Weaving together the stories of American cook Julia Child (an astonishing Meryl Streep) and New York blogger Julie Powell, this is about two interesting women finding themselves through cooking. Julie Powell cooks her way through Child’s book of 500-plus recipes, giving herself a year to complete her challenge. She’s living the book, and Child, in her part of the film (where we get to see Streep and husband Stanley Tucci living life to the full in Paris) is writing the book.
This may sound like The Hours-meets-Nigella, but it’s actually a lot lighter than many films that concern a time switching narrative. The late Nora Ephron, who was the superb director behind hits such as You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, lends the film a charm and passion for its subject that’s rarely celebrated in serious adult films of today.
Julie & Julia (2009), directed by Nora Ephron, is released on blu-ray and DVD in the UK by Sony Pictures, Certificate 12.
