julia child – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MARCELLA – Review by Rachel West

April 30, 2025May 1, 2025 Rachel West culinary icon, documentary, Italian cooking, Jacques Pepin, julia child, Marcella Hazan, Peter Miller

Italian cooking may now be a staple in North American households, but not too long ago, Italian-American cuisine meant meatballs and nothing more. Enter Marcella Hazan, the woman who showed a nation that there was a world of flavour and fresh ingredients that would not only help put dinner on the table, but also simple cooking techniques that could transform any home cook into a confident chef, capable of creating meals that were both deeply satisfying and authentically Italian.

Interviews

Betsy West and Julie Cohen on JULIA, Julia Child and Collaborating – Leslie Combemale interviews

November 10, 2021November 13, 2021 Leslie Combemale betsy west, documentaries, julia, julia child, Julie Cohen, movie of the week #MOTW, rachel portman

There’s so much to recommend about Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s documentary Julia, about the history-making trailblazing cook Julia Child, that AWFJ selected it to be our Movie of the Week. What stands out beyond new footage, never-before-heard letters and never-before-seen photos is the sheer joy of the film. It really captures Julia’s love of life and food. I spoke to West and Cohen about their work as filmmakers, about Julia the film and Julia Child, the icon.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 12, 2021: JULIA

November 6, 2021December 3, 2021 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, betsy west, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, julia, julia child, Julie Cohen, leslie combemale, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wlosczcyna

Documentarians Betsy West and Julie Cohen treat their subject, the inestimable Julia Child, with both respect and honesty, building a portrait of a woman who was as complex as the food she so adored. Ultimately, Julia is very much like one of Child’s beloved French recipes: a proven quantity that’s made with excellent ingredients, flavored with the right blend of spices, and assembled with care and enthusiasm. And the cooking footage will leave you drooling.

Reviews

JULIA – Review by Sherin Nicole

November 2, 2021November 7, 2021 Sherin Nicole betsy west, documentary, julia, julia child, Julie Cohen, motw, Movie of the Week

Icon is a difficult word to wear but Julia Child steps into it easily. She was the first celebrity chef on television, she made Americans more adventurous with our food, and she did it with whimsical charisma, technical skill, and an indomitable business sense. Julia gives us a window into her many facets, in large part narrated by the grande dame herself, but also through footage going back to her early 20s, and through the remembrances of family, friends, and her celebrity chef scions.

Reviews

JULIA – Review by Loren King

November 2, 2021November 12, 2021 Loren King betsy west, documentary, julia, julia child, Julie Cohen, motw, Movie of the Week

Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, Julia combines crowd pleaser and feminist perspective. It celebrates Child’s accomplishments and outsized personality as she became an unlikely TV star at age 50 when her cooking show The French Chef debuted on Boston’s WGBH in 1963. Child’s low budget show was unedited, allowing for the ad libs and occasional gaffes that endeared her to viewers.

Reviews

JULIA – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

November 2, 2021November 12, 2021 Susan Wloszczyna betsy west, documentary, julia, julia child, Julie Cohen, motw, Movie of the Week

One probably should not watch this doc on an empty stomach, given how West and Cohen recreate Child’s famous dishes, including a delectable succulent chicken laid out like a centerfold that might just require an X rating, delicate filets of sole drenched in butter and a delicious example of beef bourguignon, whose aroma seems to virtually waft from the screen.

Interviews

Meryl Streep On JULIE & JULIA, Motherhood and Food – Jennifer Merin interviews

August 2, 2009August 13, 2023 Jennifer Merin french cuisine, jennifer merin, julia child, julie and julia, julie powell, meryl streep, nora ephron, stanley tucci

Meryl Streep plays Julia Child in Julie & Julia, Nora Ephron’s sweet and spicy adaptation of the memoirs of two women whose obsession with food changed their lives. Streep’s Julia is a perfectly divine souffle. As Julia, Streep faces the singular challenge of re-creating the quirky and beloved icon who’s so widely and vividly impersonated that it’s hard to recall just what the real Julia was really like. How did Streep approach becoming Julia? Read what she has to say!

Reviews

AWFJ Women On Film – “Julie & Julia” – Susan Granger reviews

August 2, 2009August 13, 2023 Susan Granger alliance of women film journalists, amy adams, awfj women on film, french cuisine, julia child, julie and julia, julie powell, meryl streep, moview reviews, susan granger, women film critics

In yet another indelible, Oscar-caliber performance, Meryl Streep embodies 6’2” Julia Child, perfectly capturing her sing-song, vowel-elongating vocal cadence, while Amy Adams is charming as her ardent admirer – and kudos to food stylist Susan Spungen for the appetizing dishes. Unfortunately, when the director is also the writer, there’s no one around to call a halt, so some of the scenes drone on too long. But that’s a minor quibble. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Julie & Julia” is a foodie-friendly 9. Bon Appetit!