Being Julia (2004)reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
"Being Julia" is about a stage actress named Julia Lambert, played by Academy Award® winner Annette Bening, in London during the 1930s who falls for a young American fan. Of course, society loves to talk, especially when she's married to her theater's owner Michael Gosselyn, played by Academy Award® winner Jeremy Irons (Kingdom of Heaven). Eventually, the American, named Tom Fennel, falls for a younger flavor of actress and uses Julia for her money and clout. Julia eventually gets her revenge, reaching a pinnacle in her talents and enthusiasm for her husband's friendship and loyalty. I really enjoyed how the character of Julia always saw herself as performing, even in her own "real" life. So much so, the spirit of her former director and friend Jimmie Langton, played by Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), appears to her in her imagination, directing her through her life's choices, until she finally gets it right. I though Annette Bening was absolutely scary at how into her character she was. This was by far the most "character" I've seen this woman give to a role, without going over the top. She was ultimately believable as this high society Londonite/stage diva with a flair for the melodramatic. What I liked least about the film was the lack of motivation for some of the story's supporting characters, particularly the American love interest. He starts out as a fan, but rapidly becomes more of a gigolo's role in Julia's life. His inner motivation was scratched on, but still pretty vague to me. For being such an important role in the story, he should have had better character writing. Jeremy Irons was also very strong. There were moments where you could tell he was keeping up airs about Julia's "separate" life, but he still had feelings. You could see his desire for Julia's happiness and productivity was far more important to himself than his own personal respect. He was awesome. This movie isn't about "the theatre," so if that's what you're expecting, you'll be disappointed. It's simply about people who are involved in the theatre dealing with love and revenge in their lives, while making their audiences and finances as happy as possible. Overall, I thought this picture was very interesting, and it had a strong ending, but for the most part, my life isn't changed because of it. This film offers no message needing to be restated at this time, so it strikes me as nearly pointless. Very well made, but with nothing new to say. Benn - Where's the Humanity?
This picture is an interesting character piece with confusing motivations from its supporting characters, and great performances from its leading actors.
This title was requested by a reader.