I read the book, and enjoyed it. I've been reading reviews, and find it interesting that the ones I've read have mentioned that Julie's accomplishments pale in light of Julia's accomplishments, which I could see being true. I also heard that the movie makes LIC out to be a punchline, which I don't care for- Queens is an amazing place to live. I'll definitely catch it when it comes out on DVD; it's rare for me to venture out to the movie theatres.

I'm with TPS on this one, I can't imagine that I will see it in the theater, it's definitely a rental for me. I will see it though, because I read the book and really enjoyed it. I do not worship at the altar of Julia, but I am a HUGE Meryl fan, which insures that it will be at the top of my netflix cue when it comes out as a rental. Pups, did you read the book?

I definitely want to see it, but it'll be on DVD.

*checks local library for the book*

I've reserved a copy, yay!

Maybe I should get the book and read it.

If I didn't have major plans this weekend, I'd see the movie not because I'm a huge fan of either actress or the real people behind the characters, but I am looking forward to seeing a movie about women and their every day troubles separated decades apart.

I didn't read the book, msali, because I'd read enough of the blog as she was writing it to feel like I'd been there and done that.

≡ Click to see image ≡

Heh, that card made me laugh. In fairness, I'm not sure it accurately describes me REAL feelings on the issue.

It made me laugh too, richat, even though it's FUCKING BLASPHEMY.

hahahaha

Julia Fucking Child now? Is that what it's come to?

How excited are we all for the Runaways movie?

I hated the book. Julie revealed far too much about her friends' and families infidelities, to punch up her side of the story. The Julia story was the "real" story, I really didn't care to read about Julie and her blog readers aka "bleaders." Ugh.

Her next book is about her affair. Can't wait.

I can honestly say I'd rather have bamboo shoots put under my toenails than see that movie.

I'm definitely going to see it. It's really hard to get me out to the theatre, because I feel like the movie marketing train is leaving me behind - very few things I want to see. But I'll go out for a food movie like this, and as TrishaLynn said, movies with female protagonists that aren't romantic comedies are extremely rare beasts and very welcome.

I'm nuts about Julia Child herself, and nuts about Streep, and obviously nuts about culinary stories, and completely crazy-go-nuts about a movie starring women that is not a romantic comedy or morose drama, but I think I'll save this for a rental.

If it were only about Julia Child, I'd watch it immediately. But I read enough of the original Julie Powell blog to develop a potent distaste for her writing voice, and I'm not keen to hear it again, even filtered through a screenplay and an actress.

I'm actually curious to see the movie, despite the fact that most of my exposure to Julia Child was through Dan Ackroyd.

I am generally not a Nora Efron fan, but I am going to see this tomorrow.

Of course, I want to see it. I think Streep's performance is intended to be affectionate, not mocking. The Julie bits are getting panned as not nearly as interesting as Julia, but I can scnooze though those, I'm sure. I miss Julia; she was authentic.

My mother has been harping on me for the past few weeks to go see this with her. I never particularly cared for Julia Child (even though I'm just starting to get into cooking) and I really have no interest in going to see a movie about her.

Unfortunately, to my mother, this sounds like 'you're abandoning me to go sit in that lonely, desolate apartment.'

Julia Fucking Child now? Is that what it's come to?

From Wikipedia:

For a year, she worked at the OSS Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section in Washington, D.C., where she was a file clerk and also helped in the development of a shark repellent to ensure that sharks would not explode ordnance targeting German U-boats.

That's Mrs. Julia Fucking Child to you, punk!

Seriously, though, I highly recommend her book My Life in France to anyone with an interest in cooking, eating, writing, French culture, Cold War diplomacy, 1950s America, or really just anyone who enjoys reading about intelligent and creative people with a boundless curiosity about the world around them.

I know fuck-all about this blogger person.

I'm walking out the door in about 5 minutes to go see J&J with a bunch of my State Fair cooking buddies. (We all enter cooking contests, but even though we technically compete with each other, it's a pretty tightly-knit group of people.) Anyway, a bunch of middle-aged foodie women who grew up watching Julia are about to descend upon the theatre. I'll report back about the film, if anyone cares. :)

I've never been a huge fan, but I'd still boink Meryl Streep. Whatever "it" is, she's got it.

/classy

I hated the book. Julie revealed far too much about her friends' and families infidelities, to punch up her side of the story.

That's the new thing now! Why wait until someone decides your dirty laundry is interesting enough to write a book or make a movie about you when you can blog-to-bookdeal it yourself? I'm with you, I don't care for it. Plus, I have a hard time wanting to see a movie about a woman pulling her marriage together when I know that in "real life" it ended (this is the main reason I stopped watching "The Hills"- why watch Lauren and Heidi pretend to make up when I know that in reality they didn't?).

I read the book the other day and thought it was a mildly amusing trifle in parts, and as a writer she's got a flair for an evocative description or a good turn of phrase, but the whole LOOK AT ME BEING HILARIOUS AND SELF-DEPRECATING ABOUT HOW SHRILL AND NEUROTIC AND JUDGMENTAL I AM schtick was grotesque.

(whoops, hit "post" too soon!) So I have zero desire to see the movie in the theater, and possibly the faintest of desires to rent it, just so that I can experience the whole Meryl-as-Julia thing.

I feel I'd rather watch actual Julia Child than watch Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. I haven't read the book or the blog... in the commercials Streep makes Child look ditzy and airheaded, and I never thought Child was like that.

Well, I've just returned. (Had dinner at a lovely Brazilian place after the show.) The movie was fun, if you ignored the parts that didn't have Meryl Streep in them.

Meryl was fabulous. I loved Julia going in, and I thought Ms. Streep did a lovely job of portraying what I've always imagined she was like off-camera. The actor who played Paul (Julia's husband) was fun to watch and is a beautiful man, so that was nice.

The Julie parts...meh...I would have actually been fine without any of those parts. If it had been a bio-pic with just Meryl, I think I would have been happier.

Hysterical note: watching this movie with a bunch of chefs...correcting the film where they got the food wrong. (Which they did on a number of occasions...not just misrepresentations of recipes, but techniques...you think they would have asked a real chef to check the script or something.) I mean, it's little stuff, like whipping eggs in stoneware in the 40's...when there were copper bowls in the scene...erm...no.

Our group pretty much took over the theatre, there wasn't really anyone but us in there. The theatre was silent whenever Meryl was on the screen, but you could hear the whispers when the other actress was on screen because she held nobody's interest. The part was anemic, the character was barely fleshed, and it was dull and pedestrian at best. After the movie, we all decided that we hoped Julie *and* her husband were swallowed by NY Sewer Alligators.

Meryl's parts were filmed in fantastic locations, with astounding wardrobe...and frankly, nobody can chew scenery like she can.

To be fair; I didn't read the book...because I didn't care about the book. I read the blog briefly, but lost interest quickly, as it wasn't enough of a foodie blog to be interesting to me, and the personal crap was bleh.

All in all, I don't regret the 10 bucks for movie and giant coke, but I wouldn't buy the movie for my collection. I'd watch it again on cable maybe, if I were doing something else so I could tune out everything that wasn't Meryl Streep's part.

part of it was filmed in my place of mployment, so i had to deal with a parade of hollywood douchebags interrupting my workday. Plus from the ads, it looks really fucking precious.

I read the book the other day and thought it was a mildly amusing trifle in parts, and as a writer she's got a flair for an evocative description or a good turn of phrase, but the whole LOOK AT ME BEING HILARIOUS AND SELF-DEPRECATING ABOUT HOW SHRILL AND NEUROTIC AND JUDGMENTAL I AM schtick was grotesque.

I completely agree. I also read the book earlier this week. There were some funny and entertaining parts. I just got tired of her bashing everybody under the sun and talking crap about her friends. And I'm no prude but the cussing was out of control. The whole thing was gauche.

As for the movie I'll probably see it. I love Julia Child and Meryl Streep. I was about to step out and see the 10:30 show this evening at the theater around the corner by myself, but decided to go another night since I'm kind of sleepy.

While it sounds like something that would be right up my alley, I am dreading the Julie parts so much that I think I'll wait till video and FF all those parts and only watch Julia.

I have a copy of J&J,but I had to pack it away. All the movie reviews I've read say that the Streep scenes are the reason to see the movie,but I have to wait until Monday after next to use the discount coupon.

I read some of the blog when she was writing it, and generally enjoyed the blog. Didn't read the book. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, probably today.

Back to add that I love Amy Adams as well. Junebug is one of my favorite movies and without her it wouldn't be nearly as special. Too bad she is outshined in J/J according to the critics.

Julie Powell did have a fantastic idea for a blog and I think she's intelligent if a bit crude. I never read her blog when it was in progress, but I kinda wish I had. It got me thinking about blogs when they were a relatively new idea. It also got me thinking about why people start blogs as goal reaching devices. I'm sure it's for accountability and from the start I think Powell had the intention of parlaying the blog into a book, or at least some sort of opportunity. I'm guilty of dreaming of starting blogs myself. I'm always wanting to be more creative on a regular basis (painting, sewing, and such) and I have thought about starting a blog for accountability, but I question my need for validation.

Aaaaand two months later, I finally have the book. I'm not too far into it yet (page 47) but I'm enjoying it so far.