I had the chance this evening to see an advanced screening of the upcoming movie, Julie & Julia. It’s two true stories — the stories of Julia Child and Julie Powell.

Julia Child, we all know. Julie Powell is a blogger from Queens, NY who dedicates her life for a year, cooking every recipe from Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Julia Child is played spot-on, by Meryl Streep. Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams.

The food was another star of the film. You won’t get many tips for how to de-bone a duck, but it’s quite possible that you will leave the theater wishing you hadn’t just filled up on just popcorn. Coq au Vin anyone?

I grew up with Julia Child. Though I was raised in a suburban neighborhood, I went to a grade school where fights broke out daily. Not being much of a fighter, I found ways to avoid the scene. One way was that I would go home at lunch. My routine was to turn on Julia Child while I cooked up my lunch. This really was my first experimentation in the kitchen and it made my lunch hours fun for me.

The movie seemed to capture that for me. We get to view Julia through the eyes of Amy Adams’ character. Her naivete is a central element to the picture. Julia Child had some odd quirks and a personality that was bigger than life. We knew that from her shows, but through Julie Powell, we get to experience it in a different way.

The stories of the two women run parallel to each other, sometimes mirroring each other. It’s a fun way to tell the story and keeps it from ever dragging. Stanley Tucci is one of my favorite actors and he plays an excellent Mr. Child.

The movie is oftentimes hilarious. Some of the laughs are from the dialog and some are from Streeps perfect portrayl of Julia. It is fully entertaining and I highly recommend it. A-