Julie & Julia

I went into this thinking, "Okay, a movie where real life parallels a historical person." It really wasn't that.

Instead, we have two distinct stories. Yes, there are a few similarities, but I think they're much better seen separately. One about a modern woman who feels lost and unsatisfied. She has a wonderful husband, a crummy apartment, and an emotionally stressful going-nowhere job. She then becomes completely obsessed with Julia Child, cooking her way through her French cookbook. Meryl Streep was fantastic as Julia Child; I loved how she could see other people's disapproval at times and rise above it. That is more impressive than not caring. Amy Adams was a sad Julie Powell, searching for happiness in her day-to-day existence.

Moments were sweet and inspiring. I knew little about Julia Child before the movie and greatly enjoyed learning more. Julie Powell was an every-woman; we all feel monotony at times. This was definitely a charming story but there were many times I felt it lagging. At 123 minutes, it felt a lot longer. But at the end, I did feel like it just... stopped. Especially with Julia/Julie. But I guess the major parallel of writing was complete, so the story ended. I would recommend this to others looking for a good, semi-realistic story. But I would suggest the matinee.