Reviews: Meryl Streep as Julia Child

Reviews: Meryl Streep as Julia Child in the movie 'Julie & Julia'

"...As does Ms. Streep. By now this actress has exhausted every superlative that exists and to suggest that she has outdone herself is only to say that she’s done it again. Her performance goes beyond physical imitation, though she has the rounded shoulders and the fluting voice down perfectly.

Often when gifted actors impersonate real, familiar people, they overshadow the originals, so that, for example, you can’t think of Ray Charles without seeing Jamie Foxx, or Truman Capote without envisioning Philip Seymour Hoffman. But Ms. Streep’s incarnation of Julia Child has the opposite effect, making the real Julia, who died in 2004, more vivid, more alive, than ever..." (New York Times)

*****

"...Meryl Streep does the real cooking in Julie and Julia. She effortlessly masters Child's heart and soul. Her Julia is the perfect soufflé- light and airy with just the right amount of sugar and lift- an embodiment that goes beyond the command of the Child accent and physical style, beyond homage, to revealing real character. Streep handles the painful echoes of Child's ironically childless life with poignancy that avoids the maudlin with one exception. The last scene has her and her mate Paul (Stanley Tucci) beaming at and holding that beautiful little book of theirs with a little too much motherly and paternal affection...." (Allmovie.com)

*****

"Streep plays Julia Child to perfection. She nails Child's distinctive vocal cadence, loping gait, awkward gestures and, above all, her voluble enthusiasm. Streep's turn as the sprightly TV chef is not only a wondrous impersonation but an intelligent and respectful portrayal." (USA Today)

*****

"While both actresses deserve credit, it's Streep who dominates and deserves to be put in contention for her third Oscar. Deftly playing the dotty masterchef - complete with a brilliantly squawking laugh - it's an amusing but respectful imitation." (Daily Mirror)

*****
"... Streep, who gives us a spot-on Julia Child. Of course she does. Is there anything this woman cannot do? At this point, someone could cast her as former President Jimmy Carter and I wouldn’t blink. The screen lights up whenever she appears, as her wobbling, warbling Julia cheerfully makes merely average material genuinely exceptional. As with most of her performances, Streep convinces us she is Child, rather than doing a mere imitation. Just the other day I re-watched her performance as the frosty nun in Doubt (which also featured Adams), and it is almost unfathomable to believe this is the same person. Streep is a rare exception to the restrictive rules of Hollywood: She’s a woman who turned 60 years old this year and is still capable of bringing in audiences on star power alone." (Cinema Verdict)

*****
"...Meryl Streep is awesome as Julia Child. In fact she's so good you quickly forget it is Meryl Streep playing Julia Child — she becomes her. Now that's the mark of a great actor...." (theleafchronicle.com)

*****

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