How Julie & Julia was wonderful!
Sat here on a whim one Saturday night because yet again our city has imposed curfew norms, writing this article or I could call it a snippet of my mind. I used to really struggle to be personal online scared about the backlash Id invariably receive but I really don’t think people would jeer or sneer. There may be a slim chance they might even relate!
So I just finished watching Julie & Julia whilst sipping on my ‘haldi doodh’ (Turmeric Latte for all other folks) and felt this huge sense of comfort. The movie was wonderful with great performances but I couldn’t help but be narcissistic and draw parallels between Julie’s (played by Amy Adams) life and my own.
Relocating to New York with her husband and starting a new boring desk job, unhappy with her normal 30-year-old life; envious and sour of her successful friends’ lives. While I’m not 30 or experiencing a mid-life crisis, I related to her on a few levels.
1. Her desire to set deadlines and achieve goals
Defining herself with short-term goals, sometimes unachievable and aspirational deadlines, and her willpower to get up and do the thing. I saw a lot of myself in her. She was motivated and encouraged by the people around her (for the most part) and I think Amy Adams as an actress was so likable and real. It was refreshing to watch a contemporary comedy film with characters who feel like actual human beings.
2. Her imperfections
Many times we come across characters on screen, especially in unrealistic rom-coms, where the girl is really pretty, smart, and talented in some way or the other. Well, here Julie was so imperfect, flawed, and driven. Clearly, she puts on a lot of weight after eating way too much of her indulgent food and has shitty days when the stuffed chicken she attempts to make splatters all over the kitchen floor. The movie did not have the ideal perfect ending, but a simple one where she goes on with her day after a visit to an exhibit. She acknowledges that the work she does is not meant for everyone to enjoy or agree with.
3. Her ability to be grateful
This is a quality I severely lacked, but the one thing Miss Rona taught me these last two years almost, is to be grateful for the support of my friends and family and be grateful for the situation I am in, currently. Julie constantly thanks her friends and husband for sticking with her through her difficult times, where she was giving others a hard time or she was just not having it. It was so sweet to watch her get teary-eyed when she speaks to her loved ones. I related to that, because, I am not someone who likes to tell others how grateful I am for them constantly. When I do open up, I feel vulnerable and then start the little lip-quiver and glassy-eyes.
“I love my husband like a pig loves shit.” — Julie Powell, Julie and Julia
Well, if I was married, I’d say the same.
They’re all simple parallels. Of course, the usual suspects would be my dissatisfaction with my job and the likes, but not really. I am happy where I’m at. Julie and Julia was a really nice movie, I wouldn’t say it was my favorite film ever because I have watched Star Wars: Return of the Jedi too many times to let anything surpass that film for me.
But on the whole, it was refreshing to find a movie that resonated with me and one where I see myself revisiting again.
Also, I am not sure what the point of this post is.
Bye.
