Julie & Julia - finding your something.

Recently, I went to see Julie & Julia, a movie that just hit theaters this past Friday. This is not a movie I would normally go see, especially on it's opening weekend. Not to discriminate, because I love old people dearly, but the theater for the movie viewing looked like a Golden Girls reunion, bless their hearts. I came into the theater a fan of Meryl Streep, but I left as an admirer of Julia Child.

Julie & Julia is based on a book, that began as a blog, that began as a project: 524 recipes in 365 days. The movie is blended by two stories, one contemporary (that of Julie Powell's) and one of the past (that of Julia Child's), decades apart. I am overwhelmed with emotion just thinking about what this movie, book, and “project” means to me, what it means for women. I never followed Julie Powell's blog, or read her book. To be completely honest, and embarrassed, call me a product of my generation, but I'd never even heard of Julia Child until this movie surfaced and Barnes & Noble set out a special selection of books under a sign reading, “Getting to know Julia Child.”

Still probably one of the best ideas hatched under a blog, that I've seen or read, at least: Julie Powell, a woman wasting away her twenties in a thankless government job, and her thirties coming up on her fast, seeks gratification and acknowledgment as a writer by embarking on the project of cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's cookbook over the course of one year. And who doesn't want to be acknowledged as a writer? I'm sure there must be a million people out there with book ideas, or dreams of being published. Julie cracked the code and, by the production of this film, achieved her dream of being a sanctioned writer. This movie was about real women, for real women and of course, the joy of cooking.

The institution of marriage is a focal point in the film as it is an important aspect in the lives of both Julie and Julia. Here, it's not just about the women involved, but their men. And not so much their men, as the support of their men. I think you can tell a lot about a man by the gift he gives his wife/girlfriend/significant other, and in Julie & Julia, it's one of the many ways their men show their undying love and support. Paul Child, in the face of his wife trying to find herself and her way through cooking school, gives her a gift that engages her interests by buying her a mortar & pestle set for her birthday, something her teacher preached every good cook must have. Eric Powell, in the face of his wife's crazy obsession with Julia Child and her devotion to the Julie/Julia project, buys her a set of pearls for her birthday, just like Julia Child always wore on her cooking show, so she could be more like the heroine she admired. Both gifts brought tears of appreciation and adoration to each woman's eyes, lifetimes apart.

Eric, knowing the project was making Julie crazy, and not necessarily a woman he wanted to be around all the time, supported her (almost) every step of her way because he knew she wanted to do it for herself. Paul, knowing that Julia was possibly looking to fill a void in her life caused by her barrenness, supported every interest Julia pursued from hat-making to Bridge lessons and beyond. I guess my conclusion to these past two paragraphs, is that a true gift from the heart, is a gift of support. And only someone who truly loves you and knows your interests, knows where and what your heart is enveloped in or with, would know the right gift for you.

Above all, this was about two women who both felt unfulfilled in some way, changed their lifestyles because of it, and in turn, it changed their lives. Julie was an artist of writing, but unable to express her thoughts. Julia was an artist in cooking, but had an unrealized potential. One theme in this movie is one I live by every day and believe in very strongly: if you're not happy with your life, change it; if you want to do something with your life, however crazy it may seem, do it.

Walking out of the theater, I felt an overwhelming push of encouragement to not be lazy. Sometimes, I get so lazy with life, that all I do is eat, sleep, work and watch the occasional TV show. If Julie & Julia taught me anything, it's that as a woman, it's important to have something, and do it every day. Life can be so busy. Work can often suck. Why not do something that makes you happy every day? It would make Jay happy every day if my something were cooking, but unfortunately I just don't find the same pleasure in doing it as Julie and Julia do.

Both of these women pursued cooking through a restless sense of drift, and it ended up changing both of their lives forever. I'm not cooking, but I am blogging; I am volleyball; I am writing; I am running. Julie & Julia is about finding the something that makes you happy; the something that changes your lifestyle, doing it every day, with conviction and determination, and maybe, it could change your life.

Happily blogging,

Bridget Marie

www.NumbersNotInvited.com

P.S. You should all know that the performances of Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were impeccably played.