The Red Right Hand
  www.theredrighthand.co.uk





JULIE & JULIA
Based On Two True Stories

Director
Nora Ephron

Starring
Meryl Streep
Amy Adams
Stanley Tucci

Julia Child [Streep] was a renowned American chef who published the definitive French cooking book (for Americans) in the seventies and later hosted a television cookery show. Did you know that? I didn't know that. I must confess, I don't think I'd ever heard of Mrs. Child before. But that was probably largely owing to the fact that I'm currently located some 200 miles from France and my knowledge of French cooking originated there. Having said that, this culinary individual remains one of America's most beloved TV personalities - possibly due to her mannerisms, shrieking voice and overbearing presence at a height of six foot two. Julie Powell [Adams] was as equally unbeknownst to me. Apparently, in 2002, she and her husband moved from Brooklyn to Queens and in an attempt to imbue her life with purpose, she started a blog, detailing the trials and tribulations of cooking every single recipe in Julia Child's cookbook within one calendar year. There you go. That's pretty much the entire plot. Two true stories, cut and edited together to draw similarities and parallels between the popular chef and the everyday avid home cook.

In truth, half of this film is very good, whereas the remainder is simply 'alright.' Once again, this is another case of a biopic feature in which the lead performances are engrossing and extremely well-acted but everything else seems to simply fall away. The production value is rather impressive, as is the editing, flitting back-and-forth between seventies Paris and 2000's New York but the story is so blatantly devoid of consequence. I understand the movie and more importantly the comparison between the two leading females but I simply can't get my head around why this film needed to be made. At a rather draining two hours, you start to feel the outlines of a decent bio-drama unfolding but so often you're simply left wondering where it's really going. We follow the exploits of a struggling thirty year old New Yorker for a year and an eccentric American in Paris for nearly a decade but by the closing freeze-frame the 'point' of the film was lost on me. In book form, I could see this being relatively entertaining but without evident threat or potential disaster, there's simply no incentive for us to emotionally invest in these characters.

As stated, the production value goes a long way to selling this release. The music works well, the characters are extremely well played (if a little too idyllic and saintly for my liking), the cinematography, editing, arrangement and direction are all commendable but despite everything there was the underlying truth that we're watching half a movie about an American learning to cook French food and half a movie about an American woman trying to cook French food; it's pointless. I can't even state that the relationships between the females is worth investing in as they never meet and the husbands are nothing but supportive, comforting, doting stalwarts that falter maybe once throughout the entire plot. However, as an escapist piece it works reasonably well and the performances really do sell the rather optimistic plot.

Release Date:
11th September 2009

The Scene To Look Out For:
To be honest, this movie has the capability of being truly very sweet in certain places and audiences will no doubt find themselves wrapped up in the bustle of the in-kitchen nightmares. One or two that standout in particular are the 'lobster execution' and the 'onion' scenes. The first is as obvious as it sounds, the relatively squeamish Mrs. Powell is required to cook three live lobsters and she's not overly keen. I won't go into the details but it's genuinely amusing. The second was actually a difficult one to pin down as Streep's scenes are by-and-large so impressive that it was difficult picking only one. However, on first enrolling to the Cordon Bleu school Julia is horrified that her onion chopping skills are left wanting. And so, in an attempt to prove everyone wrong, she dices around thirty onions. As her husband returns home from work he's greeted by a translucent oniony wall and covers his eyes. Very simple but extraordinarily charming nevertheless.

Notable Characters:
As with most biographical pieces, the most praiseworthy point is the lead performance; which, in this case, is Meryl Streep's amusing and endearing portrayal of Julia Child. Adding to this, we have Stanley Tucci's portrayal of her ever-supportive husband. The pair work beautifully together and the outcome is an earnestly tender on-screen relationship and to my mind, one of the highlights of the film.

Highlighted Quote:
"Lobster killer. Qu'est-ce que c'est? Fa-fa-fa fa-fa-fa fa-fa-fa-far better"

In A Few Words:
"As with all biographical dramas, the lead performances shine through at the cost of story. Entertaining and well-produced but a tad pointless"

Total Score:
6/10


Matthew Stogdon