Julie & Julia

Review by Sean Lynch

Julie & Julia, the latest feel-good hit from Hollywood veteran Meryl Streep, could just as easily be renamed Mrs. Doubtfire 2 : Hot Flush.

The majority of Australians will be unaware of the cultural impact that the larger-than-life American cook, Julia Child, had on the universe of "At Home Cuisine" - so superficial comparisons to Robin Williams bubbly nanny are bound to cross your mind.

But once you get past the fact that Julia Child looks and carries herself like a Sydney Swans Full Forward - Julie & Julia proves to be something of a cinematic revelation.

Already a huge hit in America (where the flick has taken over $90M) the film follows Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two bestselling memoirs:

Powell's Julie & Julia and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme.

In a truly refreshing take on the over crowded "biopic" market, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives and stories of these two equally fascinating women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends... 

That is, of course, until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness (and seven heart attacks worth of butter) anything is possible.

On the surface, Julie & Julia should just be another paint-by-numbers fluffy affair - but it soon becomes apparent that it is so much more.

There is a sense of joy that exudes from the screen which is simply inescapable.

Maybe it's just me getting mushy in my old age (or the fact Julia Child seems identical to my Aunty Joan) but Streep's take on Child - as a woman who just finds the joys of life in almost everything - is nothing short of inspiring.

It's the sort of unabashed, unpretentious positivity which is sorely lacking in the world (let alone in the world of "cheesy does it" cinema), and Julie & Julia delivers it in spades.

Team that with a great cast, great performances (Streep, Adams and Stanley Tucci as Child's husband are all so charismatic on-screen), some decent cooking tips and a surprising amount of laugh-out-loud moments... and you've got yourself something pretty special here.

Forget about the "Feel Good" movie of the year, Julie & Julia is the "Feel Fantastic" movie of the year.

4.5 out of 5

Julie & Julia
Australian release: 8th October, 2009
Official Site: Julie & Julia
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina
Director: Nora Ephron