Julie & Julia

I utterly adore the film Julie & Julia.  We watched it (again, for me) tonight, and I just can't get over how inspiring, funny, and heart-warming it is for me.  I saw it when it came out in the theatres a few months ago with my good friend Tiffani, and loved it so much I went out and bought the two books it was done from - My Life in France by Julia Child, and Julie & Julia by Julie Powell - that night.  Needless to say, I haven't actually gotten to read either one (darn, why didn't I think to bring them to read on the plane?!), but really do hope I can soon.

I think my first love is just the character of Julia Child...I hope Meryl Streep gets and Oscar for it, because she just did an absolutely amazing job.  I adore her Julia...to the point I want to learn more and more about her...and possibly pick up some of her videos or books...or maybe even learn how to cook!  LOL


The love of food in the film is just tangible...and the love between the couples is so amazing.  I adore the partnership between Julia and Paul (and I just love Stanley Tucci!), and also Julie's relationship with her husband is beautiful as well.

I delight in seeing Julia's sister and then Avis, and her reaction to each meeting.  I cry every time they touch that longing for a child in Meryl's performance.  I rejoice in Julia's triumphs in cooking school (oh, the onions!), and the eventual acceptance of the book.  I long to know her!

But along with my love of Julia's character, is how I relate to Julie's side of the story.  There she is...on the edge of thirty...trying to find something to power through, some project to keep herself going through life - something important to say, "Yes, here I am!  See, I can make my mark too!"  She is lucky enough to have someone by her side through all this - I so far am going it alone.  But when they get to her 30th birthday party and she says something about how terrible she thought it would be, they made it bearable, and not so bad...yep, definitely felt if not said, something almost exactly the same this year...

And Paris...oh PARIS!  It just makes me want to go there...speak French again...EAT...  Everything was a beautiful, gorgeous (albeit rosy) version of a city I've had a vague inkling I'd like to visit someday, turned to a raging 'I need to go NOW!' urge that is very uncharacteristic of this person who travels for people, not places.  I've really never had the huge travelling bug, seeing places just isn't a huge priority for me (seeing people IS), but this film just makes me want to hop the next ocean-crossing flight and somehow catch a Delorean to go back in time to this picturesque town.

Surprisingly, I didn't think to just buy this movie.  I rented it from RedBox, but since it's only $1, then I'll be fine to buy it later.  If I had to pay more than that, I probably would have weighed the difference and bought my own copy, because I know I'll watch this one at least a few more times before I'm tired of it...if ever...