Julie and Julia

"Julie and Julia" is a coming of age story, though not quite as riveting as Holden Caulfield's tale, about Julie Powell, who is on a quest to conquer a cook book by the famous Julia Childs in 365 days. Powell is depicted by Amy Adams and Julia Childs by Meryl Streep. Amy Adams has had some good performances in the past, but I unclear about where I put Adam's performance in this movie. I think that Adams often falls off the wagon of being this innocent house wife without a dream, that finds one. Sometimes she makes her role feel very glamorized, while Streep never shows anything other than what she was from the start of the story. I know, I know, this is a coming of age story so she is supposed to change but it doesn't feel like Julie Powell changing but Amy Adams shining through. Streep's performance is nothing short of breathtaking, her voice acting is fantastic. Coming in to this movie I had never seen a bit of Julia Childs film, but I knew that after the movie was over the character was so irritating that it had to be authentic. I have since watched some Julia Childs clips, and it was quite authentic. I think that the gem of this movie however, and not surprisingly so, was Stanley Tucci. His portrayal of Nigel is fantastic. The way that he grows with Julia is heartwarming. The movie proper lived in the little things. The moments when Julia would do things at the end of a scene, or small comments that Julie would make that were adorable and very funny. This movie is funny and certainly worth a watch. It felt long at some points, but never boring. Streep keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for her to come back on screen. I also thought that the change from Julia Childs prime to Julie Powell writing her current blog about cooking all 524 of Julia Childs recipes in 365 days was very well done. This movie isn't groundbreaking, but worth a watch. This is my first written comments about a movie in sometime, it will probably get better, this probably wasn't the best. Hope everyone comes back. Good viewing.
JP