“A
film of two determined women
from different times who wouldn’t be
stopped when it came to their
ambition, Julie & Julia is the fascinating
story of the indomitable Julia Child,
who wanted to write a French cookery
book for American housewives in the
1940s and Julie Powell, a Twenty-First
Century New Yorker who dreamed
of writing a blog of her success with
Julia’s
recipes...”
AMERICAN JULIA CHILDS (the fabulous Meryl Streep, Golden Globe Winner 2010:
Best Actress in a comedy-Musical —Julie & Julia) adores
her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci: The Devil Wears Prada), loves France
and French cuisine and is seeking a career.
A tall, forthright woman who demands to be noticed, Julia moves to Paris in
1949 with her husband Paul, who works for the American Embassy. Seduced by tantalisingly
delicious flavours, she ignores criticism and perfects the art of Cordon Bleu
cuisine before launching a career using her culinary skills with a book, in
collaboration with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, showing American housewives
how to prepare amazing food the French way.
Fast forward to 2002, as frustrated Government office worker Julie Powell (Amy
Adams) and her husband Eric (Chris Messina) move into a new apartment in Queens,
New York. Inspired by and a great admirer of Julia Child, Julie is equally unfaltering
in her determination to work her way through the 524 recipes in Julia's cookbook,
Mastering The Art Of French Cooking.
Giving herself a target of one year, Julie writes a blog (to become a book)
detailing her experiences and introducing a new generation to the magic of French
cooking. As her long-suffering husband awaits a little tlc, Julie anxiously
awaits feedback from visitors to her blog.
Wonderfully funny and utterly compelling, Julie & Julia is the icing
on the cake. Two women from different decades set out to prove that passion,
obsession and an unwavering resolve in the face of unforeseen obstacles (oiled
with a generous helping of butter!) really can lead to a life-changing victory.
We are assured that no creature was harmed during the making of this film, but
a word of warning: if, like me, you love lobsters but in their natural environment
rather than on the dinner plate, there is one scene in the film during which
you should avert your glaze — sorry, gaze.
We reviewed Julie & Julia on Blu-ray with crystal clear clarity and with
many extras. I was given a Philips Blu-ray player (bought for under £100 from
Asda), for Christmas. The player is easy to use and it is a pleasure to see
such a perfect picture. So if you haven't already upgraded to Blu-ray there's
never been a better time.
Seamlessly melding two remarkable, true stories into a fine film, Nora Ephron
has achieved a rare coup with Julie & Julia. Perfect as a gift (particularly
on Mothering Sunday), this heart-warming and inspiring film will appeal to lovers
of cookery and/or light comedy. Bon appétite!
Julie & Julia also features Linda Emond as Simone Beck; Deborah Rush
as Avis; Mary Lynn Rajskub as Sarah; Jane Lynch as Dorothy McWilliams; Joan
Juliet Buck as Madame Brassant; Crystal Noelle as Ernestine; Frances Sternhagen
as Irma Rombauer and Amanda Hesser as herself. The film is based on the book
My Life In France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme (Julia's grand-nephew);
Produced by Laurence Mark, Nora Ephron, Amy Robinson and Eric Steel; Screenplay
by Nora Ephron; and Directed by Nora Ephron.
• You won't want to put Julie & Julia
on the back burner as it simmers onto Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment on 8 March (2010).
"Wonderfully funny and utterly compelling, Julie & Julia is the icing
on the cake" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
Special Features Blu-ray
Commentary With Writer/Director Nora Ephron | Behind The Scenes Featurette Secret
Ingredients: Creating Julie & Julia, which features interviews with the
cast and crew and goes behind the scenes with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams to
see how they became Julie & Julia | Family & Friends Remember Julia Child:
Julia's closest family and friends talk about the woman they knew and loved
and picks up where the film leaves off by chronicling her public life, other
published works, her numerous television shows, her founding of the American
Institute of Food and Wine, the many accolades she received, her philanthropy
and her rarely discussed private life; the love story with her husband, her
sense of humour, her amazing work ethic and her love of teaching | Julia's Kitchen:
How the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History acquired Julia's kitchen
— and take a tour inside! | Cooking Lessons with Master Chefs: Poaching
Eggs with Julia Child & Jacques Pépin; Making Hollandaise Sauce with Julia Child
& Jacques Pépin; Mark Peel Prepared Scrambled Eggs; Suzanne Goin Prepares Braised
Beef Shortribs; Steven Lewandowski & Drew Nieporent Prepare Butter Poached Maine
Lobster | movieIQ Julia's Recipe Collector: Collect and Email your Favourite
Julia Child recipes while watching the film!
Also featured is movieIQ with Julia's Recipe Collection, where viewers can bookmark
and email selected Julia Child recipes featured throughout the film. movieIQ
also allows viewers to access updated information on cast and crew while exploring
relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information.
DVD Extras
Include Secret Ingredients and Commentary by Nora Ephron and also a cut-down
version of the original cookbook, with all the recipes featured in the film
and more.
* Paul Child died in 1994 aged 92 and Julia was 91 when she died in 2004. Mastering
The Art Of French Cooking is now in its 49th print and Julie Powell's book
Julie & Julia was published in 2005.
“A
film of two determined women