Saw Julie & Julia. No wonder the food bloggers were so enthused in their reviews. In terms of viewing it as an aspiring cook, I think it was interesting and inspiring somewhat. In terms of judging it as a movie, I would give it a 6.5/10. It was a normal feel-good movie, really. I felt it was a little draggy at certain points. However, kudos to Meryl Streep who was fantastic in her role as Julia, utterly outstanding lovable actress.
It was a story of two individual lives of accidental cooks of 2 different eras, which was somehow connected in some way.
I shall not divulge the story too much for those of you who have not seen it yet and intend to, lest it dampens your appetite.
One major lesson I learnt from this movie - It is never too late to start. Julia Child (1912 - 2004) married her husband at the age of 40 and also started to get into cooking seriously at the same time. It took her 8 painful years to finally get her book "Mastering The Art Of French Cooking" published, which eventually became a best seller. Each of us has our own hidden talents we will discover when the time is right. Fret not that it comes too late. Only regret if you cannot persevere. You have to commit to taking personal responsibility for your own success. You have to take setbacks in stride, and learn from them.
This is the first movie about blogging, how Julie Powell (born in 1973), in her struggling office day job took to chronicling her attempt to cook Julia's 524 recipes of french cuisine in 365 Days, in her blog. By the end of the one year, she has turned into an overnight sensational chef cum food writer. She was crushed when she was told that her idol Julia Child did not want to meet her. I can understand why the old lady "hates" her.
Julia Child had to wait 8 long years before anyone was willing to publish her book. She painstakingly learned, tested and tried cooking all the recipes, translating them from French to English, all of the 524 recipes, AND by using a type writer in those days. Julie Powell hit fame within a year just by blogging about duplicating her idol's recipes and sharing her thoughts. Thus, the beauty of how technology has evolved between the 2 eras, and somewhat unfairness.
Another lesson learnt: Self-confidence is the key to Julie's and Julia's success. I quote Bud Bilanich .... "Both Julia Child and Julie Powell surrounded themselves with positive people. They had loving, supportive spouses and a small circle of friends who believed in them and encouraged them through the tough times". So you see, being self-confident is damn important.
Oh, and I also learnt from the movie, that we can never have enough butter for anything. It is the soul to anything you cook, a simply rich indulgence (plus clogged arteries). Hehehe....
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