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Starring |
Meryl Streep
,
Amy Adams
,
Stanley Tucci
,
Chris Messina
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Directed By |
Nora Ephron
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Audio
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DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
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Visuals
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16:9 Widescreen
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Running Time |
123 mins
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UK Release Date |
March 8, 2010
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Genre |
Drama, Comedy
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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In 1948, Julia Childs (Streep) and her diplomat husband, Paul (Tucci,) move to Paris, where Julia embarks on a career as a chef. Learning the trade at a prestigious cooking school, Julia quickly discovers her knack in the kitchen and before she knows it, she is on the road to becoming a legendary culinary queen. In 2002, A Queens-based blogger, Julie Powell, sets out to cook her way through Julia Child’s infamous cook book, ‘Mastering The Art Of French Cooking’, despite the pressures the mission puts on her personal relationships.
Combining the fascinating memoirs of Julia Childs’ life in France and the not so interesting tale of Julie Powell’s early blogging career, it’s perhaps no surprise that Julie & Julia ends up being completely uneven. The film is at its best whenever Streep (brilliant) and Tucci (irresistibly sweet) are onscreen, and indeed, an entire movie about their post-war lives together would have been far more entertaining. The Julie parts of the movie are weak and sometimes intolerable, mainly because of the lack of any real story and the fact that Julie Powell is so unlikeable. Certainly, the whining hack who failed to win the approval of Julia Childs with her bid for infamy is so unpleasant that even the brilliant Amy Adams fails to make her the slightest bit appealing.
While Julie & Julia isn’t the kind of film that screams out for a hi-def purchase, the picture and sound quality still manage to impress. The picture is as perfect as a Julia Childs poached egg, complete with great depth, plenty of texture and a blemish-free sharpness. The audio is equally as impressive, with clear dialogue and a subtle but atmospheric surround sound experience.
The extras include an interesting commentary with director Nora Ephron, and a revealing ‘behind the scenes’ featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew. Friends and family speak fondly of Childs for about 50 minutes on the ‘Remember Julia Childs’ feature, and there are also some entertaining ‘cooking lessons’ featuring some archive footage of the brilliant chef.
Overall Verdict: An uneven movie but a mouth-watering Blu-ray presentation.
Special Features:
Movie IQ ‘Julia’s Recipe Collector’
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Nora Ephron
‘Creating Julie & Julia’ Featurette
‘Family & Friends Remember Julia Child’ Featurette
‘Julia’s Kitchen’ Featurette
‘Cooking Lessons’
Trailer
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths
