Summer box office star Meryl Streep is back with a new comedy, perhaps the first movie to be based on a blog! Julie & Julia tells two stories: one is about a young woman (played by Amy Adams) who tries making each recipe (524 in total) from famed chef Julia Child's book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and then details her efforts in a blog; the other is about Child's (Streep) life throughout the 1940's and 50's. The film is directed by Nora Ephron, well known for the hit Sleepless in Seattle.
The two leads are among the best actresses working today (and, of course, in Streep's case, maybe the best ever), while the supporting cast looks strong as well: Stanley Tucci, Jane Lynch, and Mary Lynn Rajskub ("24"). The film's plot though, doesn't strike me as something that would bring in huge crowds right away, but, if it's good, word of mouth could help the film play well into fall. One may not want to discount the success Streep has had in her past films: The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia! both opened to $27M (as of 8/1, HSX players have Julie pegged for a $20M opening.)
Early reviews haven't been great (Variety.com called it "overstuffed and predigested"), but I think the combo of Streep and Adams, and that there hasn't been a big "Ladies Night" film this summer (rom-coms like The Proposal don't count; I'm talking a dramatic, big group of women going type film like Sex and the City), should propel this film to a strong start.
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