'Julie & Julia' review

Amy Adams (Credit: Jonathan Wenk/Sony)

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Before Julia Child (Meryl Streep) became a legendary TV chef, she was searching for a career while her husband (Stanley Tucci) worked a government job in Paris. Over 50 years later, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) has given up her writing dreams for steady work in a cubicle. But finding herself creatively stifled, she decides to start a blog documenting her efforts to spend a year cooking all 524 recipes in Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” cookbook. The movie has been jointly adapted from Child’s memoir “My Life in France” and Powell’s ode-to-Child “Julie & Julia.”

The buzz: Streep and Adams most recently shared the screen in “Doubt,” and both earned Oscar nominations. Whether or not “Julie & Julia” has any award appeal, the film definitely hopes to join Streep’s growing stable of female-friendly summer blockbusters, including “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Mamma Mia!” Guiding the actresses behind the camera is director Nora Ephron, who has frequently stumbled with the likes of “Bewitched” and “Lucky Numbers” but also delivered the hits “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail.”

The verdict: Whenever “Julie & Julia” focuses on the master chef it’s a pleasantly fluffy diversion anchored by a joyful performance from Streep. Julia’s story unfolds as a shallow but enjoyable biopic, happily free of the genre’s usual self-importance. But getting something half right would never have been good enough for Child, and the movie goes all sorts of wrong with Julie, whose irritating characterization tests the limits of Adams’ seemingly boundless likeability. You can’t fault the actress, she’s still a charmer, but Julie’s story is claustrophobic and narcissistic, especially juxtaposed with the wide open portrayal of Julia’s self-discovery. Streep’s scenes are elevated by all the best lines, great scenery and showiest supporting players (including a lively cameo from Jane Lynch as Child’s sister and the scene-stealing Linda Emond as a cookbook collaborator). Meanwhile, Adams suffers primarily in an apartment or cubicle, spending most of her time cooking or writing (is there anything less cinematic than blogging?), and always fretting about what might—or just did—go wrong. The entire film is dangerously low on drama, and Julie’s half seems like a natural way to add some extra heft by underlining Child’s legacy (or at least showing us more of her famous food, a surprisingly underused asset). Instead it just drags the movie down.

Did you know? There was a lot more food on set than you see on screen. Culinary consultant Susan Spungen (who launched “Everyday Food” magazine) and executive chef Colin Flynn (of the shuttered Alison on Dominick restaurant in New York) were responsible for keeping the results of Child’s recipes fresh and ready for multiple takes.

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