JULIE & JULIA
A savory, life-affirming feast for teens and adults.
Should You Watch It?
Yes—if you want a thoughtful, beautifully acted movie about passion, dedication, marriage, and food. Julie & Julia finds joy in two women pursuing meaningful work, and it presents both marriages positively, with spouses supporting one another through thick and thin.
The cost is modest but real. The film includes one “f” word, other foul language, light references to married couples’ sex lives, brief nudity, alcohol, smoking, and some politically correct material. That makes it a poor choice for preteens, though older viewers may find much to savor.
For a different kind of Hollywood meal, choose it for your teenagers and adults in your family.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn 1949 Paris, Julia Child begins studying French cuisine and working toward a new life as a chef and cookbook author. More than five decades later, Julie Powell is stuck in a government job in New York when she decides to cook all 524 recipes in Julia’s book during one year—and write about the experience in a blog.
The film moves between these two women as their work, marriages, and passions develop.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is an excellent film, and the source’s praise is clear. Nora Ephron deftly weaves together two stories set 50 years apart, while Meryl Streep and Amy Adams give excellent portrayals of Julia Child and Julie Powell.
The movie offers something different from the usual Hollywood meal. Its cooking-centered story becomes a larger celebration of passion for life itself, with marriage and dedication at the center.
The Worldview
The film presents a light moral worldview through two career women pursuing meaningful work. It exalts passion, dedication, perseverance, and the pursuit of a full life. Most importantly, it gives a positive view of marriage: Julie and Julia remain committed to their husbands, while their spouses support them through thick and thin.
The movie also carries some politically correct content. It takes potshots at Republicans, particularly Julia Child’s staid Republican father, and attacks Senator Joe McCarthy’s investigations of the State Department, where Paul Child worked. The review identifies this as revisionist history because the film does not mention that McCarthy’s suspicions about the patriotism of the diplomatic corps were generally well founded.
The film’s emphasis on faithful marriage aligns with Scripture’s picture of love as steadfast and enduring: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly” (1 Peter 4:8).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light moral worldview in story about two career women, with a positive view of marriage, including spouses support one another through thick and thin, plus some politically correct content disparaging Republicans and revisionist history regarding Senator Joseph McCarthy’s campaign against Communist spies in the federal government, and a man is asked if he’s a homosexual; 11 obscenities (including one “f” word), six light profanities and a woman is called the “b” word; angry woman kicks an object in the kitchen and a comic bit on TV where a man dressed as Julia Child cuts his finger, bleeds all over his apron and faints; implied married sex between two married couples, a couple double entendres comparing cooking food to sex and some passionate kissing; brief upper male nudity and back of woman’s bra shown; alcohol use; smoking; and, nothing else objectionable.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Both women pursue demanding work while remaining committed to marriage. How can spouses support one another through changing seasons of life?
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 · 1 Corinthians 13:4–7Julie and Julia devote themselves to difficult goals. What is the difference between faithful dedication and making success an idol?
Colossians 3:23–24 · Matthew 6:33The film connects cooking with joy and a passion for life. How can ordinary work become an expression of gratitude to God?
1 Corinthians 10:31 · James 1:17The movie includes political judgments and revisionist history. How should Christians test what they are told?
Acts 17:11 · Proverbs 18:17The Final Word
Julie & Julia is an excellent, savory film about passion, dedication, food, and supportive marriages. Its language, sexual references, and brief mature content make it better for older viewers than for preteens. For teenagers and adults seeking something different, it is WORTH THE TRIP — TEENS AND ADULTS.
