The same can be said of Nora Ephron's film. While it literally weaves between what the publicity material describes as 'two true stories' - Child's transformation from bored diplomat's wife to cuisiniere extraordinaire in Paris in the late 1940s and early 50s and Powell's emergence as a published writer through her now famous Julie/Julia Project blog - Julie & Julia's effectiveness as a heartening drama about food and relationships is undermined by a certain unevenness, with the Julia segments' emotional engagement (and the remarkable performance) casting a long shadow over Julie's tribulations.

It's hard not to sympathise with Amy Adams (above), whose fair attempt as the troubled Powell is eclipsed by Meryl Streep's turn as Child. What catches the eye about Streep's performance is, inevitably, her impeccable impression of the highly idiosyncratic chef, down to her accent and mannerisms; the recreation of Child's television antics are hilarious, especially the scene in which she scoops a potato pancake off the worktable and into the pan, saying: 'Who's to know?'

But it's the nuances that matter: rather than allowing the role to spiral towards parody, Streep adds depth to her character by letting the cheery mask slip time and again, the most devastating instance of this being the childless chef's breakdown on hearing of her sister's pregnancy.

This unevenness also pervades the characterisation and the storytelling. Ephron succeeds in allowing subtle emotions to bubble underneath comic situations in Child's plotline, but Powell's story - told in parallel to Child's in the style of the The Hours, which also stars Streep - is placed within a much more melodramatic setting.

Several scenes - the lowly secretary's Sex and the City-like lunch meeting with her high-flying power-broking friends, the nearly inevitable bust-up and make-up with her ever-tolerant, 'saintly' husband Eric (Chris Messina) - flirt with clich?

A voiceover about Powell's travails - a nod to the I'm-talking-to-myself nature of blogs, most likely - hardly makes the wannabe writer an endearing figure. But what this device manages to do is reveal how distraught individuals look increasingly inwards to find personal salvation, a thread Ephron began exploring by playing out her stories through radio phone-in programmes (in Sleepless in Seattle) and anonymous connections through virtual means (You've Got Mail).

Julie & Julia could have done with quite a bit of trimming, especially in the overcooked Powell plotline. Still, Ephron's film has enough delightful moments to make the whole premise work: just like Child's nonchalant 'Who's to know?', Julie & Julia's flaws can be easily forgiven by immersion into the joys of its protagonists.

Julie & Julia opens today