What Julie & Julia Got Right About Julia Child
The 2009 comedy-drama film "Julie & Julia" tells the story of two real women with similar names and a shared passion for cooking. Julie Powell is a food blogger on a year-long mission to cook all 524 recipes from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," documenting her kitchen mishaps and triumphs in an online journal (via Roger Ebert). The film's plot jumps back and forth between Powell's journey in the late 2000s and the 1950s, when Child is attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and making a name for herself in the culinary world.
The Nora Ephron-directed film has a star-studded cast that includes Meryl Streep as Child, Stanley Tucci as her loving husband Paul Child, and Amy Adams as Powell, a New York City-based office worker living in a tiny apartment with her supportive yet sometimes exasperated husband. Though the critically acclaimed motion picture is considered biographical, just how much did the cast and crew get right about the portrayal of the one and only Julia Child?
One emotional Julie & Julia scene is actually true
Presumably, it can be challenging for biopics to truly nail down a character who is based on a real person. However, many critics and moviegoers praised Meryl Streep for her performance as Child, which earned her a nomination for best actress in a leading role at the 2010 Oscars (via the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Film critic Roger Ebert called Streep's resemblance of Child "uncanny," from her "spot-on" accent to her towering stature on screen.
One surprising plot point in the film is also true. When Powell finds out that Child read her blog about her cooking experience, she feels defeated and heartbroken upon learning that her culinary hero was not, in fact, a fan. "I don't think she's a serious cook," the real Child remarked about Powell's self-assigned project, according to The Cinemaholic. Despite Child's response, Powell's blog was a success and got her a book deal with Little, Brown and Company, as well as an honorary degree from Le Cordon Bleu (via PR Web). "Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen" was published in 2005 and became a bestseller before "Julie & Julia" was released.