# Julie and Julia **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028 "2009-07-23T19:31:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/1 "2009-07-23T19:31:56Z")
Why did they have to make a movie out of [this](http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Julia-Year-Cooking-Dangerously/dp/031604251X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248377155&sr=8-1) wonderful little book? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/2 "2009-07-23T19:35:10Z")
Haven’t read the book, but the trailer rubbed me the wrong way. I’d love to watch a movie starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. But then came the line, something like ‘Why don’t I blog about it?’ It just sounded so wrong and, my friends agreed, like a cinematic red flag. Maybe the younger generation is ready for movies about blogs or books transmitted through texts… I am not. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/3 "2009-07-24T04:25:05Z")
I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt. My fiancee is a french chef and loves Julia Child with a love that frightens me a little (he still loves me more… I’m pretty sure…). He wants to see that part and I’m willing to give the rest of it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/4 "2009-07-24T05:27:35Z")
I’m curious to see just how they turned a blog-turned-book into a movie. I imagine a lot of tense scenes where Blogspot eats a post or someone leaves a nasty comment. Also, lots of blog stat checking, for verisimilitude’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/5 "2009-07-24T07:04:45Z")
I think Streep is great at comic material. Always entertaining. And Julia Child was pure comedy all by herself. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/6 "2009-07-24T10:54:28Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Why did they have to make a movie out of [this](http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Julia-Year-Cooking-Dangerously/dp/031604251X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248377155&sr=8-1) wonderful little book? I’d prefer to see a movie of just Julia; the movie combines not only the cooker/blogger’s book but also Child’s autobiography, _My Life in France_. Frankly, there’s enough material in her life, that of a OSS wartime worker turned chef, to carry a movie on its own. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/7 "2009-07-24T12:27:45Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I’m curious to see just how they turned a blog-turned-book into a movie. I imagine a lot of tense scenes where Blogspot eats a post or someone leaves a nasty comment. Also, lots of blog stat checking, for verisimilitude’s sake. There was enough going on in her life, and in the interludes of Julia’s life they examine, that there’s plenty of tension without that. It was a cool little book, and I’ll probably get around to watching the movie eventually. Probably not in the theater, but how can you turn down Meryl Streep as Julia Child? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/8 "2009-07-24T16:18:21Z")
It’s Merryl Streep as Julia Child. What’s not to love? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/9 "2009-07-24T16:28:47Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > It’s Merryl Streep as Julia Child. What’s not to love? Yeah, I just might have to bite the brioche and go see the movie. Streep is cool, but I’ll bet Julia could have handled the role herself just fine. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/10 "2009-07-24T17:04:54Z")
I dunno, Julia’s not as animated as she used to be… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/11 "2009-07-24T17:10:03Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > I dunno, Julia’s not as animated as she used to be… It’s not a big deal. Just wash her off. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/12 "2009-07-24T17:24:52Z")
I’m of two minds about this. I like the concept. I haven’t read the book but I don’t see why it should be difficult to pull off. The only downside is my loathing for Meryl Strepthroat. I’ve always thought she was horribly overrated. That said, from what I’ve seen of the trailers it looks like she’s nicely reined in and doing a good version of Julia. If that’s the case, it will be worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/13 "2009-07-24T17:26:39Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > I dunno, Julia’s not as animated as she used to be… > [@Captain Amazing](#): > > It’s not a big deal. Just wash her off. I was very careful to respectfully put my statement in the past tense, and _still_ you guys just couldn’t resist. tsk tsk tsk 😃 ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/14 "2009-07-24T18:10:56Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > The only downside is my loathing for Meryl Strepthroat. I’ve always thought she was horribly overrated. This statement just made my head explode. My mileage _definitely_ varies! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/15 "2009-07-24T18:58:35Z")
In her book, Julie introduced me to a dish I’d never tasted; Julia’s Potage Parmentier. A simple potato and leek soup which I like to serve warm in large soup mugs. Good while watching the movie on dvd. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/16 "2009-07-24T19:34:18Z")
Last week’s New Yorker profiled Nora Ephron, who wrote (??) and directed the movie. Frankly it sounds delightful…although (I think it was this article; I’ve read a couple) they stated that the Streep/Child/France aspects of it are far more engaging vs. Adams/Julie/Queens part of it - not as a comment on the acting, more that watching the “emergence of Julia Child as a cooking legend” is a “better” story vs. a woman trying to cook through Julia’s book in a year as a way to connect more to her family… ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/17 "2009-07-24T20:05:24Z")
Hell, Julia Child herself had an amazing life. Couldn’t they just have done a movie about her life all by itself? ---
**Author:** ![Soapbox\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/18 "2009-07-25T00:36:35Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > It’s Merryl Streep as Julia Child. What’s not to love? The fact that it’s intertwined with another movie that I have absolutely no interest in seeing. Maybe they can release them on separate DVDs? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/19 "2009-07-25T00:45:04Z")
Streep may be a great actress but it’s like playing the King of Siam or Zorba the Greek. Let’s face it: Dan Aykroyd owns the role. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028/20 "2009-07-25T01:04:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Hell, Julia Child herself had an amazing life. Couldn’t they just have done a movie about her life all by itself? But then we wouldn’t get a movie with both the legendary Meryl Streep (who’s great at playing comedy) AND the truly wonderful Amy Adams. Jesus, haven’t any of you people seen **Enchanted**? **Junebug**? **Mrs. Pettigrew Lives For A Day**? **Catch Me If You Can**? **Sunshine Cleaning**? **Doubt**? Lordamitey, it’s AMY FUCKING ADAMS! I’d see it for her even if Meryl weren’t in it. Her portion of the movie will be wonderful, just because it’s Amy Adams. And Meryl Streep not totally brilliant and the best actress who ever lived? Huh. Does Not Compute. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julie-and-julia/504028.md?page=2)