culture

Now in Panama's theaters

Julie & Julia (2009)
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina
Story by: Julie Powell (Screenplay by Nora Ephron)
Director: Nora Ephron
Producers: Nora Ephron, Amy Robinson, Laurence Mark
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 123 minutes

It is rare to find a Nora Ephron movie that is not popular with the public --- When Harry Met Sally… is consistently in polls for best romantic movies of all-time, but you can never accuse her movies of lacking substance. They might be cute, but they don’t lack depth --- something that is hard to find in many movies of this genre.

We have this rare combination in Ephron’s latest movie Julie & Julia. Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia was a blog before it became a bestselling novel written by Julie Powell; She is a girl who decides to do all of the recipes in Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year, blogging about her progress. The idea is a wonderful one, and you find yourself rooting for Powell throughout the movie (played with touching candor by Amy Adams who is little by little becoming a force in the acting world thanks to standout roles in Doubt and Enchanted).

The movie is two stories in one --- Julie Powell’s desire to complete all the recipes before her deadline of a year, and of Julia Child’s (played with radiant brilliance by the ever chameleonic Meryl Streep) time in France when she was learning to cook at the Cordon Bleu --- of her struggles and of her triumphs. It is the kind of movie that leaves you with a warm glow afterwards thanks to its two very likable heroines, charming soundtrack (by Alexandre Desplat), and outstanding performances.

It is the kind of movie that anyone can enjoy --- just make sure you buy some popcorn, at least, because you’ll leave the theater hungry for chocolate cake and Boeuf Bourguignon.