On Thursday night, we were treated to an early “word of mouth” screening of “Julie & Julia,” writer-director Nora Ephron’s upcoming comedy-drama that officially hits theaters Aug. 7 (to see the trailer of the film, go to: julieandjulia.com).

The film is based on Julia Child’s mesmerizing memoir “My Life in France” and Julie Powell’s blog-to-book “Julie & Julia.”

But here’s the thing, dear reader. Even though it was a “word of mouth” sneak peek, we had to swear on a stack of our fave foodie bible “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” that we wouldn’t write a review or blog about it in advance.

However, those rules didn’t dissuade the Tinsel Town trade publication The Hollywood Reporter from posting a full review of the film online early Friday morning.

Still, we’ll refrain from telling you that Ephron has whipped up a delectable late-summer treat that will have you craving seconds.

Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep portray Paul and Julia Child in "Julie & Julia."

We also won’t tell you that Meryl Streep simply becomes Julia Child (we became especially slack-jawed when, in an early scene, Streep somehow even replicates the six-foot-two-inch icon’s bow-legged manner of walking).

The screening audience became so emotionally invested in Powell’s project (portrayed by actress Amy Adams, she attempts to cook all 524 recipes from “Mastering” in a cramped kitchen in 365 days and blog about it), there were gasps and murmurs in the theater when an especially important dish is threatened.

Ultimately, we left the theater wondering what Julia herself might think about “Julie & Julia.” A few years before her death in 2004, we asked permission to publish a few of her late husband Paul Child’s creative cocktail recipes for an AJC Food section cover story.

She happily played along with the project from her west coast home, even toasting us by phone as Atlantans took their first taste of Paul’s sinfully sip-able Butterfly’s Breath concoction. Child was delighted at the opportunity to talk about her late husband and his enormous role in her success.

Reduced down to its tastiest elements, Ephron’s film is a Valentine to that relationship, Julia and Paul’s awe-inspiring, decades-spanning romance.

Or as Julia herself put in on the first page of “My Life in France,” her memoir dedicated to Paul: “This is a book about some of the things I have loved most in life.”

So, what’s your take? Are you looking forward to “Julie & Julia?” Were you among Child’s many admirers at her various book-signing visits to Atlanta over the years? Did you follow blogger Julie Powell’s trials and tribulations online as she updated The Julie/Julia Project earlier this decade?