I WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL TO the voice in my head that told me to grab a copy of Julie Powell’s “Julie & Julia” right before heading to the cinema to watch the movie.
The movie was an absolute delight. The tiny voice was right, I did want to read the book after watching. That’s exactly what I did—after the credits rolled, I tore open the book and started reading just as the car was pulling out of the parking lot.
And while I didn’t find the book as magical as the movie (I blame it on the absence of Meryl Streep who plays Julia Child, although Powell did mention her once in the book), it’s still worth a read.
Story
Julie Powell was not satisfied with her life. She lived in New York, had married her high school sweetheart and was working for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, stuck in a job that made her miserable. After witnessing a crazy lady on the subway and realizing that the only thing stopping her from going absolutely nuts was embarrassment and the desire to keep her vintage suit clean, she knew she needed a change.
Enter Julia Child. Powell had stolen a copy of Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1” from her mother’s kitchen. Little did she know that the book would be her ticket to a new life.
One night in 2002, after making Child’s Potage Parmienter (potato and leek soup) for herself and her husband, Powell decided to cook her way through Child’s book. She gave herself a deadline—one year. That meant 524 recipes in 365 days. Most people thought she was crazy.
Her mother tried to stop her. But with the support of her husband, brother, friends and the Julia Child that lives in her head, Powell kept at it. She chronicled the experience on a blog, which soon had a large number of followers online.
We all know what happened after—she completed the project, was featured on various TV shows, radio shows, newspapers and magazines, got a book deal, became a best-selling author and got a movie deal. Powell’s second book “Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession” will come out in a couple of months and it is laced with scandal.
It’s not surprising—after all, the book talks about not only her experience as a butcher’s apprentice, but also about Powell’s extra-marital affair with an old friend.
Displeasure
Powell wrote an article “What Julie & Julia Butchered” for Doublex.com, expressing her displeasure with the changes Nora Ephron made while turning her book into a movie.
Powell said she would never call Julia Child “adorable” like Amy Adams did in the film. She used her cat Maxine (who recently passed away) as device to express her dissatisfaction with the way she was portrayed in the movie while reassuring readers that she “remains thrilled with the film.”
“It is my role now to be the good author, to be meek and sweet and endlessly accepting of harsh words and misinterpretations, no matter how much I want to scream, in weaker moments, ‘But that’s not ME!’” she wrote.
Yes, onscreen Julie is different from print Julie. And these aren’t the only differences between the book and the movie. Our list:
1. Amy Adams as Julie Powell is much more likeable than the Julie Powell in her book. Maybe it’s because Adams doesn’t swear as much, maybe it’s her big blue eyes, maybe it’s because she’s nicer to her husband. Truth is, Powell isn’t high on people’s favorite people list now. Newsweek.com even came out with a story called “Stop Hating Julie Powell, Please,” discussing how the blogging community has turned against the famous blogger.
2. Powell and husband Eric have a better relationship in the movie than in the book (and in real life—if the subject of cleaving is any indication). The New York Times article “Full Stomachs, and Full Marriages Too,” talked about how in the movie, “Nora Ephron shows marriages that work.” I agree—Child’s relationship with her husband Paul is inspiring. As for Powell and Eric, I guess we’ll have to let the new book speak.
3. Powell’s cat Maxine isn’t the only one who doesn’t get enough screen time. The movie shuns the existence of Zuzu, Powell’s five-foot-long ball python.
4. Like Zuzu, Powell’s brother Heathcliff doesn’t appear in the movie, and it’s a shame because he’s an interesting character in the book. He herded cashmere goats in Tuscany, sold soap in New York and can make homemade ice cream using old coffee cans.
5. Powell’s friends in the book are much more interesting than her big screen friends. Gwen and Isabel deserve books of their own. It didn’t help that one of the big screen friends was played by Vanessa Ferlito, formerly of “CSI NY.” The whole time she was onscreen, I couldn’t stop thinking: “Hello? What are you doing sitting at that table? Shouldn’t you be collecting evidence now?”
6. The maggots. I am so glad they didn’t show that in the movie.
While there are differences between the book and movie, I am glad they were consistent with the most important element of this story: the food.
Pâté de Canard, Boeuf Bourguignon and lots and lots of butter.
The movie may have a more likeable heroine, the book may have better friends (and a friendly python) but the most important thing you need to know is the book and the movie will make you very, very hungry.
“Julie & Julia” is available at National Book Store. “Julie & Julia” is still in theaters now.
