Julie and Julia – Appreciation is Bliss, Goals are Reality
26 Tuesday Jan 2010
Written by Josh Lipovetsky in Film Analysis
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Julie and Julia is a unique type of film. In it, there are 2 separate life stories, connected to create an enjoyable experience. One story is about Julia Child, and her journey to become a great cook. The other, is about Julie Powell and her initiative to set a tough goal, and plow through her obstacles. Neither journey was easy, but Julie and Julia were able to accomplish their goals, through patience and persistence.
Julia Child was constantly being told that she would never become a good cook. But the ridicule that she got from her peers, never discouraged her. Deep down inside, she knew that she could be a better cook than everyone else. She set a goal to become an outstanding cook, and that is exactly what she did. The journey was a long one, which took many years, but she eventually became what she had envisioned. This brings me to one of the main points of the movie: Always have a vision, and always set goals. If you don’t know what path you are embarking on, how can you succeed? Taking action without a clear vision in mind, is like taking shots in the dark. It’s possible, but extremely unlikely. Julia Child had a great vision, combined with a fighting spirit. Nothing was going to stand in her way.
Julie Powell had a similar story, but a very different situation. She was fed up with her life, and wanted to make a change. Her job was raining down on her morale, and her side hobby of cooking wasn’t particularly helping. Until one day, she decided that she wasn’t going to take it anymore. She needed to pursue her passion of cooking, no matter how busy or demoralized she felt. She was going to write a cooking blog, about her journey with all 534 of Julia Child’s recipes. The fact that she set a deadline for her goal, demonstrates an important life lesson: You need to set deadlines for your goals. Your vision is the first step. Next, you need to set individual deadlines for yourself. Otherwise, you will find yourself lost in this complicated journey. It’s difficult to set goals, and even more difficult to break goals down into deadlines. But no one said it was going to be easy. All of the breakdowns that Julie suffered, were a realistic depiction of life. When you fall down, will you have the willpower to get back up?
One final theme in the movie, is the power of appreciation. Julie had a vision in her head, of what kind of person Julia was. She believed Julia to be a flawless character, in every sense of the word. When she found out that Julia didn’t appreciate her blog, Julie was temporarily crushed. Then, she discovered that idol worship was futile. We are all humans in this world, and we all have emotions. We all get ecstatic, and we all get upset. It’s part of life. To think that someone else doesn’t have these emotions, is setting yourself up for disappointment. It’s good to appreciate someone for their achievements; but to completely idolize them, is a fruitless pursuit.
Julie and Julia is a great film, with a great message. Always set goals, and always have a role model. When life stands in your way, it’s up to you to make a change. No one is going to do the hard work for you. But if you stand tall, and never take ‘no’ for an answer, you will find that good things will happen to you. Life rewards those with patience, persistence, and those who set goals.
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6 comments
January 29, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would, but then again, anything Meryl touches is gold. Amy Adams was fine, but the Julia Child storyline was the real dealbreaker here, just wonderful. Great review, thought you put together a real nice analysis. Keep up the great work!
January 29, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Thanks Aiden! I haven’t seen many Meryl Streep movies, besides Adaptation (she was incredible in that movie). This was a pretty fun, feel-good family movie. I loved the 2 intertwined stories. It really made this a unique film!
Thanks again for the kind words!
Josh Lipovetsky.
May 27, 2010 at 11:55 am
filminsight.net’s done it again. Great writing.
May 27, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Thanks a lot Vanessa, I really appreciate that!
June 11, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I liked this movie very much. I know that yunger generations dont really like Meril Streep, but she is an excelent actress. I think I watched all her movies.
July 11, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Meryl Streep is amazing. Thank you for the comment!