Premiere night at the local cinema was crowded, only single seats available in the main body of the auditorium, so we sat in the fifth row, the better to see Meryl Streep having a grand old time impersonating cookbook author and proto-celebrity chef Julia Child in Julie and Julia.
Streep was her normal, incredible self, almost making herself invisible under that floppy wig. Definitely worth an Oscar nomination.
But to me, the best performance of the night was not Streep's, and it was not Stanley Tucci's as Julia Child's husband Paul, though they 
had terrific chemistry and great lines. Tucci also did a fantastic job in Big Night, another movie about food.
No, sir.
Amy Adams, whom I first loved in Enchanted lo these many moons ago (2007!), did the best job. Not the best job playing Julie Powell, the blogger who in one year made all 524 recipes in Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Adams did a great job impersonating Meg Ryan, who, if she were still young like Adams is, would've been the best choice for playing herself in the role of Powell.
Nothing much happens in Julie and Julia-- it's just plain fun, with a lot of great lines. The best one is probably the one that earned the flick its PG-13 rating. Look for the remark about the pasta.
What tension there is comes in the depiction of blogger Powell as a neurotic writer with confidence problems. Doing this, she looks and sounds exactly like Meg in When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle: the short hair, the skinny figure, the turned-up nose, the big, expressive eyes, the lying down in frustration and exasperation, the spunkiness, the adorability.
This all makes sense. The writer and director of the film is Nora Ephron, who also wrote the three movies above, and directed the latter two.
Although I like Meg Ryan a lot, and Amy Adams too, I sure wish Ephron had used more imagination in the depiction of Julie, because I think Adams is a brilliant actress and doesn't deserve to be Ryan.
And what about the movie? We laughed and laughed with the premiere crowd. Everyone was in a terrific mood afterwards. There's something to be said for a film that celebrates the can-do spirit in a perfectly straightforward way. Witty, charming, refreshing.
Go see it, even if you don't like Meg Ryan.
Did you see Amy in Confessions of a Shopaholic? It's a fun movie as well. She's delightful (I know that sounds like a grandma word, but she is).
Posted by: Sheryl | August 09, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Will have to check that one out, Sheryl.
BTW, a reader wrote this to me: "Amy playing Meg? Meg is much cuter." I do not agree with this, though When Harry Met Sally is in my top 3 of movies. I go with the redheads every time.
Posted by: DF | August 09, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Becca and I saw J&J today - we were possibly the youngest people in the theater, not sure why. Actually, I thought Amy did a fine job with Julie, maybe eclipsed a bit by Meryl, which is hardly criticism. The guy who played her husband did a fine job in support as well. I might entertain an "O" for best supporting actor for both husbands.
Posted by: Bob Mustin | August 09, 2009 at 07:15 PM
You're the first to agree with me on the Amy-as-Meg diagnosis of this performance! My opinion: it's not just Ephron's writing, but also Amy's own inflections that make her sound like Meg Ryan in the movies you mentioned. I'm entertained by Meg in all three, but not by Adams in this one. My kudos still mostly to Streep (and also to Tucci) for Julie & Julia.
Posted by: Ashlie | August 10, 2009 at 02:01 PM
Bob, I loved Stanley Tucci/Paul Child, but I didn't like the other guy-- he seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time stuffing his face with food, as if that would be a good way to convey that it was delicious. Tucci was way more subtle. Anyway, I liked him better.
Ashlie, I've seen Amy in "Enchanted" and "Night at the Smithsonian" and this is the first time I was reminded of Meg Ryan. Eerily reminded.
Thanks to both of you for your input!
Posted by: DF | August 10, 2009 at 04:21 PM
Adams has a good turn as a nun in Doubt, a film whose performances outweigh (for me) the script.
I liked this movie — a lot, but I wonder how many viewers end up wishing that it had been Julia & Paul.
Posted by: Michael Leddy | August 14, 2009 at 06:02 PM
Amy Adams wasn't in Confessions of Shopaholic. The actress is Isla Fisher. They do resemble each other though. :)
Posted by: TimTam | October 26, 2009 at 10:27 AM
TIm Tam, thanks for setting us all straight. And Michael, I think it would have been a good film just Julia and Paul. There is plenty of material, but maybe not enough twentysomething appeal.
Posted by: DF | October 26, 2009 at 06:37 PM