Elevating the mediocre simply by one's presence is probably the definition of star power, and Streep makes good material better and marginal material worth watching.
Comment
08/07/09
Julie & Julia (2009)
75
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:193
Fresh:144
Rotten:49
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Boosted by Meryl Streep's charismatic performance as Julia Child, Julie and Julia is a light, but fairly entertaining culinary comedy.
Theatrical Release:11-09-2009
Synopsis: Meryl Streep is Julia Child and Amy Adams is Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron’s adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell’s Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with... [More]
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina
Director: Nora Ephron
Reviews for Julie & Julia
121 - 140 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Ephron has whipped up a sly, subtle, piquant confection that not only brings to life two fascinating women (or maybe one fascinating and one ingratiating) but also explores the differences between two eras.
08/07/09
Together the film's parallel stories do make slightly more than the sum of their ingredients, cooking up undemanding summer fun.
08/07/09
Ephron, like her heroines, has finally found what suits her: a surprising comic and romantic realism.
08/07/09
A feast of winning characters, sumptuous food, loving marriages, and strong women who stumble, laugh, cry, write and, of course, cook their way into our hearts.
08/07/09
Julie & Julia is a romantic comedy, too, but this time the romance is between two women, and one of them, truth be told, is a dud.
08/07/09
[T]he whole enterprise has a whiff of marketing to it. Did the filmmakers worry that Child wouldn't be 'relatable' to contemporary women? Was there a fear that the 18-35 demographic would decline to show up if it didn't have an onscreen representative?
08/07/09
A lighthearted comedy that's very easy to like, with some charming performances.
08/07/09
This old-fashioned star vehicle of the highest order lacks conventional drama and conflict -- and is none the worse for those absences.
08/07/09
Julie's setbacks are dealt out like the hand in a game we don't want to play anymore. We want to drop the cards and stay over at Julia's winning table.
08/07/09
Meryl Streep and Amy Adams cook up a treat in Julie & Julia.
08/07/09
Aesthetically, the film is phenomenal. Streep and Adams deliver fantastic performances and the parallels between the characters were fascinating.
08/07/09
A hi-carb generation gap gourmet outing contrasting elders hooked on sex, souffle and espionage with postmodern workaholic, too tired for romance youth. Though what's served up is basically Julia a la carte.
08/07/09
...a distillation of two good books into something less than intoxicating, but it's still good fun whenever Streep is on screen.
08/07/09
As usual, Meryl Streep steals the movie; but thanks to strong writing by Nora Ephron and delightful additional performances by Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci, "Julie and Julia" might steal your heart.
08/07/09
Cooking shows haven't just jumped the shark, they've pan-seared its still-beating heart and served it as a $40 mini burger with a side of couscous at a SOHO fusion joint. This backlash helps Julie & Julia, half of it, anyways
08/07/09
It's not enough to sustain a film that runs over two hours, but it does at least make it pleasant to sit through much of the time.
08/07/09
A breezy and thoroughly delightful comedy.
08/06/09
While the Julia Child material and Streep's performance are entertaining enough to warrant a recommendation, the other stuff is so dreadfully dull that you wonder why it even exists at all
08/06/09
With a whopping fifteen Academy Award nominations on her resume', and an almost guaranteed number sixteen thanks to her performance here, she (Streep) continues to amaze.
08/06/09
Latest News for Julie & Julia
August 06, 2009:
Critics Consensus: It's Quiet For G.I. Joe. Too Quiet.
This week at the movies, we got real American heroes (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, starring Dennis Quaid and Sienna Miller); kitchen chronicles (Julie & Julia, starring Meryl... More...
August 06, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Go, Joe!
Some real American heroes look to storm the box office this weekend as Paramount unleashes its latest toy franchise film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Sony counters with the... More...
July 31, 2009:
Julie & Julia: Food Facts in Pictures
French chef Julia Child's fascinating transformation from neophyte to TV cook is the subject of next week's Julie & Julia, or rather part of the story; the other half is told... More...
July 29, 2009:
Film Food Ready for Its Close-Up in Julie & Julia 
Nora Ephron's "Julie & Julia" isn't just one of the more intriguing movies being targeted at the female demographic this summer -- it also represents just how far food in film... More...
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