Friday, August 14, 2009
Blogging: The Motion Picture
We went to see "Julie & Julia" last night, wisely going after dinner. To be honest, I was kind of excited to see what I'm pretty sure is the first major motion picture to celebrate blogging. Julie Powell (Amy Adams) was a pretty early adopter -- she started her blog back in 2002 -- but her concerns will resonate with anyone who has ever kept an online journal. The self-absorption! The obsession with followers and comments! The worry that only your mom is reading your blog! And then something I've luckily never had to deal with: marital strife caused by blogging! Julie's husband walks out on her because she becomes overly preoccupied with her project to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, after giving a little speech that reminded me of Aimee Mann's boyfriend in that old "Voices Carry" video: "This little hobby of yours has gone too far!"

I must admit that I relished the fact that aside from their one little marital spat, Julie's husband is the sort of supportive cipher that, in most films, is played by a female -- the typical wife/girlfriend role. The tables, they have been turned!

Much as I love Amy Adams, though, it's obvious to any viewer that "Julie & Julia" is Meryl Streep's star vehicle. She overflows with joie de vivre as Child, who is depicted as an irrepressible force of nature. Nothing can stop her, from a snooty cooking school chief who doesn't want to give her a diploma, to being exiled to Oslo after her diplomat husband's four-year term in Paris comes to an end. The 5'6" Streep is somehow shot in a way to make her look absolutely towering (Child was 6'2"). I'm sure some of it was just camera trickery, but really, Streep is such an amazing actor that I wouldn't put it past her if she grew an extra few inches just for the role -- kind of how she mastered a flawless Polish accent for "Sophie's Choice."

Speaking of legends, I want to say a word in tribute to the great Les Paul, who died at the age of 94. We saw him in New York a few years ago at his Monday night residency at Iridium Jazz Club, and were amazed at his energy and high spirits -- after the show, he stuck around to sign autographs and speak to everyone who wanted to meet him. Anyone who loves rock and roll owes Paul a debt of gratitude.

In an era when actresses often have a hard time finding meaningful work after they turn 40, it delights me that the un-lifted, un-Botoxed Streep gets juicy parts to play every year. I sincerely hope that Streep, like Paul, is able to stay active well into her 90s.
posted by 125records @ 8:20 PM  
3 Comments:
  • At 12:34 PM, Blogger vallerose said…

    I'm impressed. Les Paul is one of my husband Marc's favorites. And to think you met him. He was a true original.

    Everyone I've spoken to says Julie and Julia is a fun movie and should be seen. I don't know how Streep does it, but she is wonderful and different in every movie she is in.
    Vallery

     
  • At 1:51 PM, Anonymous Lisa Stone said…

    Meryl is so talented and diverse, she was great in Mama Mia too.

     
  • At 6:40 PM, Blogger yellojkt said…

    Every short actor in Hollywood got a part in that movie.

     
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