Judy
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell
Directed by: Rupert Goold
Rated: PG-13
While it seems there is an unspoken rule that no one under the age of 75 is permitted to see Judy in theaters, I defied the social norms this week to catch it on the big screen. I was met with many looks of concern and confusion. What was someone without an AARP membership doing in the theater? Was I lost? I was not lost, just very curious to see how the life of Judy Garland would be depicted on-screen. Not to mention, interested to see Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of the iconic star after receiving a lot of buzz at the TIFF and Telluride Film Festivals. AARP or not, it was time to watch Judy.
Based on Peter Quilter’s play End of the Rainbow, Judy follows the life of Judy Garland late in her career as she struggles to balance her finances, career, and motherhood. In order to get her affairs in order, she prepares to perform a set of sold-out shows in London at the Talk of the Town nightclub. Is she up to the task?
First thing’s first, Renée Zellweger. I wondered how anyone could play Judy Garland, considering her distinctive voice and stage presence. Well, Renée shows how it’s done. It’s a powerhouse performance like no other. When she gets on stage to sing “By Myself,” she becomes Judy Garland. How could anyone have doubted her after she proved her performing abilities as Roxie Hart in Chicago? From facial expressions to physical movements, Zellweger emulates Garland in such a way that you forget you’re watching an actress. It’s like Judy Garland is really on the stage performing for an audience. Somewhere over the Rainbow, her Oscar is waiting for her.
Director Rupert Goold and writer Tom Edge attempt to weave together the London concert sequences with flashbacks of Judy’s past as an ingenue film star. It’s evident that Goold was inspired by La Vie en Rose (which won Marion Cotillard an Oscar for her work as Edith Piaf) because the film is structured almost identically. However, the short flashbacks don’t tell us enough about Judy Garland’s life. There are glimpses of her teenage years, but nothing of her childhood and a huge gaping hole left in her 20’s and 30’s. What happened then? I understand the film is stating that her exposure to Hollywood from a young age was responsible for her tragic life. It wouldn’t have hurt to delve a little deeper than just a few flashbacks, though. What was it like before she was famous? How was she cast in The Wizard of Oz? How did she balance her career and being a mother to Liza Minnelli? These are massive parts of her life that aren’t mentioned in Judy.
While it’s not exactly a perfect biopic, it can’t be denied that there are many powerful moments throughout Judy. The highs and lows of fame are on display as Judy dominates the stage, only to come crashing down when the curtain closes. There’s a tangible energy to the London concert scenes. It’s as though the performances bring her back to life. If only she could’ve stayed that way. Behind the scenes, she struggles with drugs, alcohol, and terrible husbands. The more she struggles, the more her performances suffer. It’s a Hollywood story we’ve seen before, but that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking. The final scene of the film is deeply emotional and moving. It humanizes her with one last moment on stage, bonding her to the audience. One thing’s for sure; we won’t forget her whether we’re 84 or 24.
It would have been nice to see Judy explore a bit more of the life of such a major Hollywood icon. However, the film still proves to be an emotional biopic chronicling the highs and lows of stardom anchored by Renée Zellweger’s powerhouse portrayal of Judy Garland.
My Rating: 7/10