Julie and Julia is a wonderful film that I would recommend to anyone, despite the lack of explosions, foul language and car chases. It really is just a charming story based on the lives of two women, Julia Child and Julie Powell.
We all know who Julia Child is, the woman who brought French cooking to American kitchens via her massive tome Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie Powell is the woman who decided in 2002 to cook all 524 recipes, in 365 days, and write about it on her blog, The Julie/Julia Project. The film moves seamlessly between Julia's life in Paris, circa late fifties,  and Julie cooking away in a tiny kitchen in her Queens, NY apartment located over a pizza parlor. Meryl Streep is brilliant as Julia, a lively American woman who almost accidently becomes the beloved icon of fine cooking. She really is just a bored housewife looking for something to keep her busy when she enrolls at Paris cooking school Le Cordon Bleu. When her husband asks what it is she likes to do, Julia replies "Eat. And I'm so good at it."
Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams, is an almost 30 year old who feels her life so far has amounted to nothing when she decides to challenge herself to cooking every recipe in Child's famous French cookbook. She works all day in a government office and then comes home to create another meal of fine French cooking. She blogs about her experiences, and slowly gains a fan base and finally the attention of NY Times food critic, Amanda Hesser, who comes over for dinner one evening. Because of the media attention, Julie is offered a book deal, which this film is based on.
The supporting cast includes Stanley Tucci as Julia's husband Paul, who works for the State Department. Chris Messina plays Eric Powell, the supportive husband of Julie. The screenplay was written by Nora Ephron, who also directed.
I've seen this film twice and both times the audience applauded enthusiastically as the credits rolled. I always like it when that happens. It's fun to see a movie with lots of people who are enjoying the experience. That's why I will always prefer going to the movie theatre. Julie and Julia will be playing at the Palace Theatre in Friday Harbor through Thursday, September 17th. So make a date and treat yourself to a fun night at the movies.
MOLLY'S RATING: 96

 

I believe that just about everyone I talked to about this movie agree with Molly’s assessment. Inspired by the content of this movie I have decided to recommend a French wine. (Really. Go figure.) In fact, because there are two main characters, I will recommend a French red and a French white.
For the red, I have stumbled upon a fantastic little gem from the Corbieres appellation, Chateau de Vaugelas. 35% syrah, 30% grenache, 30% carignan and 5% mouvedre this wine has wonderful fresh acidity with nice brambleberry notes on the palate and hits of mocha in the mid-palate and finish. The tannins are solid and very approachable now and the finish is clean and pleasant. A great match with grilled meats or ripe cheese. This wine is a super deal at $11.99... You can afford to buy a couple of bottles after the movie.

The white is one of my personal favorite white Bordeaux. Chateau Ducasse which is a blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc. Good acidity and fresh minerality, this white shows refreshing citrus notes on a clean palate which linger in your mouth for some time. This white is wonderful solo but would be a great match with shellfish or pasta with a white sauce. This baby will not bust your budget at $15,99.
 There you go.... Hopefully you were inspired by the movie to open that French cookbook, whip up some fantastic food and enjoy some fine wine.    Stan