Julie and Julia, Movie Review Example

“Julie and Julia” is a 2009 film directed by Nora Ephron in which two women separated by space and time are brought together by their passion to cook. Julia Child, a rich American woman established in Paris learns how to cook in lack of activity. She writes a cooking book that forty years later will inspire middle class New Yorker Julie Powell to start a ‘cooking adventure’ which involves cooking all 524 recipes in Julia’s cook book and writing about her experience on her blog. This creates a connection between the two women who have so much in common though they live in different worlds. The present paper argues that “Julie and Julia” is a movie in which cities are envisioned from the point of view of the social connections they inspire. It analyzes the portrayal of Mid-20^th century Paris and contemporary New York from the perspective of the people who live there, as two cities with different cultures and traditions. Julia and Julie’s interactions with anonymous dwellers of the cities, as well as their different perceptions of the neighborhoods in which they live allow us to construct different images of these cities.

The movie begins with the arrival of the Childs in Paris and shows their first impressions of the city. The first image of Paris is one that encompasses the stereotypes related to France: the old buildings, the narrow streets on which the American car seems out of place, the street venders and the carefree pedestrians all describe a town city that seems descended from a postcard. Further, the images of the city, with its European appeal, and of the Eiffel tower, complete the idyllic image of Paris, as a city in which traditions live on and the charm and romance for which the city is known are entirely exposed.  The main character’s reaction to the city is an extremely positive one. An American who had never seen Paris before, Julia seems delighted and completely absorbed by her new city.

This image is contrasted by Julie Powell’s own experience in a new neighborhood. Her experience in her new environment is not as joyful as Julia’s. Julie seems unsure about moving to Queens and rather reluctant. The images she sees from the car’s window are in contrast with those of Paris. The images portray an industrialized area where low middle class New Yorkers live. The image of the water tower offers a parallel to the Eiffel Tower and establishes the relation of comparison and contrast between the two characters. They are both in love with cooking, and with their husbands but their worlds are completely different. For example, their homes illustrate the huge difference between them. Julie lives in a very small apartment above a pizzeria while Julia’s home is large and luxurious. Julie’s home reflects the lack of space in the crowded New York, which seems suffocating and imprisoning.

Julie’s first walk through Queens and to her  workplace offers more clues about the industrialized scenario in which all people are like bees in a hive.  The commuter rail is an opportunity to highlight the manner in which the city hides the persons in an agglomeration of anonymous faces with no expression. Once she is in the metro, Julie becomes one of those faces, lost in the crowd, suffocated by the lack of space and with no interest for the person next to her. On contrary, Julia’s first walk in Paris is colorful and full of life. On a very narrow street, with colorful decoration from one side to the other, above the pedestrians’ heads, the street bursts with joy.  The street vendors and the walkers seem to interact and to connect to each other. Julia salutes all around her, and is answered with enthusiasm. This intimate atmosphere is liberating and allows one to express his personality.

Both New York and Paris have their own culture which, according to Sharon Zukin, is a “powerful means of controlling cities” (p.76). The author further stated that this culture symbolizes who belongs in a city and who does not.  Though an America, Julia seems at home in Paris and even declares to her husband that she feels she is French. Though she does not belong to this world and does not fit in, an idea underlined by her not fitting in the bed, she feels at home because of the French cooking culture she embraces. Julia instead, does not feel that she belongs in New York, a city whose culture is based on consumption and productivity. This is highlighted during the meeting with her friends. Julie cannot fit in because unlike them, she did not embrace New York’s consumerist culture and because she feels that she does not belong in the “evolving postindustrial world”, as George Stenlieb and James Hughes describe New York.  The authors also show that in this city, the middle class is disappearing, lost between the poor and the elite of the city (1988). In order to escape her environment, Julie dreams of Julia’s life in Paris and even says that she would have liked to be a bridesmaid at Julia’s wedding.

While Julia tries to find something to do in her new city, Julie’s job does not offer her any satisfaction. She works in a cubicle, and talks to people on the phone which makes her even more anonymous. Her work obliges her to be formal and impersonal, thus   depriving her from a voice of her own. Julie is then part of the bureaucratic machine, which, according to represent the power of cities (Zukin 1995).

In “Julie and Julia”, New York and Paris are constructed from the perspective of the main characters’ experiences and through the depiction of their relationships with other dwellers of the city. Neither Julie nor Julia belongs to their cities’ culture. The difference between them is that while Julie feels imprisoned and anonymous in New York, a city which favors individualism and careerism, in Paris, Julia feels at home because she can identify with aspects of the French culture.  In the end however, Julie will find her direction in life and therefore, will be able “make peace” with her world and leave her illusion of Paris behind.

References

Sternlieb, G. and Hughes, J., (1988). “New York City”.     Mattei Dogan and John Kasarda, (Eds.) Mega-Cites. Newbury Park: Sage Publications, pp. 26-55.

Zukin, S., (1995).The Culture of cities. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell.