HBO Max’s ‘Julia’ Brings ‘The French Chef’ Icon to Life, But Misses Some Key Opportunities: TV Review
variety.comCaroline Framke Chief TV CriticThe first thing you need to do whilst watching HBO Max’s “Julia” is to get all other versions of Julia Child out of your head.
That proves easier than might be expected, given such enduring depictions as Meryl Streep’s lauded turn in Nora Ephron’s “Julie and Julia” (2009) or, most cartoonishly, Dan Aykroyd’s “Saturday Night Live” performance of Child as a careening agent of chaos who constantly bleeds out like a geyser.
In its early offings, “Julia” acts as a deliberate counterpoint to those larger-than-life portrayals, bringing Julia back down to earth as a flesh and blood human woman, played with empathetic precision by Sarah Lancashire (“Happy Valley,” “Last Tango in Halifax”).
She’s still the life of the party, but she’s also prone to the adrenaline crash after the food’s gone and the guests leave. This isn’t to say that “Julia” is so grim.
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