In turn, that diary would become the book which inspired this wacky film by Nora Ephron.
Julie, like any number of rom-com heroines, is a kooky, idealistic, angst-ridden New Yorker. It’s an easy fit for Adams, dreaming of literary stardom while stuck in a dead-end job and fast approaching her 30th birthday.
Fortunately, she has a supportive husband, Eric (Chris Messina), who encourages her madcap ideas, including The Julie & Julia Project. The huge commitment means cooking 524 recipes in 365 days (after work) for the blog. Julia struggles to keep herself busy after relocating to France with her diplomat husband Paul (Stanley Tucci). Fortunately, she is the type who, given lemons will make lemonade - except she has a more sophisticated culinary sense.
She falls in love with French cuisine and decides she could even make a living from it. Streep exudes that passion in bucketfuls. One of the funniest and most eloquent scenes finds her chopping a mountain of onions at lightning speed and bringing Paul to tears.
That aside, it’s a blissful marriage, especially when compared with the increasingly strained relationship between Julie and Eric.
The novelty of The Project soon wears off for both, but Julie is adamant about finishing what she started. Ephron is careful not to let the drama get too heavy, taking a leaf out of Julia’s book and greeting every crisis with a smile and a platter of scrumptious goodies.
Two hours zip by thanks to the chemistry between Streep and Tucci, which is as warming as it is fun. The contemporary strand feels more like the conventional “chick flick” that Ephron is known for, but in a sense that’s what makes the contrast of lives so effective.
On the surface, Child’s image is of the 1950s housewife and further exploration of her life reveals a more avant-garde character.
