales, however, should have ended in divorce court. The movie could have used a few more scenes focusing on Child at work in the kitchen -- a few more scenes with Child doing anything, really. Julie & Julia is not lacking in entertainment value, especially with the Streep performance. But if the men had been portrayed as more high-spirited, it might have taken on intriguing dimensions.

VERDICT: "Matinée" - (Mixed reaction). These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says to pay matinée prices to see at a theatre, buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own.