"I'm utterly exhausted and I need holiday."
Annette Bening has one of her best roles as the aging stage star, Julia Lambert. Set in 1938 London, the film follows Julia's exploits as she attempts to find some meaning in her drama-filled life. Her relationship with her husband (Jeremy Irons) has always been "open," so she decides to have a fling with a young American (Shaun Evans, who is actually English). Unfortunately, what was meant to be a fun lark turns into something more serious, threatening to upset Julia's life completely, especially when the lovely young Avice Crichton (Judy Punch) enters the picture. However, Julia is far too strong to become a second-string player in her own life, leading to some delicious retribution.
"Being Julia" is a very enjoyable movie with some spark and playfulness not always seen in period films. Bening of course is quite stunning, and she brilliantly portrays her character's late-in-life personal growth. She deservedly won a slew of acting awards for the role, including a...
Benning at her absolute best.
This film plays homage to the lost age of British stage Divas and a time (1930's) when film acting was still viewed with snobbishness and the stage was a world of riotously overbearing performers. Benning is perfectly cast in the lead and is every inch the slighty unhinged stage Goddess. Speaking as a Brit I also have to say that her accent is utterly perfect, it surpasses Rene Zelweiger in her Bridget Jones role; of whom it has to be said, did brilliantly.
The film is very much the telling of a midlife crisis, coupled with the fear of fading stardom. The story takes place in the closing years of the 1930's, when European politics loomed large and cast an ugly shadow over British life. The story of Julia herself, is the life of a woman who has honed her craft of flambouyant acting so superbly, neither she, her social circle nor us as the audience is ever entirely sure of the boundry between real Julia and Julia the actress. Initially this pampered Madam is hilariously...
Just how should one grow old?
With the Oscar buzz for Annette Benning and its focus on the theatre, I felt that this movie would end up being a deep drama. Instead, it was more of a farce and a clever exploration of how acting an alter one's personality.
Annette Benning's character, Julia, is an accomplished actress who wrestles with boredom while seeking to escape age and the potential diminishing of her powers. She needs her status as a grand actress even as she is bored by that status and wonders what will become of her should she lose her youth. Early in the movie, she throws a tantrum and demands that her husband end the run of "Farewell My Love" that she stars in. But a young American appears on the scene and she begins an affair seeking to capture her lost youth.
For me, the movie was hard to care about at first. Mostly, this was because I had a hard time rooting for any of the characters to succeed. Nobody seemed to be a postive presence. Julia? Didn't dig her, too entitled. The...
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