Recipe For Tasty Stuff

The husband & I decided to spend the late afternoon seeing a new movie. I went in with some trepidation. I had posted on this blog, way back in April when the trailer was released, about how much I was looking forward to Julie & Julia. The subject matter & the juxtaposition of the 2 stories had me intrigued, but it was the cast that had me feeling anxious & excited to experience this film: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci & the always amazing Jane Lynch, all in a film that seemed filled with promise. But, Nora Ephron's work in movies has given me pause on several occasions. She wrote the screenplay to several movies that I can't abide: When Harry Met Sally (one of my most disliked films ever), Sleepless In Seattle, You've Got Mail, & Mixed Nuts. All of these movies rang false for me on so many levels. But I have loved her pieces in the New Yorker & she has written screenplays for films that I think are superior, especially Silkwood (1983), Heartburn (based on her own marital breakup with Carl Bernstein) & the very funny My Blue Heaven. With the mixed reviews over the opening weekend, with most critics liking the Julia section & not so much the Julie part, I was afraid of being disappointed, but I knew I would be all moony over Streep's performence. Well...Meryl Streep's performance is a revelation. More than astounding mimicry & more than inhabiting Julia Child in her essence, her creation is heartfelt, funny, sweet, fun & original. She deserves all the accolades & her certain Oscar nomination. I feel this is one of her very best performances & she moves into her 60s with more box office clout than ever & more than the male stars of her generation can muster. She seems to just give us more surprises with each new movie.

I loved the film in every aspect: first rate screenplay & direction, great performances down the tiniest of roles, & a great balance between the 2 stories. The film spoke, so much to me, on the subjects of how to live your life with meaning, how the love of a good man & a passion for what you do, can be redemptive & transforming, & how someone you have never met can inspire & move you forward through life. It has something major to say about be a sensualist, about food & earting, about reading, & about what makes a home. I laughed a great deal & I was very struck with the excellent & interesting acting by Tucci, Lynch, & Deborah Rush in a crucial small & fun role. The film spoke to me about being a husband, especially about being a husband to someone who is creative. I was made slightly uncomfortable by the theme of how narcissistic, needy, selfish, & single minded those who are fated to be bloggers can be to the people in their lives.

I had taken note of Chris Messina from his work on Six feet Under & Vicki Christina Barcelona (another film that surprised me with how I was made uncomfortable by a film with themes that brushed up against my own life). Both portrayals of the husbands in Julie & Julia were interesting, complex & avoided cliches. Chris Messina held his won in a movie full of world class acting & he still shined through, & he had a great butt shot.

Go see it & bon appetit!
Bonjour!