Julie & Julia

Fair warning dear readers: the only humanly possible way to get through "Julie & Julia" comfortably is to eat a HUGE delicious meal beforehand. Otherwise, you'll be destined to be daydreaming of buttery enchantments throughout the entire film - which of course isn't a bad thing, but you'll be missing out on all the rest of the good stuff while you're busy drooling down your shirt.

Part biopic...part comedy...part...okay okay our story...Julia Child as we know was a phenomenal cook and she was responsible for bringing French cooking into American households. This film reveals how Julia turns her love of food into something bigger. We are also introduced to New Yorker Julie Powell...a gal stuck in a rut with a penchant for cooking. To mix up her life as she approaches 30, Julie takes it upon herself to write a blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The narrative skips lightly back and forth in time following Julia's entry into the world of French cooking while simultaneously revealing more of Julie's life and the challenges she faces while trying to tackle Julia's recipes. The film is marvelous and the performances are every bit as delectable as the food.

Meryl Streep embodies Mrs. Child with unrelenting poise and hilarity. I've generally been impressed with her performances in the past. Heck, the woman has been performing strong for over 30 years but I truly believe she's just starting to hit her stride. Her most recent choices have really shown off her dynamic range - particularly her amazing comedic timing. Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams who continues to surprise and impress me with her lovable gentle performances. She can make me cry in about a second and then in the next moment, I'm laughing. Julia Child's wonderful husband is played by the ever-dapper, always wry Stanley Tucci. And Powell's husband is played by Chris Messina with all the humor you would imagine the real Julie's husband would have to have to survive a year of this gastronomical roller coaster of an adventure.

"Julie & Julia" is a delightfully splendid culinary & cinematic treat! So much so, I ran to the store right after it was over. What's for dinner you ask? I'll tell you this much, it's got butter - and lots of it.

The trailer for "Julie & Julia" is here.