26/8/2009



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I finally watched Julie & Julia yesterday. I wasn’t disappointed, and I wasn’t surprised. But I did join the hoards of viewers who raided the bookstore afterwards to buy a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. All 684 pages and 43 bucks of it – Voila! Some of the recipes require so much butter that they put Paula Deen to shame. Here are a few of my observations on the film: 1) The first things I noticed about this movie were the heightened gastronomic sound effects – the sizzling of a buttered fish, the slice and spread of a knife on bread, the crunch crunch of a bite. Make sure you’re well-fed before you watch. 2) The movie lacked the sharp and edgy wit of Nora Ephron’s former masterpieces. Instead, the marriage relationships between the protagonists are portrayed in a cozy glow that comes only from a lived-in kind-of love. Nora claims her own comfortable marriage of 22 years did not influence the making of the film, but I beg to differ. Yes, the film celebrates food, but it also unexpectedly celebrates that crumbling institution of our generation – marriage. 3) Meryl Streep is genius. But then again, we already knew that. Amy Adams, though talented, seems to pale somewhat in comparison. Or maybe it’s just the dull, gray lighting of her apartment. 4) Though Julia transformed the American culture of cooking, the film doesn’t really celebrate her strength or skill. Rather, it’s about love. Her success didn’t arise from her determination to “break the mold.” She believed in food, so she made it, and she shared it. The movie reminded me that sometimes, we don’t need to step out of ourselves to “change the world.” We can start with what is closest and dearest – food, family, friendship – and go from there. As for Julia, she stayed in the kitchen and changed our dinners for the better (sans the butter). Hoorah for food!

I finally watched Julie & Julia yesterday. I wasn’t disappointed, and I wasn’t surprised. But I did join the hoards of viewers who raided the bookstore afterwards to buy a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. All 684 pages and 43 bucks of it – Voila! Some of the recipes require so much butter that they put Paula Deen to shame. Here are a few of my observations on the film:

1) The first things I noticed about this movie were the heightened gastronomic sound effects – the sizzling of a buttered fish, the slice and spread of a knife on bread, the crunch crunch of a bite. Make sure you’re well-fed before you watch.
2) The movie lacked the sharp and edgy wit of Nora Ephron’s former masterpieces. Instead, the marriage relationships between the protagonists are portrayed in a cozy glow that comes only from a lived-in kind-of love. Nora claims her own comfortable marriage of 22 years did not influence the making of the film, but I beg to differ. Yes, the film celebrates food, but it also unexpectedly celebrates that crumbling institution of our generation – marriage.
3) Meryl Streep is genius. But then again, we already knew that. Amy Adams, though talented, seems to pale somewhat in comparison. Or maybe it’s just the dull, gray lighting of her apartment.
4) Though Julia transformed the American culture of cooking, the film doesn’t really celebrate her strength or skill. Rather, it’s about love. Her success didn’t arise from her determination to “break the mold.” She believed in food, so she made it, and she shared it. The movie reminded me that sometimes, we don’t need to step out of ourselves to “change the world.” We can start with what is closest and dearest – food, family, friendship – and go from there. As for Julia, she stayed in the kitchen and changed our dinners for the better (sans the butter). Hoorah for food!