Julie & Julia: Angel Food Cake on Screen

Last night, I made the last minute decision to see Julie & Julia. Literally…Marie and I were in line at the box office, the teller had already droned, “Next!,” and we were still up-in-the-air over what to see. The options ran the gamut from the feel-good frivolity of the above-mentioned flick, to the complex sci-fi drama, The Time Traveler’s Wife, to the shoot-em-up crime thriller Public Enemies. All on my running list of things to see.

Needless to saw, we settled on two hours of easy laughs and appetite arousing food. Indeed, the movie itself offers little in the way of plot; essentially it’s scene after scene of two women preparing and eating food.

Julie, the inexplicably depressed government employee turned inspired blogger, provided the only dramatic tension of the film. Perhaps Julia’s adversity was offset by my knowledge of how her story ends—with the publication of her cookbook—or maybe it was her sunny attitude towards everyone and everything in her life. Either way, I found myself waiting for a low point that never came.

Instead of dramatic tension to keep the plot rolling along and the audience interested, Julie & Julia relies on the countless French dishes that the two chefs prepare, each more delicious than the last, to enrapture its viewers.

I left the theater:

1. Hungry

2. Dying to visit France

3. Wishing I knew French

4. Brainstorming ways I could live in France

5. Curious about Julia Child, whom I had never heard of before the buzz about this film began, but whose memoir I had purchased several weeks ago in the picked-over O’hare Airport bookstore. (I started it last night before bed)

6. Wishing I had internet at my apartment so that I could check out the real Julie’s actual blog site

7. Last but not least, feeling as I am absolutely sure the film intended, content with the world and in general good spirits. Bottom line: if you’re in need of a serious mood booster see this movie. 

Some others' thoughts: 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/julie_and_julia/

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/movies/07julie.html

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/reviews/movies/la-et-julie-julia7-2009aug07,0,1724703.story

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