Julia
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: November 12, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Original-CinKaren GordonNov 29, 2021
It’s an easygoing, highly enjoyable look at the life and considerable influence of Julia Child. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternNov 12, 2021
It shows us the woman in full, a fearless, joyous eccentric committed to carrying the oriflamme of French cuisine to the Jell-O-scarfing masses. Read full review
80
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerNov 19, 2021
Certainly few people on the planet were more interested in food than Child, and, judging from this movie, few people are as interesting. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 11, 2021
As breezy primers go in a life that’s as full as it gets, this collection of the archival and the anecdotal, with the occasional preparing of dishes as mouth-watering interludes, is decidedly more feast than fast food. Read full review
78
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpNov 10, 2021
Julia, with all of its intimate, personal and professional accounts of her character and her rise to fame, is an interesting movie: Thoroughly enjoyable, brimming with things to say, constructed in a manner that ducks pretense for relatability. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleNov 17, 2021
Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, the team behind the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, RBG, the film makes the case for Child as an instinctive feminist and a profound cultural influence, who transformed how and what Americans ate in the second half of the twentieth century. Read full review
75
Washington PostEmily HeilNov 16, 2021
It’s great fun to watch people who knew and loved her reminisce, but mostly it’s a pleasure to spend a little time in the company of the woman who saved America from Jell-O salad. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comTomris LafflyNov 12, 2021
On the whole, “Julia” won’t be the most groundbreaking meal you’ve ever had, but you’ll leave the table comforted and satisfied, in a state of bliss that Child would very much approve of. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 10, 2021
Here’s a film, opening in a nation overrun with cooking shows and entire TV networks devoted to food and a whole section of society labeling itself “foodies.” And bless her big, butter-basted heart, here’s the woman changed it. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakSep 12, 2021
The last act almost feels like the directors were doing their best to talk about those things that would have either slowed down and complicated the exquisitely rendered first two, or hadn’t yet happened until she left PBS. Read full review
75
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeSep 3, 2021
While it might not be as revolutionary as its subject, Julia celebrates not only the woman but also her joy and passion for the creation and consumption of delicious food. Just be warned: It’s not a film to watch on an empty stomach. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 11, 2021
Julia is an apt tribute to a life well-lived and well-fed. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMatthew PassantinoSep 15, 2021
The directors’ reverence is clear, but they don’t shy away from giving a three-dimensional examination of their subject. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfNov 24, 2021
Julia is a thorough documentary, concise in a way that’s ideal for the casual couch surfer. Like Child, the film’s a delight, but slightly unlike her, Julia doesn’t bring any new techniques to the table of biographical documentaries. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandSep 3, 2021
At just 95 minutes, Cohen and West hit the bullet points of Child’s life, much of it told through her own archival interviews and personal letters and diary entries, but bigger questions linger. It’s a delicious meal, but it often feels a touch undercooked. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorNov 24, 2021
With a plethora of archival material and strong interviews, this documentary argues that the exuberant Julia Child was a protofeminist who invented the profession of TV chef as she introduced the notion that food should taste good to the land of the Jell-O salad. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyNov 18, 2021
Julia, a brisk documentary survey of Julia Child’s life, is warmly admiring. This makes sense, as there’s lots to admire. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 9, 2021
It’s still a satisfying and fun tribute to someone whose impacts on modern food culture and celebrity are still being felt. Just don’t go in hungry. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicFelicia CampbellNov 16, 2021
Were there some oversights and cop-outs in this documentary? You bet. But they don’t get in the way of enjoying it. Child was not one to dwell on the difficult parts of life; she was far too interested in seeking out the delicious moments. In that way, the filmmakers made her proud. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeSep 3, 2021
Julia offers us glimpses of a complex, brittle personality beneath the robust persona, but is either too cautious or too genuinely besotted with the latter to pry it out. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawApr 7, 2022
Without that initial fanbase buy-in, Julia feels like a redundant tribute, with something very indulgent about the “foodie” rhapsodising. Read full review
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