JULIE & JULIA- Page 2

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/10/09 at 11:53pm

Absolutely. Granted, with just a few expressions from Streep's face, you got 6 hours of exposition. That's just how she rolls. Ya know?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/11/09 at 12:11am

True dat Jerby! She's so so exquisite. I miss you Jerby!!! :)

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/11/09 at 12:44pm

Miss you, too!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/11/09 at 1:04pm

That was the one moment when Meryl went beyond doing a smart and skillful imitation and did what Meryl Streep does so brilliantly: lend a vulnerability and humanity to the characters she plays.

There's always one moment like that in a Meryl Streep movie, when she goes beyond her enormous technical skills and makes you feel the character's pain.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/11/09 at 2:06pm

Joey, I think that moment in The Devil Wears Prada is when Streep is in her hotel room with Anne Hathaway, with no make-up on and she is just listless and blue, and you just get the heaviness of the sadness that is Miranda Priestley. Its such a small human moment in a film with such a mannered comedic performance.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 1:26am

I'm gonna echo Borstal here. The Julia parts were fantastic. The Julie parts bored me. And, while it worked as a framing device, the juxtoposition of Julie and Julia made Julie that much more...lame.

I think the big thing is, Julie was totally unsympathetic and made me just go "GET OVER YOURSELF." I can not fathom why her husband would come back just because of the blog post, and in real life Julie has an affair, which is chronicled in her next book...which makes me like her even less.

And then *SPOILER ALERT* the fact that Childs never met Julie, and supposedly didn't read the blog pissed me off. Followed by what could have been a really striking moment where we saw Julie turn into a human, was wasted on bed flopping and a very lame speech from the husband. It felt like a cop out.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 3:15am

*Spoilers Throughout*

I also saw this movie today (finally...and now the countdown begins for the next Meryl Streep film, IT'S COMPLICATED). I have mixed feelings about it, really, but overall I thought it was a beautiful, very romantic, skillfully acted movie.
I'll start with the good. Meryl, Meryl, Meryl. What a performance! This is better than both of her 2008 performances (and how many actresses of Meryl's age get to headline three summer hit movies in four years? ). I agree with everyone that the one scene where she receives Dorothy's letter is heartbreaking, and worthy of an Oscar nod alone. Her love/sexual chemistry with Stanley Tucci is extraordinary, and they both are fascinating to watch. And kudos to Jane Lynch who sweetly matches Streep's Julia. Their scenes together were the highlight of the movie for me. I simply loved Child's story, the way it was narrated and the transitions between the two stories (though really when the film focused on Child, I completely forgot that the other story was going on until they cut back to Julie's story).
Amy Adams is okay but predictable, I think. But she's so likable that she manages to make Julie Powell less annoying than she could have been in the hands of a different actress, and she does have very sweet chemistry with Chris Messina.
Overall it's a good film that suffers from a not-as-good screenplay. Was the idea to make a movie about Julie Powell's blogging year? I didn't feel like there was a real conflict to Julie's story, and the fact that a lot of her scenes consist of her writing about her life, or whining about her life, etc, made her story not that interesting to me. I also found it a bit annoying that she had to write about how she did not deserve her husband in order for him to forgive her. I mean, really?
And the fact that Child and Powell NEVER come together even after they mention Child's own opinion on the blog keeps the movie from coming full circle. Yes, I realize it's chronicling Powell's story, but this is like someone cutting the fictional encounter between Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth in the play MARY STUART. The moment needs to be there and the fact that it isn't, truly hurts the film, IMO.
Still, despite its flaws, it's such a romantic movie, such a beautiful way of portraying Julia Child's journey to fame, and overall a great date film. I hope that the Academy doesn't forget Meryl come nomination time.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 11:11am

^ Agreed 100% about them not meeting. I felt *very* cheated.

However, I never felt the film to be romantic. I got that Julia and Paul were in love, but to me this was about as much a romantic comedy as Mr. Holland's Opus. They were in love, but it was not the central plot device, and it wasn't about falling love.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 12:43pm

I agree with Pal Joey about that particular Streep moment. In fact, in the first 15 minutes, I felt her performance was so full-tilt representational of the Childs idiosyncracies that Streep would not be able to sustain it for an entire film.

I should've known better.

This is not a caricature. She has the uncanny ability to start with the externals, employing technical trickery to suggest the traits we know, love, and laugh at. And then, without ever dropping those "tricks" (and I don't mean the word in a pejorative sense), she burrows deeper underneath them, as the inner life slips out incrementally. Sometimes it's in comic moments, sometimes in romantic ones (the loving relationship with Tucci provides rich opportunities for displays of love and sexuality) ... and sad ones. Who knew that Julia Childs was so dimensional? Let me rephrase: Of course we knew that, that the woman was more than the TV figure -- but who knew she could be played so vividly and earnestly with so many layers?

Sometimes, I wonder about how Streep would play prior roles now. One of her most ambitious performances -- Helen in IRONWEED -- was marred only by Streep's age. (At the time, I thought her decades too young, that the role a perfect one for Cloris Leachman. And still think she was closer to the character in the Kennedy book.) If Streep were to take on Helen today -- well, I can only imagine the extra layers. I just found the DVD of IRONWEED -- didn't know it was around -- and plan on watching it this week. Perhaps I'll eat these words. When I think of the "He's Me Pal!" sequence, I still get pretty farklempt.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 7:20pm

For me, I felt the juxtaposition of the Julie and Julia scenes made Streep's accomplishment seem all the more remarkable. It worked for me more than most people are reporting. Back when I first heard Streep was going to be doing a Child film I thought, well, another perfectly rendered portrayal, hand her her Oscar yaddah yaddah. Then I heard about the blog component and thought, oh, I don't even need to see that, which was amplified with the Ephron factor.

Then I heard Tooch was playing Julia's husband and I said, "Okay, all right, I'll go."

I think the Julie scenes were a nice balance and broke up what could have been a standard Oscar-bait biopic in a new and creative way. Plus, I was not expecting the gravitas that came with Julie's day job. That, too, was a nice surprise.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 8:19pm

Agree completely (See earlier posts which support your POV.) Wihtout the Julie scenes, the film might've been a bit too PBS-ish, you know, just so good for you. Like vegetables.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 10:54pm

You mean, like vegetables...braised in butter and a NICE WHITE BURGUNDY.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/16/09 at 11:45pm

I agree with what most everyone else is saying.

But it cannot be said enough that Stanley Tucci elevates everything he is in, even scenes with Meryl Streep which do not need to be elevated. Love him, love her and adored them in this film together.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 5:41am

and how many actresses of Meryl's age get to headline three summer hit movies in four years?

She's become the queen of summer counter-programming. For everyone who doesn't want to watch G.I. Joe, there's a movie with her in it as an alternative.

I can't say I liked the Julie scenes as much as the glorious Julia ones - Amy Adams seemed tamped down somehow. But man, being stuck and purposeless and tight on money? I get that.

I'm a few years younger than Julie, so I probably haven't reached her level of ennui, but the scene where she sat there while all her college friends yakked about their high-powered jobs really made me uncomfortable, since these days I'm constantly surrounded by the Future Corporate Lawyers of America, and that's not a path I'll be following. And there's something charming about her decision to follow the Tao of Julia - in the film, at least, it came off as the sweetest kind of celebrity worship.

As long as we're praising overlooked supporting performances, how about Jane Lynch? Lately I've loved her in everything I've seen her in, from this to Party Down and Glee. Her explosion of gawkiness at the train station was really something to behold.

Anyway, in the end, this was a good rather than great movie, but it made me want to take out my parents' well-worn copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and go for it, despite never having cooked French food before. And how refreshing is it to see a movie with female leads that's not about their rapacious desire for shoes, men, or some combination of the two? That kind of thing shouldn't be nearly as rare as it is.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 12:25pm

Jane Lynch is briliant. Role Models is completely worth Netflixing just for her performance. She always makes me laugh.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 4:42pm

I was surprised at the performance of Jane Lynch. During the movie, I kept wondering where I knew her from. When I got home and looked her up, I was surprised I had seen her in Glee. What a great actress.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 5:42pm

I thought Efron contrasted Child's love of France with Julia's loathing of Queens beautifully. While Julie enveloped herself in France, modern Julia secluded herself. I thought the 911 stuff was some of the most subtle, interesting commentary on the tragedy in a film thus far. And yes, Lynch is wonderful though I often found her scenes unnecessary even when wildly entertaining. Tucci was also superb and his chemistry with Streep was palpable. As was Adams' chemistry with her husband (sorry, don't know his name). It's Efron's best work to date. Smart, sexy, loving, warm, and complex.

Check out Lynch in Best in Show. She nearly steals the whole movie together with Jennifer Coolidge.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 6:04pm

Bobby, I really enjoyed the contrast between France and Brooklyn too. I think the Lynch scenes were there mostly to give a glimpse of Julia's American life and family, but also to set up that brilliant acting moment for Meryl Streep when she finds out her sister is pregnant. She set her up with her husband, she saw her get married, and now she has the baby Child couldn't have. Also, it's heart-breaking because we know, and we have seen, how much she loves her sister, but how sad it is for her to get this news. The Lynch segment was my favorite in the film.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 6:08pm

Lynch in the Guest films is a gift that keeps on giving.

"And also rewards" to Jennifer C. Priceless.

"I guess you know who I am." "I do and I don't" (Harlan)

She's perfection. And in MIGHTY WIND, watch her wink, Palin-style, as she explains "a particular act" she was famous for in her early porn days.

From 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN to all her sicome work, there is NOTHING she cannot do.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/18/09 at 7:17pm

I really think this film will look better with age. The initial disappointment that people had ("Love Julia, hate Julie") was based on a disappointment that the movie was something Ephron NEVER intended it to be: a Julia Child bio-pic starring Meryl Streep.

As time goes by, the film will be appreciated for the insight each story sheds on the other...and for a half-dozen or so wonderful performances.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/20/09 at 5:33pm

I've now seen the film twice and I still don't understand the dislike of Julie, or Amy in the role.

[landryjames2]

Posted: 8/25/09 at 2:17pm

I just saw the movie and loved every moment. I won't write too much as basically I agree with everything that Paljoey and Auggie wrote above in regards to the relation of the Julie story to the Julia story.

I will say that I am glad Julie and Julia did not meet in the movie as they never did meet in real life. And those who think Julie is a whiner--maybe so, but aren't most of us on some level? Thus I found the Julie segments so very realistic. All we can do as human beings is try to make life a little better one day at a time by setting goals. That is why I admire Julie--she set a goal and accomplished it.

Anyway, here is an interview with the Real Julie Powell. I found her just fine, and actually liked her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7R-O5Aj6n8

EDIT: Just to say that I have never read Julie's blog or book so my opinions above are really more in regards to the movie and the interview I posted. I will say that many comments and reviews on line about the book "scare" me a bit of what the book might have in store...but I'll read it to generate my own opinion.
Updated On: 8/25/09 at 02:17 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/25/09 at 3:28pm

While I know that the real Julie and Julia didn't meet in real life, it still felt anti-climatic to me (and some people agree) in terms of the narrative. I get the script was just being accurate, and that them meeting is not the point of the movie, but I didn't think teasing the audience with the possibility of a meeting between the two was a smart move.
Also, very random but what happened to the two other women that were collaborating with Julia Child? They just never mention them again, and it seemed like one of them did work on the cookbook with her (or that's the impression I got from the movie, I've never read/seen the actual book before).

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/25/09 at 3:43pm

You know, Ray, sometimes life IS anti-climactic. The catharsis you're hoping for somehow never comes: love affairs end, friends grow distant, people die, careers fizzle.

It would have been wonderful if Julie had blogged her blog, published her book and been summoned to a gratifying meeting with Julia Child. If the real Julie were to judge her experiment based on that, she would always feel like a failure.

But if you judge yourself on how you succeed at the task you set for yourself--and just that task itself--you can build a sense of achievement and personal integrity.

Life is what you make it add up to, not how big a climax it has. I think that was Nora Ephron's point.

(Or maybe it's just mine.)

[landryjames2]

Posted: 8/25/09 at 4:09pm

Paljoey--perfectly stated above.

Another note is that this is Ephron's best movie in my opinion. I openly whined and cringed a few years ago when I found out she was doing Bewitched. And I ended up being right. I was just so sick of the cycle of being excited by the potential cleverness of her movies, but then ultimately being let down and disappointed and bored.

Julie and Julia was near perfection for she set out to do and I couldn't be happier with the final product