Julia Child:
I'm Julia Child. Bon appetit!
Monday, 6 May 2013
Julie & Julia
I have previously expressed my distain for films that attempt to use multiple storylines, often finding films with more than one storyline cluttered and muddled, and lacking real character developpement, however there are of course some exceptions, and this film manages to sufficiently separate the differing storylines. The film tells the story of a blogger living in Queens and working for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 whilst attempting to cook all the recipies in Julia Child's cookbook in a year. This story is contrasted with the life of Julia Child herself, living in france during the 1950's, and learning about french food with the support of her husband.
The film is superbly acted, and features Meryl Streep as Julia Child, infuses the role with a grace and a joy which is infectious, whilst managing to be respectful of the fact that she is playing a real person, and yet never allows her performance to veer into comedy territory. Amy Adams plays Julie Powell, said blogger, and Adams manages to add gravity to this role, she really has to form this character in its entirety, and yet manages to graft a character that is inherently flawed, yet is still likable.The supporting cast is made up of Chris Messina, Stanley Tucci and Jane Lynch, who is particularly good as Julia Child's sister.
The film manages to deftly weave together two storylines, which is does successfully by making the two segments cinematographically distinct, with the 2002 segment being more slick and sharp, compared to the more softly lit and delicate tones of the period sequences. The film also manages to successfully weave together the different storylines with differing yet similar narrative structures, Child's sequences are narrated by the letters she writes to her friend Avis, while Julie Powell's segments are narrated as she writes her blog, this continuity makes for a successful paring, and seamless blend.
Overall this is a fun delightful comedy, whilst having little substance, the film is carried along by strong performances, fun cooking titbits and an overall sense of joy which makes this film a great watch, if a forgettable one. Rating: B+
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Might be off topic but couldn't resist commenting on your opinion about multiple story lines. I agree that such a technique might actually restrain the character development to a certain extent but in my opinion, with a good script, it (might) offer(s) the viewers a lot more in terms of interpretation since this technique often involves the use of balladic means. Good examples are films that have seemingly independent story lines which are at one point in the film cross one another. This technique for instance does not require special character development since the emphasis is on that one particular event when all story lines coincide, and what is even more important is the impact of the coincidence of the story lines. A master of this technique is Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu with films such as Amores Perros or Babel.
ReplyDeleteThere are also other types of multiple story line films. A very good example is the film called "Once upon a Time in America" directed by Sergio Leone (yes, THAT Sergio Leone) and starring De Niro. However, while the Inarritu pictures are taking place at the same time but with various differing fates, this latter film presents the life of one specific character at different periods of time with each time period serving as a distinctive story which eventually evolve to be some sort of mixed up sequences. Back to your original point, this technique does imply an exceptional character development.
Well i am half in agreement, some films such as Cloud Atlas or the above film manage to use multiple storylines well however with a film such as 'The Place Beyond the Pines', there is simply too much going on, and the film is boringly long, yet also not long enough, and by the end of the film these characters are still strangers to us, however when used well this technique can be great, The Hours is another example of where it really works, and where there are similarities in the stories, i guess here the advantage is that we are only shown one day, but never mind. In the end this is a technique that can work if used well, otherwise you end up with a turkey like 'new years eve' or 'valentines day'
Deletecorrect! One must know how to use it and then it is great, otherwise things go to a 'place beyond the pines' which is honestly terrible :)
Deletelike!
Delete