Parents' Guide to

Julie & Julia

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Tempting Meryl Streep dramedy is OK but may bore kids.

Movie PG-13 2009 123 minutes
Julie & Julia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 19 parent reviews

age 14+

Light, funny romance

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
age 14+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (19):
Kids say (51):

Adams' Julie is delightful ... but not delightful enough to warrant quite so much screen time (what's with the distractingly bad haircut and the constant bellyaching?). Her arc moves the film forward, but it's Julia Child who intrigues, so much so that it can be a killjoy to switch back to Julie in 2002. Although her Julia borders on caricature, Streep is still phenomenal, making it clear that the woman who wrote the cookbook that changed the way people cook was much more captivating and much less solipsistic than the real-life blogger who found fame through her.

Director Nora Ephron also unfortunately gives Paris a bit of the cold shoulder -- we get glimpses, but not enough to sate our hunger for the city that made Child swoon. And speaking of hunger: What happened to showing off all those tasty dishes Child was whipping up? Though the boeuf bourguignon and sole meuniere make the mouth water, and a perfectly iced chocolate cake tempts, there really isn't enough food showcased for a film about a world-famous chef. Brief glimpses of meringue and close-ups of a trussed duck don't feed a food-movie lover's soul.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate