The good? Meryl Streep, who I don't think has ever turned in a poor performance in her career, which now spans more than thirty years. Her impression of Julia Child was pitch-perfect (I'm taking this on word of said friend and critics as my knowledge of the great Julia Child is limited). I also liked Stanley Tucci's performance as Child's loving husband, Paul.
The bad? Way too long!! At two hours, fifteen minutes the movie felt tedious; part of the problem was shifting between the two narratives: NYC/Queens circa 2002 - featuring blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and husband, Eric (Chris Messina) - and the 1940's showcasing the Childs, primarily set in France. I'm not sure what could have been done differently - after all, director Nora Ephron did need to provide enough detail to both stories - however someone needed to take a red pen to this screenplay--it was easily thirty minutes too long!
Amy Adams is a talented actress and her performance here was limited by the adaptation of the Julie Powell character; in the book, she was edgier...not as cute...and funnier. Her cooking meltdowns, as depicted on screen, were not nearly as monumental or as messy.
While a fun night out, this one is a skip, in my opinion...especially since the Bronxville movie theatre DID have other options that night...Renee Zellweger's "My One and Only" - has anyone seen this one?
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