by Ginny O'Keefe
BONJOUR! It’s now been 10 years since Amy Adams (with a bad wig) and Meryl Streep (with platforms to make her look 6’2”) starred as the title characters in the delicious Nora Ephron film, Julie and Julia. The film follows New Yorker Julie Powell in 2002, challenging herself to make every recipe in Julia Child’s famous cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” while simultaneously chronicling Child’s start of her cooking profession in 1950’s France. I saw this film for the first time in theatres when it premiered back in August 2009 and thank God I had a large popcorn and Buncha Crunch by my side because otherwise I would’ve died of starvation.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite food film ever. It lets a legend and a regular person share the spotlight while paralleling each other through their obsession and love of good French food. This film inspired an interest in the culinary arts for this then 14-year-old me. I decided to make more food for myself (instead of just relying on my mom)...
After the movie I tried to recreate the mouthwatering scene when Julie pours her red wine in the stew of her simmering bœuf bourguignon wondering if I could make steam come out of the pot the same way. Unfortunately, all I had were a few pieces of leftover skirt steak that I let simmer on a frying pan, so the results were ...disappointing. I swear my cooking skills have dramatically improved since then!
I put this movie in the category of “Over and Overs” movies you can watch multiple times, sometimes even more than once in a single day (and thanks to TBS marathons and Netflix, I have). It's really from the joy it brings. I love watching Amy struggle to make the perfect recipes while also making something of her life. I love watching Meryl emulate an icon while falling in love with everything Parisian. I love watching the intricate and expensive recipes being made and then the satisfaction of watching the actors actually eat them afterwards. And it's so satisfying that the hard work that both titular characters put into their love of cooking pays off in the end.
In the years since Julie & Julia I have developed a similar relationship with Chrissy Teigen’s cookbook “Cravings”, and nearly every time I’m in the kitchen making a complicated recipe I play the Julie & Julia soundtrack on Spotify. It’s simply a delicious and utterly warm film to watch. To this day my mother and I do our best impressions of Meryl doing her best impression of Julia Child. “That’s myuh motttOHHH!” This film may have aged 10 years, but it doesn’t get old. So in honor of it’s 10th anniversary, rewatch it. But make sure you have food nearby.
And for a little bonus, here’s the recipe for Julia Child’s famous bœuf bourguignon which was one of the heavy-hitting recipes in the film.