MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Biographical Drama/Stars: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, Richard Cordery, Bella Ramsey, Royce Pierreson, Andy Nyman, Phil Dunster, Daniel Cerqueira, Arthur McBain, John Dagleish, Gemma-Leah Devereux, David Rubin, Lewin Lloyd, Fenella Woolgar, Gus Barry, Darci Shaw/Runtime: 118 minutes
I think it’s safe to say that if you really wanted to know why, more often than not, biopics of iconic figures from all nations across all eras of history don’t really work on the level that they should there is at least a singular reason that best comes to mind. That being that, when you really stop to think about it dear reader, it is an immensely difficult task to try and showcase for an audience the entire length of a person’s life span in 2-3 hours. That and if you make the choice to have the film in question put more of a concentration on a specific point in that individual’s life then that too can also the chance of falling quite flat due to so many possibilities being tossed to the curb in the process. It is for the aforementioned reasons incidentally that are perhaps why we as movie goers have never been treated to a full-on entry in the biopic genre of movie magic revolving around, to name but one example, the iconic and truly incomparable Judy Garland. Yes, in the name of fairness, there was an absolutely phenomenal made for TV miniseries starring Judy Davis entitled Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows that is most definitely worth watching if you can find it though definitely be warned: tissues will be needed. That project aside however, it really did seem like trying to tackle the story of one of the most iconic performers of her, let alone any, generation to say nothing of a talent who was pretty much a fixture in the entertainment industry all her life was a task no one seemed like they could ever fully get off the ground if even try to do so in the first place. Thankfully, in the long-ago year of 2019 we saw that an English director by the name of Rupert Goold decided to give it a try. Yet instead of giving audiences a comprehensive and thorough look at Garland’s life, he instead decided to do something just as risky and choose to place his slice of cinema’s narrative firmly in the last year that Garland was among the living. Even more remarkable than that creative choice however was Goold’s choice for his lead actress. That being none other than iconic actress Renee Zellweger who, at the time of this film’s release, had only been back on the cinema scene for about 3-4 years following a hiatus of about six years after the release of her film My Own Love Song. Yet, rather than wind up being a colossal misfire, I can safely say that the end result of their collaboration, and the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today incidentally, most assuredly was anything but. To be sure, there are more than a few flaws to be found with 2019’s Judy. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that with the aid of fairly compelling work both behind and in front of the camera (especially by Zellweger who is nothing short of phenomenal in the titular role) Judy is a potent, poignant, and beautiful ode to an icon who might not have always loved herself like she should’ve, but who nevertheless always had a place in the heart of her fans no matter what.
The plot is as follows: A cinematic adaptation of the play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter, Judy gets its narrative underway at a point most biopics would consider to be their conclusion. That being near the end of its main subject’s life. A point that, in the life of the titular Judy Garland, saw her financially destitute, unable to fully think clearly due to years of substance abuse, and pretty much unable to find work. Perhaps it is because of these things that we see fairly early on that she is being denied entry to merely the latest in a seeming revolving door of well-to-do hotels in the L.A. area that operate as a home for her and in the process see her drop off her children Lorna and Joey with their dad, and third husband, Sid Luft. However when an invite arrives her way from a theater magnate over in London to take part in a five-week run of performances at his nightclub across the pond, we see that our heroine is pretty much in a position where saying no might not be an option. Upon arriving, we see that for a brief period of time it looks as if things are going to work out for the better and Garland is going to be able to make this work to the benefit of not only her host and his establishment, but also to her and the patrons there as well. Unfortunately, it isn’t too long before we see things start to go awry for our heroine here as well. Indeed be it through refusing to take part in rehearsals, showing up to the shows either late or extremely inebriated, or placing more of her concentration and focus on a new close friend in her life, a young man by the name of Mickey Deans, we see that slowly but surely our heroine manages to stretch the patience and compassion of both her host as well as the young glorified babysitter meant to keep an eye on her to nothing less than the brink. Whilst this is going on though however, we as an audience are also treated to a series of conveniently placed look backs to when a teenage Garland in the 1930s in the midst of her development years on the backlot of MGM Studios. A period of time that, with each look back, shows us how the tyrannical men in charge at the studio not only took control over nearly every single facet of her life and then some, but also how the fallout of that control is able to reverberate throughout the rest of her life to such a significant extent that we are therefore able to see their effects play out even in the main narrative which is occurring close to 2-3 decades at a minimum later. Suffice it to say then can our heroine overcome the demons that have haunted her virtually all her life one more time and remind everyone of the talent that she undeniably is or is the curtain about to close on her career for good? That I shall leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….
Now right off, it is worth pointing out that the work done behind the camera on this film is actually well-done all things considered. With that said though, you should know that this slice of cinema’s screenplay is a bit on the problematic side even if it is still quite well-written. This is because not only does Tom Edge seem content to only give us as an audience a surface-level look at Garland and the issues that plagued her, but he also doesn’t really try to expand on this previously established work in any meaningful or impactful way. As a result, don’t be surprised if you find yourself seeing beats within this story that manage to be more than just a tad bit familiar. With that in mind though, it should also be said at this time that the wonderful work from both the set design and costume departments do permit this slice of cinema to do a really admirable job at taking you back in time to the groovy era known as the 1960s especially when it comes to the fashions worn by the characters and even the look of the club scene very much present in 1968 London. At the same time though, this also helps the production design team to really showcase history for us courtesy of contrasting the impending rise of an infamous little disease which would hit the U.K. around that time known as Beatlemania with Garland’s tragically declining relevance in the realm of entertainment. Of course, it should be noted here that the work done at the helm here by Rupert Goold is thankfully a wonderful step forward from the work he did on the 2015 Jonah Hill/James Franco film True Story. Yes the moments where we are given a front row seat to the series of concerts Judy put on are very much hit or miss, but in all fairness that is not because of any fault on the part of the creative crew behind the camera. Instead, it is because not only are they actually doing a wonderfully honest job at presenting them as they genuinely were, but when you also see how beautifully the high points are set up and executed here it’s quite difficult to not feel like you have just witnessed a little hint of music heaven. A fact that is especially true when it comes to the point in the film where you get to hear Zellweger belt out the iconic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Indeed I’m not going to go into spoilers about what happens or when it occurs in the movie, but don’t be surprised to find yourself desperately trying to hold back tears with how beautiful it is. We also see that the team behind the camera does a beautiful job at honoring Garland’s position of prominence with the LGBTQ community through a sequence featuring Judy spending some time with a couple who are part of that community that is not only beautifully and upliftingly done, but also incredibly inspiring to see a star like she was be willing to treat people with the class and respect they deserve. Suffice it to say that there might be some issues here and there, but overall dear reader the work done behind the camera is certainly more than capable even if certain elements to it involving this film’s real-life subject and her timeless legacy might make you raise an eyebrow.
Of course, the other significant element toward this slice of cinema working on the level that it does would undeniably have to come from the work done by the immensely talented cast of players in front of the camera. This starts without question with the work done by the iconic Renee Zellweger in the titular role. Indeed, more than perhaps any other component to this film, she is without question the definitive key that helps ensure this film works as well as it does. I mean she is by no means merely just copying Garland, but instead is immersing herself so fully in portraying this icon that for the duration of this film’s 118-minute runtime it is not Renee Zellweger who is on screen; rather, there is no more or less than an intricately acted to say nothing of incredibly convincing depiction of Judy Garland. Not just in terms of some of Garland’s more unique quirks like an anxious twitch or a strained smile, but also in terms of how there is a honest self-consciousness to how she moves that feels very much in synch with how Garland was always tip-toeing on a psychological tightrope. Oh and did I mention that Zellweger does all of her own singing in this? To be sure, she might not really sound like Garland, but there is no denying that there is an emotional potency present all the same. That and by the time Garland was doing these performances her voice had gone through quite the wringer due to her lifestyle up to that point thus raising the anxiety on the part of people who might want to book her for a gig and that is definitely something Zellweger is able to display in a manner that is equal parts heartfelt and 110% committed. Suffice it to say then that if one of the key ways to tell if a performer is able to give a genuinely phenomenal turn is when you can’t really see anyone but that performer in that respective part then I definitely think that holds true for the incredible work on display here by Zellweger. Besides the incredible work done by Zellweger however, we see that this slice of cinema also backs her up admirably with a more than capable support cast even if some might not get nearly as much to do in the narrative as others. Far and away the best, read: given the most to work with, turn from the support cast would have to be Darci Shaw in the role of the younger Judy Garland. Indeed not only is her turn just as powerful as Zellweger’s, but she also does a great job at showing us both our main heroine’s narrowly kept in check temper to say nothing of her tireless drive to make everyone happy. Even when that in mind though, it should be said that the work from skilled actors as the late yet always great Michael Gambon as iconic British stage manager Bernard Delfont, Jessie Buckley as Judy’s consistently torn between sympathetic and exasperated quasi-sorta glorified babysitter Rosalyn Wilder, and Finn Wittrock as Judy’s new special male friend in her life Mickey Deans are all equally as good, but are also tragically underwritten. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in efforts from talents such as Rufus Sewell, Phil Dunster, Arthur McBain, Richard Cordery, and Bella Ramsey among others there is no denying that this slice of cinema might have its issues, but the work done by the cast (especially Zellweger) does succeed in making up for a fair bit of them.
All in all and at the end of the day dear reader is the 2019 slice of cinema Judy a perfect trip somewhere over the rainbow? Sadly, no though certainly not for lack of effort on the part of cast and crew in equal measure. Having said that however does that make this a slap in the face to not only one of cinema’s more enduring icons to say nothing of the legacy that she left behind? Thankfully I can also say that is not the case either. Indeed there is no denying that, for all the demons she fought and for all the issues she had in her life, Judy Garland most assuredly had a charm and a talent to her that was (and still is to this day when going back to the body of work she left us with) undeniable and this film does a phenomenal job at showcasing that. At the same time though, this slice of cinema also makes it clear that this was a woman who, because of that aforementioned talent, also found herself being tragically abused and manipulated to a point, both physically and psychologically, where full repair was tragically all but impossible no matter how hard she tried. In that regard, there is no denying that this cinematic outing might not be a flawless ode to a bona fide icon, but with the aid of engaging work behind the camera and compelling work in front of the camera, especially from Zellweger who is nothing short of phenomenal in the titular role, Judy is more than just a well-made tribute to a flawed yet remarkable all the same woman. Rather, it is a slice of cinema that manages to be, much like Judy’s life and even her career to a fairly significant extent, both beautiful yet haunting, but also something else. That being an opportunity for Judy’s heart and soul to come forth one more time and grace not just the eyes and ears of an audience eager to see, hear, and even feel it, but also to reach out to their hearts as well. Not so they can judge or criticize, but instead to just sit back with a smile on their face, a tear or 10 in their eyes, and witness for themselves a woman who tragically was unable to love herself even close to the amount that she was, and still is, loved by so many people around the world. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Judy “2019” a solid 4 out of 5.
