The Scribe's Pen

Watch out…here comes one of my movie reviews!

My husband and some of his friends decided last night that they’d go  see the movie District 9.  Since they were meeting at a theater near Ballantyne it made no sense for us to go to church in South Charlotte…have hubby drive me back home to Northwest Charlotte…and then he drive back to South Charlotte for the movie.  Since I’m not into sci-fi movies so much I decided that I’d go see Julie and Julia.  First, we ate a wonderful lunch at City Tavern, did some browsing at Stonecrest Shopping Center, and then I made my way over to the Regal Cinemas since Julie and Julia started approximately 35 minutes before hubby’s movie.

I was not enthusiastic about this at first, because I don’t like to do movies alone.  I love sharing the movie experience with someone.  I think the last time I saw a movie alone was sometime back the 1990s when I went to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame to kill time while waiting for Eddie as he attended Promise Keepers at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (no women allowed).  I think of movies as social affairs…the more the merrier.

Well, I didn’t have to worry about being alone, because the theater was smack full!  The attendees were mostly women and elderly folks, but I’ve never watched a movie with a more pleasant group of people.  It was much better than a theater full of crying kids, or rowdy teenagers which is what Eddie and I usually experience.  I wasn’t sure how good the movie was going to be, because I’ve read some mixed reviews about it.  One reviewer called it a “total bore” while others said it was “delightfully funny” etc. etc.  I’ve learned to take reviewers’ opinions with a grain of salt, because they are basically paid snobs.  I never liked snobs in school, and I certainly don’t like them now.  They take up valuable space in the world in my opinion.

Anyway, Julie and Julia is based on two true stories…the story of Julia Child and the story of Julie Powell.  Both are passionate about cooking, and both want to write in some capacity. Julia Child first aspires to master French Cooking, and then to write a cookbook on French cuisine (in English…evidently…according to the movie before Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking there were no French cuisine cookbooks written in English).  Julie Powell dislikes her job as a clerk for a government agency, and would like become a writer.  Julie discovers the world of blogging and decides to blog her way through through Julia Child’s cookbook in a year…cooking the recipes and blogging about the experience.  Both have supportive husbands who support them in doing what they love.  Both have been secretarial workers, and both struggle to reach their culinary and literary goals.  One of the many things I liked about the movie was how it stayed true to the facts of  of Julia’s and Julie’s lives.  While there is humor and drama…it was real.  Some of the things you think might happen don’t, but it’s still a very inspiring movie, and makes you want to find and pursue your true passion.  For more on the plot go here.

The acting…OH MY…THE ACTING!

Meryl Streep is one of the best actresses I’ve ever seen.  She is so versatile and totally pours herself into any role.  She can make you fall in love the character if you’re supposed to love them…like in this movie, or she can make you tremble with fear in the presence of the character…e.g. Devil Wears Prada.  She becomes the character, and her portrayal of Julia Child is no different.  You really forget it’s Meryl Streep on the screen.  I think this might possibly be her best role yet, and it’s my opinion that she at least deserves an Oscar nomination for her role if not an out-right Oscar for Best Actress.

Amy Adams is my new favorite young actress.  She plays a great old-fashioned, all-American girl, and reminds me of actresses from the 1940-50’s era.  She does a great job of portraying the 30-year-old office worker who wants more for her life than just answering calls and filling out insurance forms all day.  I found myself having so much in common with her character .

The supporting actors do a wonderful job too.  It’s a very well rounded cast.

While I think I could’ve watched a movie on the biography of Julia Child alone the story of Julie Powell made it relatable to today’s young woman.

To sum it up…I was feeling kind of depressed today over various things, but after I saw Julie and Julia I feel inspired to pursue my passion(s) again.  I think that’s a testament that a feel-good movie has done it’s job.

Here’s the trailer:

Oh, and how did my hubby like District 9?   Well….the adjectives are too colorful to print in my blog.  Let’s just say he gave it 1 out of 5 stars.  I really think he would’ve loved Julie and Julia a whole lot better, because even though he’s a man’s man he really likes a good chick flick….wink, wink.

Bon Apetite!