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4.0 out of 5 stars
"Your only reality is the theatre", Jan 9 2007
"Being Julia" is a very good movie (maybe 4 stars?), that somewhat ends up being absolutely wonderful in the last ten minutes, and thus deserves to be given 5 stars.
Julia Lambert (an spectacular Annette Bening), the main character, is a very successful and temperamental actress who is bored out of her mind with her routine. Julia has money and fame, but she wants a holiday from the theatre and her husband Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons), who is at the same her manager. However, all her boredom vanishes quickly when she plunges into an affair with an attractive young American, Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans). She is 45 and he is in his twenties, but they have an exhilarating affair, for a while.
Unfortunately, there are lots of beautiful young actresses in 1930's London, and Tom meets one of them, Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). Avice is an ambitious young actress, and manages to get a part in Julia's new play thanks to the intervention of a lovesick Tom. But will Julia let bygones be bygones in her relationship with Tom, or will she take revenge in her turf when Avice goes to far in her quest for stardom?. Watch "Being Julia", and enjoy the show :)
Of course, there is much more to this film that what I have told you, but that is the gist of the plot. Other secondary characters that bring even more life to "Being Julia" are Julia's son, Roger (Tom Sturridge), her personal maid Evie (Juliet Stevenson), and her friend, Lord Charles (Bruce Greenwood). But probably the most important secondary character is Jimmie Langton (Michael Gambon), Julia's erstwhile mentor, who happens to be dead but nonetheless peppers the movie with his advice to Julia. His opinion was, and continues to be, of the utmost importance to Julia. Jimmie was, after all, the one who told her that "Your only reality is the theatre".
All in all, I can sincerely say that I found this movie delightful, and that I'll keep an open eye for future films by its director, Istvan Szabo. If you can, rent or buy "Being Julia", and keep your remote control close to you. I bet that you will watch the ending of this movie more than a few times :)
Belen Alcat
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4.0 out of 5 stars
AS ENTERTAINING AS IT IS FORGETABLE..., July 19 2006
This is an entertaining film that takes place in 1938 London, England, where a forty-something stage star, Julia Lambert (Annette Bening), is undergoing a mid-life crisis. Julia has come a long way, having started her stage career in provincial theatre, where she was discovered and mentored by Jimmy Langton (Michael Gambon), dead for at least fifteen years. Julia is now the reigning diva of the London stage and has been married for well over twenty years to her business manager, the handsome and debonair Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons). Alas, she has lost her spark. Her performances weary her, and her marriage has sunk into platonic complacency. She needs something to energize her.
Then, along comes a young and handsome, ardent admirer, Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans), who is about the same age as Julia's son, Rupert (Michael Culkin). Tom Fennel wastes little time in making his intentions known, and before she knows it, Julia is having an affair with him. Believing herself in love with the feckless and boyish Tom, giving him expensive gifts and lending him money, she is jealous when his attentions seem to stray to a young blonde, would be actress, Avice Crichton. Apparently, the young actress wants a part in Julia's new play, and she pressures Tom to help her get a part. When Julia discovers that she has made a fool of herself six ways to Sunday, she decides to give the performance of her life and exacts a revenge that will leave no one in doubt about who is in charge of her destiny.
Annette Bening is wonderful in the part of Julia and totally riveting as the self-absorbed diva that finally manages to come to terms with herself. She also manages a totally believable upper class British accent. Jeremy Irons is wonderful as the understanding husband with peccadilloes of his own for which to account. Shaun Evans is excellent as the coltish but self-seeking Tom Fennel. I was floored to discover that he was not American, as he really has the American accent down pat. Lucy Punch is excellent as the pretty, young actress who has no qualms about the proverbial casting couch and gets a comeuppance that she will never forget. Michael Gambon is terrific as Jimmy Langton who, although long dead, appears on screen giving Julia advice that helps prop her up along the way, as she faces some unpleasant consequences of her actions. Of course, there is Julia Stevenson in the role of Evie, Julia's long time companion and dresser. This is an actress under appreciated by American audiences. While no great beauty, she is, undoubtedly, a great actress.
This is a film in which no expense seemed to have been spared. It boasts a stellar cast, as well as deft direction by Istvan Szabo. The performances are first rate, and the film has beautiful period sets and costumes. It is a film, however, that while entertaining is eminently forgettable. None of the major characters are particularly likable, as they are shallow and self-absorbed for the most part. Although the story is a little thin and trivial, however, it is a film that is certainly worth a rental for the performances alone.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Annette Bening is simply smashing in this film, July 12 2006
I was completely taken by both Annette Bening and the storyline itself of this movie. I've never been a big fan of Bening's, but I now see that this is obviously because I have not seen very many of her movies - she's fabulous in the role of Julia Lambert, the absolute diva of the 1930s London stage. Her range as an actress is gloriously showcased in this adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novella Theatre, and I absolutely ate up everything she gave me in her performance. Being Julia really is all about Annette Bening; everyone else is just part of her supporting cast.
At 45, Julia Lambert is beginning to feel her age and basically goes through a mid-life crisis, albeit one of theatrical proportions. Exhausted by it all, she begs her director husband for a holiday. About this same time, though, she happens to meet a star struck young American named Tom (Shaun Evans), and - despite the fact the lad has no personality and is as transparent as the day is long - she soon begins having an affair with him. Suddenly, she is happy and vibrant once again - until jealousy rears its ugly head. Julia makes quite a fool of herself in front of Tom, decrying her love for him, but another young lady captures his heart (or his affections, anyway, as I'm not convinced Tom has a heart). This young tart, Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch) fancies herself an actress, and Julia magnanimously supports her for a part in her new play. To my surprise, Avice actually gets the part (despite the fact that, so far as I could tell, she couldn't act her way out of a dark room with a flashlight). Of course, talent isn't always everything. Rejuvenated by some time away, Julia returns quite prepared for her new play, and the ending of the film centers around opening night. It's hard to discuss the ending without giving anything away, but viewers seem to have different opinions about it, opinions which greatly influence their impression of the entire movie. I thought it was brilliant and most fitting, a performance that Bette Davis would have been particularly proud of, but others bestow affections on a character I found completely unsympathetic and, as a result, apparently feel Julia's actions put her quite in the wrong.
Through it all, we are treated to the insights of Julia's mentor (Michael Gambon), a man who has been dead for fifteen years. I think this mentor's character, ethereal as he is, is of great benefit to the film, especially in terms of a prominent aspect of the story which centers on the peculiar confabulation of fantasy and reality on the part of an actress. Julia, in effect, combines the two and gives a performance for the ages in doing so. It's a bit of a melodramatic way for one to discover just who she is and where she is going, but Julia is indeed a diva. Likewise, Annette Bening's tour de force of a performance proves that she is truly one of the elite actresses working today.
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