Comments on Reading to Know: review of Julie & Julia

I agree. The movie was lovely and a great time at...

2009-08-26T10:34:11.810-07:00

I agree. The movie was lovely and a great time at the theatre. When i went to see it, the theatre was more crowded than I expected and everyone was laughing and enjoying the movie. I don't think anyone left feeling disappointed.

I read the book almost immediately after watching the movie and I loved it. I thought that Julie was a likeable down to earth person and I loved watching her change as she cooked.

I think overall, it's just a good story. Julia Child was an amazing woman who shared her love of cooking and overall love of life with the world. I think it's wonderful that this story is getting people who loved her to remember her and people who didn't really know about her to discover her!

Yay! So glad you liked this movie. You're the ...

2009-08-17T14:44:49.009-07:00

Yay! So glad you liked this movie. You're the third person I'd actually take your feedback from at face value and do anything because of it. Interesting convo/debate re: appropriateness in film...totally on the same page: LESS IS MORE!

Jennifer- Agreed! It wasn't gratuitous. It was...

2009-08-17T14:22:18.191-07:00

Jennifer- Agreed! It wasn't gratuitous. It was a ratings appeal.

=D

Yeah, I was thinking that you were (with help from...

2009-08-17T14:12:10.681-07:00

Yeah, I was thinking that you were (with help from us commenters!) going to unintentionially spark another debate post -- LOL.

And you're right. It's never absolutely necessary, but I did think that this was not gratuitous -- just for thrills.

I love both actresses, can't wait to see the m...

2009-08-16T10:04:51.338-07:00

I love both actresses, can't wait to see the movie.

PS Better casting then Erin Brockovich! Which is n...

2009-08-15T14:55:40.711-07:00

PS
Better casting then Erin Brockovich! Which is not saying much but I had to say it.

I AM SOOOOOO JEALOUS! I am waiting to put that on ...

2009-08-15T14:49:12.750-07:00

I AM SOOOOOO JEALOUS! I am waiting to put that on my netflix. we do not have a baby sitter!
I enjoy Julia Child's show, it is quite hilarious in it's own right and I did not think they could cast any better then Meryl Streep!

So glad you had a good laugh!

!

Thanks for the great review! Now I can't wait ...

2009-08-15T14:23:27.435-07:00

Thanks for the great review! Now I can't wait to go see it!

Yes, Jonathan liked it too. He thought it was fun!...

2009-08-15T08:36:31.413-07:00

Yes, Jonathan liked it too. He thought it was fun!

Sadly, I think that we're so accustomed to seeing sex scenes in movies that we're gratefully relieved when we see (mini, introductory) scenes between married couples. We sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that they are happening between "the right people."

I would have to say that we're accepting too much still. The scenes really were NOT necessary to telling the story. I TOTALLY got the fact that that Julia and Paul were *very* much in love and I didn't need to see them in the bedroom. (It was the lunch scenes that Rachelle talked about that bothered me the most.)

I think that sex is a holy, sacred and private thing between a husband and a wife and doesn't need to be visibly shared with others to prove that it's happening. I'll just take your word for it, thanks.

No, I don't think it is necessary to show on screen at all. Like I said, the point was well-made without the scenes (which have been described by Rachelle and Jennifer) and I'm sorry that they were included because it rather does call for disclaimers and careful consideration, regardless how of "little" was shown. I still think too MUCH was shown.

Still, as I said, I thought it was a marvelous movie. It promoted the right things for which I am very grateful and I had a wonderful evening enjoying the story.

BTW, I really don't mean for this to errupt in debate. I thought the movie was good. I thought it was fabulous! I don't agree that we should be visualizing other people's sex lives. I don't think that is beneficial at all. It takes away from the movie more than it adds to it and primarily - I do not feel it was remotely necessary to prove the point that the married couples were in love with one another. THey were and that was obvious without showing me the inner workings of their bedroom.

Oh and btw, I don't really want to know about the inner workings of any of your bedrooms either. If you are tempted to start being "shocking" please refrain. Out of respect for my blog and my person, please be discreet. I just really don't want to and/or need to know.

Have I mentioned I want to see this movie? Yes, I ...

2009-08-15T08:02:24.953-07:00

Have I mentioned I want to see this movie? Yes, I do!

So did Jonathan like it too? Someone asked me if ...

2009-08-15T04:43:34.038-07:00

So did Jonathan like it too? Someone asked me if it was a "chick flick," but I think that Terry would have seen it with me (if we could have gotten a babysitter).

And even though I do not like gratuitous or explicit sex, I think that at least in Julia and Paul's case, it showed their relationship (for those who haven't seen it -- she caressed his bare chest and then they shared a passionate kiss). How many times do you see those kind of characters in a married love affair? Never.

I agree, the other was unnecessary, and just as Book Psmith said, I think it's that scene (as well as Julia/Paul's one phrase he wrote in a letter) that makes it not good for kids. Otherwise, it would be a great movie for young tweens and teens to see.

Oh and I just noticed Rachelle agreed with me about the sex scenes.

This sounds fabulous! I want to see it (caveats n...

2009-08-14T20:37:38.636-07:00

This sounds fabulous! I want to see it (caveats notwithstanding).

I actually appreciated that for once the sex scene...

2009-08-14T15:18:09.055-07:00

I actually appreciated that for once the sex scenes (which were very tame and didn't involve more than Amy Adams bra from the back) were all between married couples. To me it only added to the beauty of the marriages portrayed that Julia Childs was not Hollywood-pretty, too tall, overweight and yet she and her husband took lunch breaks for sex. (Throw in that the movie mentions she was a virgin when she married at almost 40 and I loved it all even more.)
Meanwhile, part of what Amy Adams had to learn about putting her husband first involved sex.
I thought this was the movie of the year by far. And again, Meryl deserves the Oscar for capturing Julia so well. And for once, a movie that doesn't make men look like emotionally-backward buffoons.

That video was a hoot! I'm glad to hear you li...

2009-08-14T13:01:04.593-07:00

That video was a hoot! I'm glad to hear you liked the movie. (For some reason I think we have similar tastes??) :) I had heard the book had a lot of language so I'm glad to hear that it would be a good date night movie to add to my Netflix queue! :)

I think we must be kindred spirits. I loved this m...

2009-08-14T12:36:15.181-07:00

I think we must be kindred spirits. I loved this movie but also thought the bad language and intimate scenes were completely unnecessary (especially with my thirteen year old sitting next to me). The movie is so charming and these two factors would bring me out of that charmed world into the critical one until I could get back into the story. I think you made a good choice in not reading Julie and Julia. I am in the middle of it and if it weren't for the fact that I am reading it for a challenge, I would have stopped after the first chapter:(