Julia (2021)

A documentary on the food icon Julia Child. Chronicling her breaking away from her conservative Republican upbringing, working for the OSS (forerunner of the CIA) during WWII, the 12 year struggle to get her revolutionary THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING published and her late in life (she was in her 50s) television fame. Directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen (the Oscar nominated documentary RBG). Television is cluttered these days with cooking shows and "celebrity" chefs so it's easy to forget that it wasn't always that way. Julia Child was the first, she was responsible for many public television stations increasing their viewership. There was no one like her at the time. Standing at an imposing 6' 2", working on a low budget on a borrowed set, her shows were done in real time and not edited, there were no second takes. If she dropped a piece of food on the floor, it stayed in. But she had presence and audiences adored her. She mentored many well known chefs and several of them (Jacques Pepin, Sara Moulton) are interviewed. Battling breast cancer and fighting ageism and sexism at public TV, she continued through till her 90s. The film is frank about her flaws, it's not a blind lovefest. The film acknowledges her homophobia and the 360 turn around when her closeted gay friend died of AIDS and she began supporting the gay community and doing benefits for AIDS organizations. A fascinating woman, you don't have to be a "foodie" to enjoy this.