Julie & Julia (2009)

To quote a line from the script: utter bliss. Like many children of the 60s (and the 50s), I had been looking forward to this tale of Julia Child's becoming the famous cookbook author interspersed with Julie Powell's memoir of tackling 524 recipes in 365 days for at least 5 reasons.

1. I've read much of the book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and eaten many of the dishes, though the only thing I ever made myself was the creamed mushrooms (they were divine). Maybe I tried to make the boeuf bourguignon once, too (or, as Garrison Keillor would say, "berf"). I want to try it now. Or maybe someone will make it for me? And I ate the vichyssoise many times in my teens and wish someone would make that for me too!

2. I watched Julia's cooking show from time to time, as well as the Saturday Night Live parodies and they were great.

3. Meryl Streep as Julia Child? Genius (who else could do that voice? And Streep has it pitch perfect).

4. Written and directed by Nora Ephron (This is My Life (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), more in a minute)? Also genius.

5. I happen to enjoy Amy Adams, in this and everything else (her film debut was as one of the contestants in the beauty pageant in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), she was nominated for Junebug (2005) and Doubt (also playing opposite Streep), and, as I've written, I liked Enchanted, though it was syrupy, and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which had detractors, and Sunshine Cleaning, and Adams was one of the few redeeming parts of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian).

Reading through Streep's credits it's hard to pick my favorites. When I was in film school in 1982, Streep chose The Deer Hunter (1978) for us to see before she appeared to speak (Sophie's Choice, one of her first accented roles, was released later that year). Heartburn (1986), Streep starring in Ephron's directing of her own screenplay of her own novel's thinly veiled story of her own breakup with Carl Bernstein, was great fun. Streep did another accent as Ethel Rosenberg in the fabulous PBS miniseries Angels in America (2003), a similar one in Prime (2005), and modulated her voice beautifully in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Doubt.

Stanley Tucci (some of my faves: the TV series Murder One (1995-96), Big Night, What Just Happened, and opposite Streep in Prada) was delightful as Paul Child, and their relationship was enviable, in stark contrast to Heartburn. Speaking of heartburn, it couldn't have been easy for the actors to eat so much on screen--they must have had barf, er, berf, bags handy between takes. Julie's husband Eric (Chris Messina, Away We Go, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Towelhead, and a tiny part in Ephron's You've Got Mail (1998)) chowing down the bruschetta was impressive. Also impressive were the clever uses of camera angles, hidden platform shoes, and more (this wonderful behind-the-scenes article is so long, even I haven't read the whole thing, because I'm on deadline tonight, so I can't vouch for its spoiler-free status) to make the 5'6" Streep look like she was 6'2". Which they did. The set design and the music contributed to make the whole thing a delicious experience. You won't be surprised to learn I am adding it to my food movie list, which I'm going to move up to August.

Update: As I predicted, but forgot to write before, Mastering the Art of French of Cooking is enjoying a resurgence of sales. The Charlie Rose episode with Ephron and Streep is now available online.