Living with gusto

The only reason I agreed to see Julie & Julia was because Fong had free preview tickets, and because I like cooking and food, and besides I'd read some good reviews of it even though it didn't seem my kind of movie. Fong and I walked into the Westgarth cinema full of women and the odd token bloke. Mm, chick flick I thought.

I gotta say though that from the very first moments I was enchanted by this. The opening scenes are set in colourful French streets of the early '50's. The larger than life Julia Childs drives along with her devoted husband beside her, gushing and laughing and speaking clumsy French as they make their way to their new French home - and, as it turns out, a new destiny.

The counterpoint to this action is the modern story, the Julie of the title. She's a would-be writer who can't finish a manuscript, disenchanted with her job and lumbered with some horrid friends. She lives above a pizzeria in Queens with her husband, searching for some meaning. She happens upon the idea of a blog about her passion, cooking, and sets herself the task of cooking her way through Julia Childs French cookbook each day for the next year in an act of enforced discipline and devotion.

It's an interesting concept and it works well enough but what really makes it compelling are the characters.

Julia Childs is like your loud, eccentric, fruity voiced frumpy but irrepressible aunt who's a dab hand with a sponge cake. She's impossible to dislike, someone who sees the best in everything and approaches life with an cheerful gusto. She shares with her husband a lovely relationship. I watched feeling both moved and inspired. I thought this is how it is meant to be, and in fact I found much of this movie gently life affirming. Streep is marvellous as Childs, and Stanley Tucci is a favourite.

The modern couple have a recognisably modern relationship. They are close and loving even as they weather the occasional storm, and it is interesting to compare and contrast the two eras.

In the end I felt uplifted by the whole thing, much to my surprise. Let's face it, there are a lot of elements to this story which appeal to me. I love France and Paris, and just the sight of those streets again made me wistful to be there once more. I love food too. I'm not sure if I could be described as a gourmet - perhaps so - but in any case I found much in the description and preparation of these classic recipes that was both fascinating and mouth-watering. Finally it is the spirit of the piece that seduced me. That's the way to live, that's the way to be. I left the cinema breathing deep of the evening air, looking about me as if all was new, embracing it.