Next up in recommendations is from a lovely blogger, Livonne. She is a fabulous photographer and writes amazing posts. I totally love hanging out at her blog and if you haven’t been there, well, lets just say you are missing out and you should!! I’ll give you a some time to head over there to follow her and check out what she does.
Ready? Well, she suggested to me to watch Julie & Julia. Funny enough, I’ve read the book but never actually finished watching the movie entirely. I mean, whats wrong with me, right? Its literally a movie about EVERYTHING I love and honestly, it (the book) has a bit to do with why I even considered blogging in the first place. Cooking, blogging, eating, Amy Adams and Meryl Streep and add in a bit of Stanley Tucci and a dash of Jane Lynch: count me in on that one!
Wait wait, I’m getting ahead of myself! A little synopsis, shall we?
Director: Nora Ephron
Cast: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch, Linda Emond
Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is a government worker who moves to Queen’s because of her husband ‘s (Chris Messina) job and aspires to be a writer and with her passion for cooking, she decides to take 365 days to cook through the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Back in the day, Julia Child’s (Meryl Streep) life unravels somewhat similarly when she moves to France because her husband (Stanley Tucci) is sent there to work at the American embassy. She decides to learn French cooking and eventually after meeting certain people decide to publish a book geared towards teaching servantless American woman to cook.
Julie & Julia, the book, was a unique reading experience. It was fun and light-hearted and so inspiring because you know what it is. We all hit a bit of road bumps and sometimes the little turns and bends down the unexpected and spontaneous roads become experiences that turn out to be more rewarding than we imagine, not just in the sense of career but a self-satisfaction and a personal journey to learn more about ourselves. At least thats why I love blogging, I just can’t help but wonder if sometimes I become self-absorbed although I try my very best to balance my life as much as I can..
Back now to the movie, Meryl Streep gives a charistmatic performance. She’s fun to watch as the clever and witty Julia Child. There’s something so lovable about her character. She’s cooking and watching those little snippets of her teaching cooking and I wanted to go pick up her book and cook it also, but then, I don’t think my rather lactose-intolerant/sensitive stomach could take so much butter and cream and fat. Its just so inspiring. Thats whats great about this adaptation because it manages to re-enact the light-heartedness with a hint of comedy.
Comedy is not so much in Meryl Streep, except for her witty dialogue but rather in Amy Adams’s Julie Powell portrayal. She’s the modern person and for me, I felt like I could relate to her. Other than that inner journey that I talked about in terms of blogging, it had to do with that whole learning new cooking skills, especially the lobster part. Amy Adams is just a lovable and adorable actress and she can handle a range of emotions from bubbly to full-on crazy meltdown.
Julie & Julia is a fun and entertaining trip especially for foodies. Its funny and entertaining and also inspiring. Being a blogger, we understand the world of being a blogger and the whole journey of being dedicated to it and finding a balance between this life and our own life not in front of the computer. The whole doing something not related to work or that we’re passionate about and sharing it with the part of the online community that has similar interests. I liked this movie a lot and it really made me feel really good afterwards. It injected me with a dose of well-needed energy and motivation. I guess thats why I’m typing up this well past my bedtime. So I’ll stop now and say, do watch this. Its a really good one 🙂
Thanks to Livonne for bringing this one up. It gave me the push to watch the full movie and fully appreciate it for its awesomeness! 🙂 Remember to check out her blog!
Have you seen Julie & Julia? What are your favorite roles of Amy Adams and/or Meryl Streep? Are there other movies related to cooking that you’d recommend?
Tranquil Dreams 