J & J

By request, my review of Julie & Julia:

Like so many others, I thought the Julia Child portions of this movie were winning and adorable in every way that a movie can be. Meryl Streep is as genius as she always is, and she infuses a joy into her portrayal of Julia Child that is absolutely infectious. Is there a role that woman can't knock out of the park? I loved Stanley Tucci as Paul Child, and I loved Jane Lynch as Julia's sister. Everything about these scenes were fabulous.

I wish I could say the same for the Julie parts of the movie. I've loved Amy Adams in many other movies, and she's played happy adorable people time and again, so I'm not sure what went wrong here. But Julie comes across as an annoyingly miserable person. She's unhappy, but the movie never tells us why. She has a sucky job, but otherwise it's unclear what makes her feel so lost. In contrast to Meryl Streep's scenes, which are like a party we all want to attend, Amy Adams' scenes are a downer each and every time.

The funny thing about this is that I loved Julie Powell in the book. I found her snarky, self-deprecating, and sarcastic, sure. She was never a pollyanna. But she wasn't a sourpuss, either. And I found the Julia Child scenes in the book somewhat shoe-horned in and unnecessary (I seem to be in the minority here, I'll admit).

Bottom line is that people should read the book and see the movie. The offer really different but equally wonderful things, and they'll make you appreciate the two protagonists in very different ways.