JULIE AND JULIA (2009, Blu-ray released December 8, 2009 – MSRP $39.95)
Another home run for the Sony team, Julie and Julia takes the chic-flik formula to another level while offering up a gorgeous, feature-packed Blu-ray disc!
I’ve never been one to avoid the so-called chik-flik. In fact, I count some of them amongst my favourites. That being said, I’m not a huge fan of the work of Nora Ephron. The Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan dynamic she tends to work with has always been a tad too saccharine for my tastes (if I never have to watch You’ve Got Mail again, it’ll be too soon!) But in Julie and Julia, an inspired adaptation of Julie Powell‘s blog-then-book of not dissimilar names, Ephron has struck gold. The juxtaposition of the stories of a young woman cooking her way through Julia Child‘s famous French cookbook as she searches for her place in the world, and a young Child discovering hers, becoming a chef in Paris is pure genius. The dialogue doesn’t always flow as easily as it should, sometimes coming off a bit precious, but the cast, in this case, is so disgustingly gifted that it never once spoils the show. Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci, among many others, do a wonderful job bringing the story to life. But, as I’m sure you’re already aware, this is the Meryl Streep show.
Streep’s portrayal of Julia Child is uncanny. She wears lifts and giant, chunky shoes to create the illusion that she’s a larger woman. She changes her voice and adopts that famous lilt, lampooned so wonderfully by Dan Aykroyd on SNL so many years ago. Streep becomes Child. Or a remembrance of her, anyway. It’s an incredible performance that washes away any of the films shortcomings. Julie and Julia is worth seeing for this effervescent, spirited portrait alone.
But if it’s the technical merits of the Blu-ray disc you’re concerned about, worry no longer. Sony has delivered another reference quality treatment. The 1080p image is absolutely stunning! Perfectly detailed with accurate colour and a light veneer of film grain. Sumptuous like the best boeuf à la bourguignonne! And there’s nothing to sneer at in the audio department either. This is a clear DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that gets its job done. By its nature, it’s certainly not going to blow you away. There aren’t any explosions or car chases to speak of in Julie and Julia. But there’s a lot of wonderful atmospheric touches that you’re bound to appreciate. Solid!
The Blu-ray disc is packed with special features, including an informative commentary from writer/director Ephron and a nice, if not brief half-hour making-of doc. It’s a thoughtful touch that there is a 47-minute remembrance of Child included in the package but I honestly found it a bit tough to sit through. It’s a lot of friends and family sharing their memories of the famous chef. I would have preferred a straight up bio of Child. A 20-minute tour of her kitchen (now housed intact at the Smithsonian) and five “Cooking Lessons” round out the package. Sony’s now standard Movie IQ is present here but is enhanced in this case by the ability to “collect” the recipes from the film. Just give the system your email address and you’ll find directions on how to re-create Child’s fabulous concoctions sent straight to your inbox!
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