RonVitale: September 2009

My wife and I were able to go to the movies the other night and we saw "Julie & Julia." Overall I enjoyed the film, but I would agree with Adam and Matty of Filmspotting.net in that the Julia parts were so much more compelling than the modern day Julie scenes. I love Amy Adams, but the scenes written for her were contrived, pretty predictable and downright boring. Boo-hoo, husband and wife argue at how hard Julie's cooking all those recipes in one year is. The buildup just didn't add up to a good payoff. However, Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were a joy to watch on screen. Their rapport, the challenges they go through--I just wanted to see more. Each time the movie switched back to New York 2002 I groaned inwardly, hoping that the scene wouldn't last too long so that I could get back to seeing the real story.

But here's the interesting thing. The truth is starting to come out. It seems that all isn't rosey in the true life of Julie Powell. Here's an interesting tidbit I learned: "Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession, [Powell's next book] reveals the extramarital affair she had with an old friend was met with both eyerolls and raised eyebrows, and her publisher's decision to push back the book's release date and screenwriter Nora Ephron's omission of the affair from the film...." I heard about this from my wife and if you want to read more, check out the Newsweek article. What bothers me about Nora Ephron's decision to cut out the affair from the movie is that the film plays out like a watered down high school play. Girl is upset with her life, decides to do something challenging, suffers along the way and, presto, all is solved (magically).

The problem is that life isn't that simple and it would have been wonderful to see a film that had a bit more teeth to it. But, God forbid, the story be told about how Julie's affair was sadomasochistic and that she wanted this type of a sexual relationship. What is so disturbing is that a person's life has been watered down, made to look appealing and "wholesome," but the spirit and soul of the project has been left out. We don't really get to know Powell and the struggles and quest for meaning she went through. Wouldn't it be wonderful if more directors and writers took a chance to make films that matter rather than create films to help brainwash Americans to feel all safe and sound in our little white picket fenced houses?

I would recommend the film, but I'm much more intrigued in reading Julie Powell's book as, at the end of the day, aren't we all flawed, but it's our insecurities and faults, and how we overcome them, that's the true story. In the film Julie and Julia, you're seeing only a piece of the pie, but, honestly, I would have preferred to have the entire meal--from soup to nuts.