"Julie and Julia" - A Film Reflection by Patty Mooney

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After recently reading Frances Mayes's "Under the Tuscan Sun," my relationship with my kitchen improved vastly. I became more interested in fresh herbs and olive oils and bought a potpourri of them just to taste the differences. I even bought a crate of hand-pressed Tuscan olive oils from the Mayes's own press which should be arriving in the month of March. And I can't wait! Have I become a foodie?

Last night Mark and I stayed up late to watch "Julie and Julia," and I was in tears of laughter almost from the very beginning. Why? It is obvious to me that this movie is all about love and I saw the relationship between Mark and me reflected so many times in the relationships of both couples. I enjoyed how Julia and Paul, at the latter end of their "middle age," still ravaged each other passionately in the bedroom, and how the younger couple, probably half the age of Julia and Paul, were experiencing the tug-of-war that is common in the beginning of a marriage.

Director Nora Ephron deftly intertwines all these love affairs... The one between Julia and Paul Childs, the one between Julia and food, the one between Julie Powell and her husband, Chris, the one between Julie and the Julia in her head, the one between the two women and the concept of cooking and the one between Julie and her blog-readers. I saw myself in so much of this movie that it was almost an emotional rollercoaster for me.

The idea of making over 500 complicated French dishes in 365 days while journalizing it in a blog seems like pure genius to me. I read one woman's review of "Julie and Julia" that praised the parts containing Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci (as Julia and Paul Child) and condemning the parts with Amy Adams (as blogger Julie Powell). After watching the movie, Mark commented (without having read the woman's review) that two movies never could have stood alone on their own and he enjoyed the way the two stories were woven into one. This comes from a guy who has been a high-caliber Director of Photography since 1981, so take that, "Bitter, table for one!"

Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci are two of my all-time favorite actors, so it was extraordinary to watch them play off of each other. Meryl was spot-on as Julia Child while Stanley played her loving companion. Their pillow talk scenes really spelled out how spouses who are truly into each other are completely there for each other. Julia is Paul's sounding board after his demoralizing interrogation by McCarthy-era G men. And Paul is always there for Julia as she treks up the complicated mountain of creating a cookbook based on the lessons of the Cordon Bleu.

Chris takes a brief departure from Julie after she experiences a melt down in the kitchen but they reunite. You can see how their relationship is not yet as steady and full-helmed as the one between Julia and Paul, but they are learning how to get there.

There's this old-fashioned adage, that "behind every successful man is a woman." This movie shows that it can go both ways. Paul tirelessly supported and encouraged Julia to keep going with her cookbook and her career. Chris bolstered Julie as she blogged into nothingness, wondering if anyone was out there. When a man loves a woman, he wants her to succeed, he wants her to be the best she can humanly be. And he is there to lend a shoulder when she needs one.

All couples should see this movie. It's a great recipe for love and togetherness.

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