Delicous, filling

As a red-blooded American man, I did not expect to enjoy a movie about two women and their love of cooking. “Julie & Julia,” however, is such a charming and entertaining film that transcends its genre in a way I haven’t seen since “Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day.”

Maybe it has something to do with Amy Adams. I don’t know.

Regardless, I found myself laughing and cheering along with this quirky little piece and never once looked at my watch throughout its two-hour runtime.

The film is based on not just one, but two true stories, which are spliced together in a brilliant display of writing acumen, one whose whole is much more than either of its parts could be separately.

One side of the story is that of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and her life as she learns to cook, starts to teach, and eventually writes her world-famous cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The other half of this winning equation is Amy Adams as Julie Powell, an average New Yorker who starts a blog about her attempt to work her way through Child’s 536-recipe cookbook in 365 days.

They never meet on screen, yet the chemistry between Adams and Streep is as palpable here as it was in “Doubt.” This movie soars almost on their charm alone. But credit must also be given to their respective husbands (Stanley Tucci as Paul Child and Chris Messina as Eric Powell), who each play their parts pitch-perfectly as they both try to support their wives in their equally daring and obsessive ventures.

On top of that, the casting for the rest of the film is as spot-on as any I’ve ever seen, and I was thrilled to see Jane Lynch as Julia’s sister.

Every aspect of this movie is well crafted. The film might be light and fluffy, but when it comes to food, that isn’t always a bad thing. I laughed, I enjoyed myself, and, in the end, that’s all that matters – chick flick or not.