This delightful movie tells two different stories occurring in two different places in time. Amy Adams plays Julie Powell, a present-day New York woman who, upon turning 30, realizes her life has gone nowhere. A lover of food, she decides to, over the course of the next year, cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the first French cookbook published in English for American housewives, and create a blog about the triumphs and failures of her experience.

Powell published her blog as a book called Julie and Julia in 2005, and she was both praised and reviled for her efforts. A Google search reveals both fans and foes, and with a fire fanned by the release of this movie, they vigorously discuss the pros and cons of Powell’s effort. The movie softens the negative aspects of Powell’s writing and persona, making light of her character defects.

Interspersed with Powell’s story are pieces of Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France, which recounts how Child (Meryl Streep), while living in France because her husband, Paul (Stanley Tucci), has been appointed to a government job, falls in love with food. She takes classes at the fabled Le Cordon Bleu and starts an eight-year odyssey writing her book, which is to be aimed at American housewives who are "servant-less" and want to pursue more exciting cuisine than the typical 1950s American fare.

I wonder how much material hit the cutting-room floor after filming. Would it be possible, on the DVD and Blu-ray releases, to have the theatrical cut as is, but to also have two alternate 90-minute movies about each woman’s life? Though they fit together as one film, I found myself wanting more of Julia and a more in-depth interpretation of Julie. For one thing, Streep is so astonishing as Child that you simply want more. Once again, she proves that she’s an incredible actress who can give herself completely to a role. She is Julia Child -- only a few brief shots revealing her dimples remind us that she’s Meryl Streep. Her performance is sure to receive yet another Oscar nomination.

Adams, on the other hand, is so likeable that it’s hard to catch even a glimpse of Powell’s power-tripping nature. And her side of the story accurately assesses the modern phenomenon of blogging without resorting to savagery.

The movie focuses on the two women, but we can’t forget their men, who are gently and sympathetically written and played, Julia’s Paul by a low-key and level-headed Stanley Tucci, and Julie’s Eric by a charming and compassionate Chris Messina. These men may take the backseat to their career-driven wives, but they provide strength when it’s needed.

The sets, costumes, hair, and other details are matched perfectly to each era, and director Nora Ephron obviously knows and loves food. There are so many lingering shots of fine cuisine that you’ll leave this movie wanting to eat, so plan accordingly. You won’t want to go to McDonald’s, ether! You’ll also be hungry for more of Streep as Julia, so let’s hope that if my dream of two separate movies doesn’t come true, the DVD and Blu-ray releases will contain plenty of delicious deleted moments.

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