a Quasi-movie review

As much as I love (love-Love!) Julia Child, I decided to pass on Julie & Julia after watching The View the other day.

Please don't ask Why my DVR is set to record The View each day, because I've yet to develop a Logical explanation for it to give even myself. However, I decided to pass after The View's interview with Nora Ephron, already knowing who she is and that she writes for that despicable blog, The Huff&Puffington Post. But what really sealed the deal to skip the movie for me was watching Amy Adams and how much (little) of what she contributed to the segment about the Movie and her shallow appreciation for Julia Child, made her seem like a Twit. And, if I can't stand you in a 3-minute interview... Well, no chance I'll pay $9 for two hours with you!

All that being said, Guess who dragged me to see Julie & Julia last night? No... Really - He did! See, he's a sucker for a good Love story and the Julia and Paul Child marriage is about as good as it gets! And, to the movie's sole credit, Stanley Tucci's insightful work as Paul Child is nothing short of lovable and brilliant. I will even say that Meryl Streep, despite her politics (I'm very much a Shut-up and Sing kinda-girl) managed to nail Julia Child's mannerisms for me.

Fortunately, Amy Adams is a better conversationalist while she is Acting... So all put together, I didn't hate the movie. But I have to say, for those of us who spent their Teenage years glued to Julia Child's television show, The French Chef and being inspired to hopefully one day Cook like her, I was disappointed that not more attention was given to the development and Success of her show. The movie, in my opinion did not do Julia Child justice for her revolutionary television work. Work that is, in my opinion one of the primary factors why there is a 24-hour a day FoodNetwork. If you didn't know who she was, one might gleam from this movie that all Julia Child did was struggle for almost a Decade to have published a French cookbook for what she called, The Servantless American. And, those of us who know, know Julia Child was much more... So much more.

The other thing that Really bugged me about this movie was the needless Exploitation of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. You see, our food Blogger, Julie is a government agency worker responsible for taking calls from what the film makes out to be Snippy (meaning, suffering) people affected by the tragedy. Rather than use the Job as a way to help distraught victims of this horrendous time in our history, Julie internalizes people frustrated with her Lack of ability, (masked as our Government being uncaring) and decides Blogging is the distraction she needs. Yes, it is the misery of her job (and to some degree her life) that launches Julie on her Food-blogging adventure. Because we all know nothing redirects focus from real-life, human Suffering like cooking and Blogging. Oh! And, this Republican took issue with Julie's boss, who after suspecting she called in sick solely because of a cooking mishap, (which she did) says to her, "A republican would have Fired you." Oh, please!

So I say that despite the justice done the Child's love story and the unbelievably strong Urge you will feel to create Julia's Boeuf-Bourguignon, because you will... Skip this movie. At least until it Pops up in your Netflix queue.