"Julie & Julia"

[Baccala]

http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/02/meryl-...ay-julia-child/

[zoramargolis]

http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/02/meryl-...ay-julia-child/

I hope that Meryl does a Robert DeNiro, and puts on a few pounds for the role. She's a great actress, but she's a little young to play Julia Child, who was in her nineties already when she found out about the blog. IIRC, Julia was not amused...

I also hope that they don't choose an anorectic gamine to play Julie Powell. She's also a woman with some meat on her bones. Nora Ephron is a natural for this material--don't forget her first big hit book was *Heartburn*--a roman a clef with recipes.

[monavano]

Hmm, intersting. Last year it was Joan Cusack who was set to play Julia.

[zoramargolis]

As for Stewart, she hopes to snare a cameo in the Cusack-Child flick -- though in real life Martha and Julia were not exactly pals and approached the culinary arts very differently.

One of the funniest thing I've ever seen on tv was when Julia guested on Martha Stewart's show, and they made side-by-side croquembouches. Julia looked like she'd had a glass or two of wine before the show started. They were dipping the baked choux paste puffs in caramel and assembling the tall cones while they talked. Martha's was neat and precise, and Julia's was a disorganized mess. Priceless!

[ScotteeM]

One of the funniest thing I've ever seen on tv was when Julia guested on Martha Stewart's show, and they made side-by-side croquembouches. Julia looked like she'd had a glass or two of wine before the show started. They were dipping the baked choux paste puffs in caramel and assembling the tall cones while they talked. Martha's was neat and precise, and Julia's was a disorganized mess. Priceless!

Even more priceless was one of Julia's shows, where a guest chef was using a mold to make croquembouches, and Julia expressed her delight at this, saying "...not like Martha 'Perfect' Stewart!"

I fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard! (I had seen the original Martha Stewart special, so I got the joke.)

[zoramargolis]

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2...ulia-main_N.htm

I reckon I'm not going to wait for the DVD to come out for this one.

[The Hersch]

Gosh, I'm not sure I want to see that at all.

[goodeats]

I have mixed feelings about this one, only because Nora Ephron's not as strong of a director as she is as a screenplay writer. I am excited to see Amy Adams excel; this will be her second movie working with Meryl Streep. August 7 opening date.

[zoramargolis]

Here's the trailer:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-ap...mighty-appetite

[blakegwinn]

Beth and I saw an advance screening tonight and really liked it as I think anyone who enjoys cooking will. I am a little young so my memory might be a bit off but I really thought Streep nailed Julia Child (or at least my memories of her). It was just a fun, well made movie that I especially recommend to anyone on this board. I don't want to be a spoiler so I will just leave it at that.

[ktmoomau]

Had any of you read the book previously? I am just wondering because I found the book really tedious and kind of whiny and I just wondered if anyone felt the movie was better than the book. If so it would go on the netflix list (or I could be really nice and take the person who gave me the book to see it, obviously she thought the book was good and would probably love the movie), but I am not going if it is a fair representation of the book.

[goodeats]

Any interest in making this a mini-gathering?

[blakegwinn]

Had any of you read the book previously? I am just wondering because I found the book really tedious and kind of whiny and I just wondered if anyone felt the movie was better than the book.

I haven't read the book but I didn't think she was whiny to the point of being annoying. A lot of that probably has to do with casting though. Amy Adams just comes off as so happy and bubbly you don't really notice that she is whining. If a lot of her lines were read on the page I can see how they would annoy.

[Anna Blume]

I haven't read the book but I didn't think she was whiny to the point of being annoying. A lot of that probably has to do with casting though. Amy Adams just comes off as so happy and bubbly you don't really notice that she is whining. If a lot of her lines were read on the page I can see how they would annoy.

Start with Heather's post here.

At any rate, the movie's being promoted as a conflation of Julia Child's chipper My Life in France and the blook in question.

[Anna Blume]

Any interest in making this a mini-gathering?

Possibly....

[blakegwinn]

At any rate, the movie's being promoted as a conflation of Julia Child's chipper My Life in France and the blook in question.

It is in Godfather II fashion going back and forth between Child(Vito) and Julie(Michael)..... Ugh I just reread that sentence, do I have to uncheck male on my driver's license now?

[Anna Blume]

It is in Godfather II fashion going back and forth between Child(Vito) and Julie(Michael)..... Ugh I just reread that sentence, do I have to uncheck male on my driver's license now?

Not to worry. However, check Waitman's comments about chick lit in the thread I linked. The Godfather movies are all about relationships. Family!!!

About pastry, too, I hasten to add, sustainable fishing and bathrooms in restaurants. An orange and death under the vines...

[DanielK]

Any interest in making this a mini-gathering?

Sounds like fun. What's an appropriate place to dine after the movie to discuss?

[blakegwinn]

Sounds like fun. What's an appropriate place to dine after the movie to discuss?

Blue Duck Tavern?

[goodeats]

Sounds like fun. What's an appropriate place to dine after the movie to discuss?

Blue Duck Tavern?

I thought it might be best to wait another week or more to see where the film was being shown before making further plans....

[DanielK]

I thought it might be best to wait another week or more to see where the film was being shown before making further plans....

I wasn't suggesting this weekend, just that if we do make plans to go as a group, there should also be food involved!

[blakegwinn]

I wasn't suggesting this weekend, just that if we do make plans to go as a group, there should also be food involved!

Yeah this weekend would be tough for me for a few reasons as well. I don't think it opens until August and also I live in NY. Sorry I was just thinking out loud.

[goodeats]

I wasn't suggesting this weekend, just that if we do make plans to go as a group, there should also be food involved!

I wasn't either - I meant to suggest places once it's known which theatres are showing this movie. Plus, as BlakeG said, it's not open until August.... Sorry, communication or communicating well is not my strong suit these days.

But YES, food must be involved. I think it would be neat if it was shown at Uptown in CP, though - it's one of my favorite theatres in town.

[goodeats]

Sounds like fun. What's an appropriate place to dine after the movie to discuss?

I think it's time to revisit this topic, as I just received an email that this is playing at AMC Georgetown with the following times: 10:15am ; 1:15 pm; 4:15 pm; 7:15 pm; and 10:15 pm

Early dinner would probably be too hectic, unless it's quick (plus there's work to consider), so late night suggestions??

[DanielK]

I think it's time to revisit this topic, as I just received an email that this is playing at AMC Georgetown with the following times: 10:15am ; 1:15 pm; 4:15 pm; 7:15 pm; and 10:15 pm

Early dinner would probably be too hectic, unless it's quick (plus there's work to consider), so late night suggestions??

Do you have a date in mind yet?

Early dinner might still work, or at least early snacks - the happy hour raw bar at Sea Catch is always worth a trip.

[Al Dente]

I hear it's rated NC-17 because of the extensive and explicit kinky sex scenes between Julia and Paul.

[goodeats]

Do you have a date in mind yet?

Early dinner might still work, or at least early snacks - the happy hour raw bar at Sea Catch is always worth a trip.

Nope, I was thinking opening day since it's a Friday. Unless people would be up for a weekend lunch gathering, which might work too. Cheaper matinee as well.

[hillvalley]

I realize that I am the target audience for the film but the level of overkill with the tie-ins is irritating enough to make me question whether or not I want to shell out $ to see it. Between the articles and ads in Bon Appetite and The Next Food Network Star episode I can't get away from the damn thing and it hasn't even opened yet.

[LaShanta]

Nope, I was thinking opening day since it's a Friday. Unless people would be up for a weekend lunch gathering, which might work too. Cheaper matinee as well.

Good point about the matinee prices. (Save enough $2 hear and there and it starts to add up......) I vote for a Saturday matinee and then lunch afterwards. It is showing at 12:45 at Gallery Place, 11:15, 1:15, and 2:15 in Georgetown, 1:30 at Mazza Gallery, and 1:20 at Potomac Yard.

[Pat]

I saw it at Georgetown yesterday. The matinee price was $8.75. Really enjoyed the movie. From comments of people who had seen it in preview, I expected not to like the Julie storyline as much as I did. I thought it was very well done and actually found that I identified quite a bit with the Julie part.

They seemed to do quite a good job with historical detail overall, but there was an anachronism that stood out to me in the final scene (and I don't usually notice that kind of thing). I thought maybe I was imagining it, but I asked a couple of ladies walking out after me, and one of them had picked up on it too.

[StorageLady]

What a food packed night! First, Christine Van Bloem who owns and operates the Kitchen Studio Frederick hosted an open house. She provided a few finger foods from Master the ARt of French Cooking, some wine to sip and free tickets to Julie & Julia! THe cocktail party revelers caravaned over to the theatres to join the sell out crowd for opening night of the foodie dream movie.

Expectations high, I was wondering if the movie could possibley live up to its pre-release press. The theatre was packed! You would have thought it was one of those big shoot-em up, blow-em up, rampant sex teen movies. But looking around the demographic was definitely more, um, mature!

Anyway...I really liked the movie. I thought the characters were well done, and not caricaturish. The parallel storylines transitioned very nicely. I have to admit that I wasn't immediately smitten with the other Julie. Especially at the beginning of the movie. Although her story was the impetus for the film, I found the portray a bit too cute.

Meryl Streep on the other hand was wonderful!!! She brought a lot of joy to the film. And the scenes with her sister!!! Laughing!!

So tonight is my Julie/Julia dinner party. Yes, yes I know. I bought into all the hype. Sue me. Anyway, I made a Provencal Beef Stew for the main course - the other guests will be bringing their rendition of a Julia Child recipe to round out the meal.

Fingers Crossed that it turns out delicious!

Bon Appetit!

PS - I didn't pick up the anachronism in the final scene. PM me and fill me in!

[StorageLady]

Great dinner last night!! Everyone got into the spirit of the evening and we had a delicious meal comprised of dishes found in Julia's books. Some used "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", others used "The Way to Cook"..Regardless - it was delicious.

Started with camembert crackers served with fresh fruit, main course Daube Provencal, mashed potatoes, and sauteed green beans with tomato relish & pickled onions. And freshly baked bread. For dessert- a fruit tart (all berries) and a chocolate mocha cake.

Alas, I served American coffee and neglected to brew with a French press. With 8 coffee wishing diners, it would have taken me an hour just to make the coffee!

Anyway - we loved the night, and it was fun to have a current theme!

[zoramargolis]

Great article by Russ Parsons where he reveals the full story behind Julia's dis of Julie Powell's blog. I love Russ Parsons.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-calcook12-2009aug12,0,7986229.story

[Barbara]

Great article by Russ Parsons where he reveals the full story behind Julia's dis of Julie Powell's blog. I love Russ Parsons.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-calcook12-2009aug12,0,7986229.story

Thanks for posting this, Zora. As a life-long (well, almost) Julia worshipper and a fan of Julie's blog and book, I always wondered about Julia's disdain. Loved, loved, loved the movie and that part just struck the wrong chord. Until, NOW, that is.

[Anna Blume]

I was rather disappointed by the movie which seemed quite faithful to its source. The decision to establish parallels between the lives of J & J was interesting and it certainly added quite a bit of substance to what seemed fun (for girls, yes, Waitman) and witty on the page, but thin when twice removed from its original context. I imagine that the original blog as it played out over the course of the year was most entertaining.

There was talk a few years ago about making a movie about Julia Child starring Joan Cusack. Meryl Streep's performance and even revelations about the publishing world suggested that such a movie is worth making.

[zoramargolis]

Meryl Streep was brilliant (natch). Jane Lynch (playing Julia's sister) was brilliant. Stanley Tucci managed an underwritten part well--playing "a nice man" although I'm not sure that Paul Child was all that nice. The one time I was in his presence, when he was in his late 80s, he looked like he'd had a longstanding case of acid reflux. The actor playing Julie Powell's husband at least got one argument scene to play. And the whole Julie sequence was cuter than cute. I wanted Nora Ephron to show the scene where her pigsty lifestyle was revealed, and she found the source of the many flies in her kitchen--maggots growing under her dish drainer, which she bravely wrote about. And then it wouldn't have been such a mystery why Julia didn't consider her a serious person.

I did enjoy the film very much, however. So, what was the anachronism in the last scene? The book cover?

[Barbara]

In Ezra Klein's WaPo chat (on economic and domestic policy!) yesterday came this question:

Grand Rapids, Mich.: What is your take on "Julie and Julia"? I thought the movie was fun, and enjoyed the scenes with Julia Child and her husband (their relationship was interesting). But I found Julie's side of the story to be less interesting and, at times, poorly constructed.

Ezra Klein: Nora Ephron did Julie Powell a disservice. Powell's story is banal in a respectable way: She's underemployed, bored, and young, and she discovers a passion. That doesn't normally merit a movie. But since it did in this case, Ephron had to give the character a conflict. And that conflict was that she was a self-absorbed child.

Take all the stuff about Julia Child "teaching" Powell so much. Child taught her nothing except how to make food. it was Powell who woke up at 5:30am to cook. Powell who kept to a grueling schedule. Powell who kept the blog updated. Powell who developed an appealing writing voice. Powell who didn't stop cooking when she was tired or busy. But in the movie, Powell just gives all credit to Julia, and the movie is constructed to make that plausible. The pity is that it isn't plausible, and it doesn't need to be. The parallel between Child and Powell isn't that they both cook. It's that they found passions. And while it's very good at explaining why Child loved French cuisine, it's too interested in explaining why Powell loved Child to explain why Powell loved writing.

Me, again: I thought he really nailed this. As a fan of her blog, I knew that it was writing, not cooking that was her real passion.

Zora, Paul Child had one of the earliest heart-bypass surgeries in 1975 (?) and suffered a stroke on the operating table. He was robbed of much of his personality after that and Julia took very solicitous care of him until he needed a nursing home. That's the sad part of her life--after nearly 30 blissful years with him, the last 17 or so, were a heartbreak.

_______________________

[zoramargolis]

Zora, Paul Child had one of the earliest heart-bypass surgeries in 1975 (?) and suffered a stroke on the operating table. He was robbed of much of his personality after that and Julia took very solicitous care of him until he needed a nursing home. That's the sad part of her life--after nearly 30 blissful years with him, the last 17 or so, were a heartbreak.

I probably got his age wrong--this would have been 1978 or 1979, not that long after the situation you described. Julia was giving a cooking demo at a synagogue in Bel Air, a very ritzy neighborhood near Beverly Hills--some sort of fundraiser. All of the local cooking celebs in L.A. at the time were there to honor her. I was there early, and Paul Child was down in the audience area, gesturing angrily, telling Julia what to do. She was on the stage, moving rather slowly as she set up, wearing what appeared to be men's size twelve New Balance sneakers, ignoring him. I remember that she made an eggplant timbale, and told the wealthy matrons in the audience that they could save ten cents a pound by boning out their own chicken breasts. I imagined them all taking in that information and thinking: "I'll have the housekeeper do that from now on..."

[Pat]

I did enjoy the film very much, however. So, what was the anachronism in the last scene? The book cover?

I didn't get a good look at the cover, but it looked like the right colors, anyway The book, however, came out of what appeared to be a modern padded envelope.

[Pat]

Zora, Paul Child had one of the earliest heart-bypass surgeries in 1975 (?) and suffered a stroke on the operating table. He was robbed of much of his personality after that and Julia took very solicitous care of him until he needed a nursing home. That's the sad part of her life--after nearly 30 blissful years with him, the last 17 or so, were a heartbreak.

In last week's chat, Tom Sietsema was asked about a favorite Julia Child moment and wrote:

There are several. One was poignant, however. I was interviewing Julia in her hotel suite in NYC when she was interrupted by a phone call from her husband, Paul, then ailing and in a nursing home. She hung up the phone and asked, "Tom, are you married?" I said I wasn't. "Be AWFULLY careful who you choose," she said. "It's an AWFULLY long haul."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/08/05/DI2009080502809.html