Venus Rising

Film & BooksIssue: Virgo 09 - The Climate Change Issue

Julie & Julia

Meryl Streep is absolutely mesmerizing in Nora Ephron’s film, Julie & Julia. I was blissfully swept away by her portrayal of Julia Child and the story of her supportive and adoring husband, Paul Child, played by Stanley Tucci.

Unfortunately, the story of Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams), a food blogger determined to cook her way through every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year, was disappointing and, at times, an embarrassing parallel story. However, the real Julie Powell did cook all 524 of Julia Child’s recipes in 2003, which led to the book that spawned the movie and brought some of Ms. Child’s story to life on screen.

Quite tall and uniquely obsessive about food, Julia Child met her husband Paul when they were both working for the American Embassy in China when she was 40. Now a diplomat’s wife living in Paris with no family to care for, Julia felt she needed something “to do.” After a short stint learning how to make hats, she enrolled herself in a cooking class because she couldn’t find any French cookbooks translated in English. Thus began her vocation that, with the unwavering support of her loving husband, eventually changed the culinary landscape of America.

Although the story of Julie Powell feels a bit distracting and far less authentic and inspiring than that of Julia Child’s, I highly recommend this movie not only for its overall celebration of food but ultimately for its celebration of the amazing people that Julia Child and her dedicated husband, Paul, really were.