Having long been a fan of Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and cooking, I have eagerly awaited the oddly biographical Julie & Julia. In this offbeat adaptation, of not one but two books, Nora Ephron seeks to weave together the lives of two women who are separated by four decades and two continents.

In Julie & Julia, we meet Julie Powell, played by ultimately adorable Amy Adams. As with so many of the 30-something characters these days, Julie is a boat with no rudder. Stuck in a dead-end (albeit noble) job, she wants something more ... desperately wants something more! With the support of her devoted husband, she decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She vows, in 365 days, to execute all 524 recipes, and in the meantime, she will blog her progress!

While Julie is busy cracking eggs and deboning ducks, we are blessed to meet the author of the breakthrough work in a detailed embodiment by Meryl Streep! Standing at what looks like 7 feet tall, Meryl is Julia Child! Her tics, laughter and goofy hair are all spot-on. But as good as the portrayal of this culinary icon is, that is not the treasure of this film. No, that would be the tender insight we get into Julia’s life as a result of the heartfelt nature of Streep’s performance.

The comedians of the era had a field day with the weirdness that was Julia. Dan Aykroyd’s sendup on Saturday Night Live of the knife-wielding Child still evokes guilty and awkward pleasure. But what these broad parodies did not reveal was the incredible heart of this brave and funny soul. Married to a U.S. diplomat (played by former Devil Wears Prada co-star Stanley Tucci), Julia also lacked purpose and direction. There are, after all, just so many French pastries a girl can consume before she must do something useful. And what Julia did was open up the secrets of French cuisine to the world! God bless you, Julia!

What makes Julie & Julia so very watchable are the strange parallels in these seemingly unrelated women’s lives. And so this is where credit goes to director and screenwriter Nora Ephron. With a track record that includes When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, Ephron is among the pantheon of “chick flick” producers. Her ability to attract and inspire incredible talent is at the core of her success. In addition to that invaluable skill, she is also a delightful writer who clearly speaks from the heart in capturing the hopes and fears of women everywhere. This gift is on clear display in Julie & Julia!

There are a few loose ends in this two-hour movie. A couple of edits jump, and an unfinished detail or two left me wishing for a slightly better job in the editing room, but, overall, this movie made me happy. To see such a talented cast work so respectfully and lovingly with this unlikely subject matter left me gabbing on and on for days after the screening. So if you would like a break from the bang-bang, shoot’em-up summer fare, Julie & Julia should be on your movie-watching menu!

— In addition to being a great movie reviewer, Michael O’Brien Sr. owns and operates a DeLand-based catering service, Michael’s Gourmet to Go. E-mail him at movieman@beacononlinenews.com.