In this sweet ode to iconic cook Julia Child, director Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle) has created a lighthearted tribute that manages to avoid a lot of the schmaltzy sentimentality that you might be expecting.

Julie & Julia is based on a book written by the real life Julie Powell, and is essentially a tale of two stories. The first (and most interesting) story follows Julia Child (Meryl Streep) on her road to success as a beloved chef and famed t.v. personality. The second story takes place in 2002 and follows Julie Powell (a cute but slightly annoying Amy Adams) on her road to success as a wannabe chef and blogging personality. Interestingly enough, these two woman never actually meet, but its clear that Julia has an undeniable impact on Julie's somewhat mundane life.

Ephron keeps things simple here, but the film is well worth watching for a few reasons; first and foremost is because of yet another stunning performance from Meryl Streep. I know its somewhat pretentious to say, but she really is the strongest actress of the last thirty years. She's so darned sweet and charming in this picture. I just wanted to reach into the screen and give her a great big hug. Further props to the underrated Stanley Tucci for his wonderful performance. As Child's adoring and supportive husband Paul, Tucci is the epitome of class. Jane Lynch tickles the funny bone as Julia's slightly eccentric sister. I wish her role were a little bit larger. Not surprisingly, another reason to see this picture is for the food. Never let it be said that Nora Ephron doesn't know how to shoot food. Every time a dish was displayed on screen, I could almost taste it. I must have gained twenty five pounds after watching this movie.

Not all comes up roses in Julie & Julia. The film is a little too long and there are certainly pacing issues, particularly where the Julie portion of the film is concerned. Amy Adams is a terrific talent, but her Julie isn't particularly likable. She isn't a bad person, but her road to success is no where near as engaging as Julia's, and the arguments between she and her encouraging husband Eric (Chris Messina) felt petty and superficial.

In the end though, Julie & Julia emerges as one of those movies that simply sets out to make the audience smile. And through another brilliant Meryl Streep performance, wonderful work from a terrific supporting cast, and a cavalcade of mouth watering dishes, it had me smiling more often than not.