Julie & Julia ***

"Julie & Julia," the true stories of two women separated by 50 years and the Atlantic Ocean, but united in a love for food and a desire to make something more of their lives, is a tasty, funny, satisfying double portion serving of delightful movie making. Julie is Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams, who embarks on a year's assignment to cook and blog her way through Julia Child's classic, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." And Julia, superbly played by Meryl Streep, is of course the iconic Julia Child in France. Directed and written by Nora Ephron from Child's posthumously published autobiography, "My Life in France," and Powell's eponymous account of her year, the movie jumps back and forth from 50's France to today's New York.

There are interesting parallels as well as contrasts in the two worlds. The two women each find a way to transcend their roles, and to use cooking as a means to get there. They both have wonderfully supportive husbands, which, of course, we're not used to seeing in the movies. I guess it's just too boring to see happy couples on screen - where's the drama in that? Stanley Tucci as Paul Child and Chris Messina as Eric Powell turn in fine performances.

The period settings in France have a classic Hollywood patina, and Streep is invariably luminous playing the almost rollicking Child. The scenes in New York, on the other hand, are in a cramped 900 square foot walk-up above a pizza store, so the atmosphere is more gritty than glamour. Julie does have her meltdown moments, but keeps plugging away admirably. She's a different person with different challenges than Julia, and her story is not going to be as riveting, but for me the story rang true and did not drag.

I dare say this will be the big women's movie of the summer (if you don't count "The Proposal"), but husbands and boyfriends with an interest in cooking and/or who do not arrive hungry will have as much fun as they had at showier, but much less meaty escapist fare.

Rated PG-13. 123 minutes. Nora Ephron - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Julie Powell - Writer (book "Julie & Julia"), Julia Child - Writer (book "My Life in France"), Alex Prud'homme - Writer (book "My Life in France"), Laurence Mark - Producer, Amy Robinson - Producer, Eric Steel - Producer, Stephen Goldblatt - Cinematographer, Alexandre Desplat - Composer, Mark Ricker - Production Designer, Richard Marks - Editor.

Principal actors: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, and Linda Emond.