Up front let me state that
I am in the minority as I don't think Streep is the greatest actress of the
century or whatever. To me she always seems to be 'acting' like saying, "Isn't
my accent great? Don't I look and act like my character should/would?" I didn't
care for her in "Mamma Mia" or "The
Devil Wears Prada" plus many of her
main movies.

Let me add that I really wasn't expecting much
walking into this movie. I thought it might be okay and a good way to get out of
the heat and humidity and maybe have a laugh or two.

I was wrong on both counts! "Julie & Julia" ,
with a few minor quibbles and one major problem, was a fun, entertaining couple
of hours in the theatre and should be a big summer hit.

For the first time I felt
Meryl Streep was the character she was
playing--she was/is Julia Child,
completely losing any mannerisms of Meryl Streep. She is funny, touching, joyful,
commanding and has strong actors/actresses to play against in her scenes. She is
over the top where and when she should be and, like Julia herself, deeply
feeling and almost organ-mastic about food and her husband! I learned many
things about these two people that I didn't know before. I don't know at what
point I forgot I was watching Meryl Streep and was watching Julia Child but it
was early in the film.

Stanly Tucci is excellent as Paul Child while
Frances Sternhagen, Eric Dilly, Jane
Lynch and Linda Emond, among others,
are an important part of the Julia Child story.

Where the movie fails, and
it is not due to the actors, is when it turns to the story of Julie. Her story,
her character, are no where as interesting as the Julia Child segments. Yes, it
is a true story of a blogger becoming
famous, and rich, but she is no Julia Child even though Amy Adams is a fine
actress just as Chris Messina, who
plays her husband, is no Stanly Tucci.

One of the surprising
aspects of "Julie & Julia" is the love story of Julia and Paul which
sustains the movie from beginning to end. You feel Julia's pain about not having
children and Paul's pride in all her accomplishments, not to mention the
romantic (and sex) scenes between them. The love story between Julie (Amy Adams)
and Eric  (Chris Messina) can't even
come close to the other love story in this movie, not to mention the love story
regarding food.

Mentioning food, don't go to this movie hungry as
you will be starving by the time it is over. The camera hovers over food as if
it were in love with the food as both Julie and Julia are, not to mention we the
audience are watching the cooking and eating. The sales of Child's book, "
Mastering The Art of French Cooking" should go sky high, again, as many will
want to try the dishes cooked in this film.

Though the film does run a
little long, too long, but there are touching and funny scenes along the way. I
defy you not to laugh out loud during the 'onion scene'--not the one in the
school but the one at home with Streep and Tucci.

This will be another hit for director/writer Nora
Ephron. Though not her best film it is certainly better than her last two and
she has actors who bring out the best in both her directing and the screen
play.

Yes there is sex in this movie but the scenes are
discreet and, yes, there is cursing but mostly mild words and though it is rated
PG-13 I wouldn't hesitate to take a child to see this film and have them fall in
love with good cooking and food.

My hat goes off to Meryl
Streep for being, not
playing, Julia Child!!!