The first thing anyone should know about this documentary is that the producer, Betsy West, is the woman who used false documents for an exposé on George Bush. Her actions brought down the CBS news division and ended the career of Dan Rather. Despite this, the executives at the well-respected CNN somehow thought it would be a good idea to employ her for this project. Big mistake.
In watching this show, one must assume that West once again checked her journalistic integrity at the door. A case in point are the added sound effects over footage that didn't originally contain such audio. Or perhaps it's the questionable treatment of foreign speakers whose original voice is muted only to be replaced by that of a voiceover artist.
West's producing abilities don't stand the test of basic logic. The viewer is left to squint throughout the show as she constantly uses difficult-to-read handwriting samples from Julia Child and her husband. Worse yet, the text is far too small, even on a large screen. That's one of many rookie mistake made to be "artistic."
HBO is currently running a scripted version of Julia Child's story. Although it elapses over multiple episodes, it is far more interesting. The show is based on three books but doesn't serve them well. I made several attempts over three days to get through this documentary, but West's stale approach to storytelling had me falling asleep repeatedly.
Ultimately the audience is treated to a taste of Julia Child's life, but it's sour, suffering from poorly created ingredients.
Julia
2021
Action / Biography / Documentary
Plot summary
Julia tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Produced by the Woman Who Brought Down CBS News
Julia... Julia... Julia
By far the best documentary on Julia to date. Julia was such an influence on the culinary culture and that was highlighted. Julia Childs was such a phenomenal woman and this documentary confirmed that! There were more 'fillers' than I would have like to see. I personally feel they could have added a few more facts or footage but overall the story was well told. There were a lot of amazing food shots throughout the film that made me want to go and try to prepare what I saw (LOL),but I guess that was the point. The story itself was very inspirational and uplifting. I appreciate the honesty of the documentary as well. Julia's friends were pretty candid on the type of woman she was.
Dedicated Capture
As documentaries go, this one was long overdue. Celebrating the life of one of the greatest most passionate chefs to grace our time, "Julia" tapped into nostalgic archival footage and delivered a crisp perfectly 'cooked' documentary that was as meticulous and delicious as Julia Child's culinary brilliance.
Julie Cohen and Betsy West directed this amazing addition to the hall of celebrity documentaries. Various prominent names featured in it, including José Andrés, Jacques Pepin, Ina Garten, André Cointreau, Susy Davidson, Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, François Simon, and others.
Rachel Portman's musical scoring was amazing. Great work all round by every crew member who was part of this project. Special shout-out to Carla Gutierrez's editing, which made the docu flow like a charm.
This documentary did more than capture a TV sensation and cookbook author, it highlighted the hard work of a woman who became a legend, and for all the right reasons. Few people will deny that Julia Child changed the way we see food - especially French cuisine - and the business behind it. She was, and still is, an inspiration to women.
Let's also not forget that this masterful chef was a true foodie at heart, thus inspiring the so-called trend way back when, when social media was not yet conceived. Julia Child is most certainly an icon and cultural phenomenon.
If you haven't seen Meryl Streep's take on this outstanding person, go check out the movie "Julie & Julia". Meanwhile, add this documentary to your watchlist - it was evocative and excellent in every way.