Julie & Julia

Earlier last week I was invited by Nuffnang to attend a free preview screening of the upcoming movie Julie & Julia, and I must say that this is a really refreshing change from the usual romance comedies or action movies. Thanks must certainly go to Ms Raine from Nuffnang for contacting me about the movie tickets, and although she told me that there isn't a need to blog about the movie, I just thought I would say a few words about it.


Julie & Julia depicts the life of Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) in the early years of her culinary career as she tries to publish a definitive American guide to French cooking. Her life story becomes intertwined with modern day Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams) who embarks on an ambitious mission to cook all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook within a single year, in part as a bid to find some drive and meaning to her life. Almost needless to say, this movie will take you back and forth between the lives of the two ladies as they cook (and love) with ardent passion and dedication.


So you're probably wanting to ask now, why should I watch it? Well aside from it being a refreshing change, this is defintely a movie for those who love food and would know how it feels when you taste something absolutely delicious - that same indescribable sense of satisfaction and delight that even us food bloggers find it so hard to express, more often than not having to settle with superlatives like "fantastic", "wonderful" or even "yummylicious".


That said, this is a movie especially for food bloggers, even more so for those who post their own recipes and kitchen creations on their blogs. I think I can say for most of the food bloggers in the theatre that the thoughts, actions and emotions that constantly run through Julie - having to keep blogging to reach readers she has never met nor known, having that excitement when she gets random comments on her posts, deciding to add bits and pieces of her life story for that personal touch and even wondering if the readers are concerned with the slightest of a virtual hiatus - are the same things that we go through as food bloggers who love food and who just want to share the joy to anyone and to everyone out there.


The movie goes on for 123mins and I have to admit that by the 103-min mark I was finding the movie a little draggy. Still, the frequent display of delectable-looking dishes continues to elicit gasps, whistles and sounds of awe from the audience throughout the movie and you could tell it was an enjoyable experience. A pity we couldn't get a taste at all of the food (we wish!), but right here my advice to you is to not go in with an empty stomach but instead have some popcorn or nachos by your side - I'd especially recommend sweetened popcorn. If there's just one more takeaway from the movie, it would be that of love surely, seeing how the doting men stood by their ladies as much as they possibly could. And that feeling of seeing your loved one enjoy your cooking - priceless.