Would Julia Child Hate These Movie Chefs?

Today would have been Julia Child‘s 102th birthday, and while she left us almost exactly a decade ago, her legacy lives on: without here, there would certainly be no Food Network or (for better or for worse) Guy Fieri. She was sassy and entertaining, and brought back from her travels in Europe a love for French cuisine. She was also opinionated; she famously threw shade at Julie Powell, the blogger whose book, Julie & Julia was turned into a movie directed by Nora Ephron (and starring Meryl Streep as the famed chef). While I’m betting she would have hated the movie version of Powell (played by Amy Adams), I had to wonder: what would Julia Child think of other movie chefs?

Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), Chocolat

Showing up in a repressed French village the late-’50s, Vianne starts to stir up trouble when her delicious chocolate begins to affect the emotions — and hormones — of her new neighbors. I have a feeling that Julia Child would get along quite well with Vianne, as she probably found saucy French ladies particularly entertaining — not to mention the kind whose chocolates make you pretty horny. [GoWatchIt]

Carl Casper (Jon Favreau), Chef

A professional chef with a mean streak, Carl Casper stormed out of work after berating a restaurant critic over Twitter after getting a bad review. He moves back to his hometown of Miami, where he starts selling Cuban sandwiches out of a food truck. I bet Julia Child would find this very distasteful, and would want none of it.. [GoWatchIt]

Amanda Shelton (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Simply Irresistible

In this light-hearted comedy, Sarah Michelle Gellar a young woman who inherits a restaurant after her mother’s death, but can’t for the life of her manage to make anything edible. Luckily, she bumps into a stranger at the market who gives her sells her crabs, one of which is magical. With a wave of his claw, the crab makes her food suddenly delicious. Julia Child would think this is cheating, and also bullshit. [GoWatchIt]

Remy (Patton Oswalt), Ratatouille

It’s tough being a rat in the restaurant industry, but Remy is ambitious, talented, and able to control the body of the young sous-chef Alfredo Linguini. But would Julia Child like him? It’s a tough call, as the presence of rat does bespeak poor sanitation, but I think she’d admire his ingenuity, his lack of pretension, and his can-do attitude. [GoWatchIt]

The Swedish Chef (Bill Barretta), The Muppets

Um, of course Julia Child would love the Swedish Chef. She’s not made of wood, you guys. [GoWatchIt]

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Photos: Everett Collection