Dear Reader:

I don’t go to the movies often. In fact Maria has to drag me kicking and screaming. I don’t go for several reasons:

1. There hasn’t been a movie I wanted to pay $13 to see.

2. I have very little free time.

3. I can’t hear what they’re saying. (thank goodness for the new earphones for the hearing impaired).

In any event when I do go, I want it to be light, happy, joyful. I get enough angst from newspapers, television and many of my romance books. So kicking and screaming I went to see Julie & Julia the new movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams written and directed by Nora Ephron and based on two different true stories.

What a delight!  In case you live in a cave and haven’t heard, Julie & Julia is a movie about the rise of  famous chef Julia Child and the writer Julie Powell who spent 325 days cooking over 500 of Julia’s recipes and blogging about it. The delight comes from the fact that this movie was a romance in every sense of the word. The relationship between Julia Child and her husband Paul Child is endearing, loving and romantic. The respect and support they give each other is awe inspiring . Actor Stanley Tucci, who plays Paul, is masterful as the man who not only loves and cherishes his wife, but would do anything to support her in her journey to self-fulfillment. The story of Julie Powell, the writer who is bound and determined to find success and hits upon the idea of writing a blog about her year long quest to cook every single one of Julia Child’s recipes in her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is married to Eric, played by actor Chris Messina.  Here, we see a couple portrayed as supportive and caring in the face of adversity and discovery. Both are consummate love stories told through food.

This is easily my favorite Nora Ephron film and the way she juxtaposes these two woman’s lives both visually, emotionally, verbally and gastronomically is like sitting down to a beautiful and scrumptious repast that some one else has shopped for, prepared, cooked; and when all is said and done and the last glass of wine is poured and dessert  has been eaten they  do the dishes.

So, if you’re looking for a good movie to watch that is visually beautiful, romantic and brilliantly acted check out Julie & Julia.

Yours truly,

Marisa