Quite Inspirational for a Chick Flick

"What is it you really like to do?"

"Eat."

~Paul & Julia Child in the 2009 film Julie and Julia

It was rather late in life that Julia Child discovered her passion for French cooking and consequently discovered the lack of cookbooks offering french techniques in Englisher. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, Child set out to make french food accessible to "servantless American cooks." Julie & Julia chronicles the period of her life where she began to reach that goal. Child's relentless pursuit of her passion is just one of the many things that inspired me about the film.

Based on the true stories of two gutsy women, Julie & Julia made me smile over and over again.

By now, I'm sure you've heard that the other half of the film is based on Julie Powell's 2002 blog The Julie/Julia Project. It was Powell's intention to spend one year cooking through Julia Child's classic, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." The film seems to communicate that the project saved her life.

There are so many reasons to love this movie. Obviously, the cast is terrific. Both Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are magnetic. Seriously, I know it's been said a million times, but Meryl Streep is a force. And Amy Adams is well on her way to being my favorite actress of her generation. And though the screen play is a bit "chick flick" at times, these actresses make it insanely enjoyable. One can't help but want to see their characters succeed and cheer on every step and misstep they take.

I also love that the story centered around 2 successful marriages. These women had marriages with ups and downs, they were full of romance, encouragement and healthy appetites. I loved that each woman set a goal and then figured out how to navigate a relationship while still staying focused on her prize.

Then of course, there were personal reasons I loved the movie. It was a blogger success story! Woo Hoo. It was a movie about food. yummy. It was a movie about women stuck living in places that disappointed them. And did I mention it was a blogger success story? I'd be lying if I didn't admit to moments of envy.

Most importantly though, I found the film to be inspiring and fun. I left the theatre smiling. I left the theatre hopeful. I left the theatre wanting to live as Julia Child would want me to, fearlessly.

(Images courtesy of Julie & Julia from Sony Pictures)