Saturday, October 31, 2009

Sometimes I'd like to Smack Someone Across the Face with A Wet Flounder

I just had to mention that my great friend & colleague, Trixie & I (or is it, Trixie & Me?) went to see 'Julie & Julia'. Odd as it may seem to some of my North American Readers, I really didn't know who Julia Child was. I knew that she wrote cook books, but she didn't really permeate the Australian Cultural Membrane during her lifetime. If she had, I certainly would have known her.
I'm sure the Prozac is Promoting Grandiosity. Or maybe insensitivity. Or perhaps Reality. But I digress.
One of the things that totally fascinated me was how the hell was five foot six inched Meryl Streep going to manage being six foot two. Would she be on Subtle Stilts that you didn't really notice, I wondered. Every time she came on the screen, I frantically checked to see how much taller she was than her cute little hubby. And everything else around her. By the end of the film, I was exhausted. And yes, Meryl generally Did look bigger & taller than everyone & everything else. What an Achievement!
The other Companion Story of the contemporary blogger was only partially satisfying to me, although I'm now fearful that I'm starting to sound like a Pompous Film Reviewer. But what the hell, why hold back?
1. I didn't think that there was any real tension between Julie, the blogger & her Milquetoasted Hubby, who I absolutely loathed partly because every time he shovelled all the rich french food that his wife made in to his big gob, I thought I was going to throw up. Honestly it was disgusting.
2. I do soo love writing in Numbered Points.
3. After I saw the film, I raced home to uTube & watched some clips of Julia in her heyday in her kitchen. I saw her make an omelette & gained some useful tips about using a non-stick pan & also how to move the omelette around the pan so it comes out all scrunched up. I was surprised as I thought I knew everything.
Obviously not.
4. I thought that Meryl slightly overplayed Julia. Like she thought that Julia was really something out of Dr Seuss or maybe a Kinder Gentler Roald Dahl Grown Up character. Like the other side of Miss Trunchbull in 'Matilda'.
5. The sight of the food made me sick. I never want to go near any of Julia's recipes particularly the Poor Duck swathed in Pastry.

But I really enjoyed 'Julia & Julia' immensely & just loved the fact that it didn't make me cry . I really don't like crying in movies. Life can be sad enough.

2 comments:

Darla said...

I think you have to have lived through the times to fully appreciate Julia. Black and white tv, 4 channels, no cooking shows. Her show was ususual, not so staged and a must see for me. It all looks sort of "what is the big deal" in today's world.

Haven't seen the movie but will.

Darla

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