Julie & Julia
By Dan Hudak // hudakonhollywood.com
Is it worth $10? Yes. Hudak gives it a ‘B’

Cooking 524 recipes in 365 days is difficult by any standard. But Julie Powell (Amy Adams), an overworked and emotionally drained aspiring writer, isn’t looking for easy. She’s looking for meaning in her life, and she thinks cooking through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” is the way to find it.

Smartly, Powell’s tumultuous journey through lobster thermidor and beef bourguignon is only half of “Julie & Julia”; the other half tells the story of how Child (Meryl Streep) came to create the recipes, which is an equally compelling tale of hardship and heartache.

For Child, the year is 1949 and she and her husband (Stanley Tucci) have just moved to Paris, where he works in the embassy. Unsure of what to do with herself, she enrolls in the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school, and then decides to write a cookbook with friends Simone Beck (Linda Emond) and Louisette Bertholle (Helen Carey). The result, the aforementioned “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” made Child a star.

Powell’s situation is drastically different and remarkably similar. She also has a wonderfully encouraging husband (Chris Messina), and at least one of her friends (Mary Lynn Rajskub, “24”) supports her decision to write a blog about her year-long exploits. But the year is 2002, and while her peers are enjoying successful careers, her job is to answer phone calls for an insurance company charged with helping the families of 9/11 victims.

The screenplay was adapted by director Nora Ephron (“Sleepless in Seattle”) from two memoirs: “Julie & Julia” by Powell and “My Life in France” by Child and  Alex Prud’homme. Telling the stories of two women separated by 50-plus years is tricky, but Ephron balances them nicely, keeping each woman at roughly the same point in her career path throughout. Sure it’s a gimmick, but it works because it humanizes the iconic Child and puts her on the same level as Powell.

Although Streep is superb in the showier (and more difficult) role, it’s Adams’ Powell who is the heart of the movie. Adams’ cuteness (in spite of the bad haircut) makes Powell a sympathetic figure, and Adams plays naïve innocence better than any actress working today.

As Child’s difficulties also mount, and Streep keeps us mesmerized with Child’s 6-foot-2-inch frame and high-pitched voice, we realize that not only are Child and Powell kindred spirits, but so are Streep and Adams in their ability to bring vulnerability and determination to each woman’s life.

Given the shortage of movies made by women and about women, “Julie & Julia” is a success that deserves to be seen. Just don’t go hungry, because the food — often made with an excess of butter — looks delicious.

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