Julie and Julia - A Food Blog Movie [General]

2009 May 2
Just found out about a movie, to be released in Aug 09, based on a true food blog story. Thought you guys may want to know. Looks like a light and fun movie.

It's called Julie and Julia, and it is a story about a food bloger, Julie Powell, who gains a following by cooking her way through Julia Child's famous cookbook "Mastering The Art of French Cooking". The story also tells about Julia Child's struggle to become a chef. You can check out the Julie and Julia trailer on You Tube.

2009 May 2
With Nora Ephron writing the script and Meryl Streep as Julia this could be a fun movie with wide appeal; the blog certainly gained wide attention. See the first trailer for it at www.moviefone.com

2009 May 2
I highly recommend reading the book. It's extremely funny, although it did make be feel guilty that I wasn't making three gourmet dishes a night too and guaranteed that I will never try to make an aspic! The book though has less about Juila Child in it than the movie but should appeal to anyone who enjoys food and cooking.

2009 May 2
I somewhat disagree - I read the book and did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I did enjoy the read generally speaking, but I was dissappointed in the lack of detail about the food and therefore wouldn't reccomend it as a "food" book necessarily. The book focuses on the author's life during the year in which she cooks through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", and also flashes to excerpts from Julia Child's life - I found it to be a nice memoir, but felt it focused more on the author's goings on and thoughts on life rather than focusing on the finer points and details of her food project - which is what I personally wanted to know about.

2009 May 2
FiH: I think Sadie was referring to Julie Powell's book not Julia Child's. The two books were adapted together for the screenplay.

I read Julia Child's (with her grandnephew Alex Prud'homme), "My Life in France" and really enjoyed it.
When I heard it was being made into a movie with Meryl Streep as Julia Child, I kind of thought that was a joke. Only in America. Tom Cruise had wanted the role but...wa wa :)
Saving grace maybe: Stanley Tucci is playing her husband, Paul Child.

I recommend the book (i.e. My Life in France)...and Stanley Tucci in the movie "Big Night" about two brothers from Italy (Tony Shalhoub is the perfectionist chef) who own and operate a restaurant in New Jersey.

2009 May 2
I am refering to the book "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell, which chronicles Julie Powells life during one year and flashes to Julia Child's life at intervals.
"My Life In France" is a totally different book. As far as I know the movie featuring Meryl Streep is based on "Julie and Julia", not "My Life In France".

2009 May 3
FF - any chance OttawaFoodies could get access to the screening of this like Waitress?! :)

2009 May 3
Looks interesting. I am going to check the book out..book is always better than the movie!

2009 May 4
Nooschi - Thanks for posting this... I haven't read the book, although I have heard about it (and the blog). Maybe I'll pick it up as one of my "summer foodie reads".

2009 May 4
FIH - I agree with you, she does write more about the effect food and cooking had on her life as apposed to the details of the dishes she makes. You wouldn't be able to recreate any of the recipes based on what's on the book. I still liked it, especially since I went into it with pretty low expectations, and it did inspire me to try some of the recipes in my MTAOFC which hadn't been touched in years! It's a nice, quick read. Unfortunately there's very little about Julia Child in it, it's really about Powell not Child, my understanding is that the movie will be more 50-50.

For those that are interested Powell's original blog is still online at blogs.salon.com/0001399/

2009 May 4
The other book that this movie is adapted from, as I mentioned above, is My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme.
If you're looking for more on Child's life/work and some detailed culinary experiences she and husband Paul enjoyed while living in Paris and Marseilles, it really is an enjoyable read.