Weekend Movie Forecast: Julie & Julia & G.I. Joe

<p>Nora Ephron's ode to ladies who cook, <em>Julie &amp; Julia</em>, is <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/julie_and_julia/">getting mixed-to-warm reviews</a>. The film is based on Queens resident <a href="http://gothamist.com/2005/11/08/julie_powell_author_julie_julia_creator_the_juliejulia_project.php">Julie Powell</a>'s charming book <em>Julie &amp; Julia</em> (which was based on her blog) about cooking every recipe from Julia Child's <em>Mastering French Cooking</em>—as she tries to figure out her life—and Child's wonderful posthumous memoir (co-written with nephew Alex Prud'homme) <em>My Life in France</em>. Basically, critics feel the Julia Child part of the movie is heavenly, with Meryl Streep portraying the culinary figure during her formative years in France, with husband Paul Child (played by Stanley Tucci), while the Julie Powell part is undercooked.</p><p></p>The <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/movies/07julie.html">NY Times's A.O. Scott writes</a>, "Together, their mastery of the art is so perfect that even quiet, transitional scenes between them are delightful...<strong>If only Mr. Tucci and Ms. Streep were in every movie, I thought to myself at one point, as, in a state of rapture, I watched them sit still on a couch looking off into space. </strong>The problem is that when they aren’t on screen in this movie, you can’t help missing them. Ms. Adams is a lovely and subtle performer, but she is overmatched by her co-star and handicapped by the material. Julia Child could whip up a navarin of lamb for lunch, <strong>but Meryl Streep eats young actresses for breakfast. </strong>Remember Anne Hathaway in <em>The Devil Wears Prada</em>? Amanda Seyfried in <em>Mamma Mia!</em>? Neither do I."