+ Best Biopic of the Year + Best Comeback Actress of the Year: Renée Zellweger
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| Zellweger in a moment of serene calm as the title character of Rupert Goold's Judy on this simple poster |
Judy Garland is a cultural icon by 1969, - but she is also a single mother of two, who is broke. Her way to secure a home for them, she believes, is a concert engagement in London without them.
Judy is written by Tom Edge (The Crown (2016-17)), based on Peter Quilter's (Saving Jason (2016)) play End of the Rainbow (2005), and directed by great English filmmaker Rupert Goold (True Story (2015)).
The story almost eerily resembles the story of one of last year's best pictures, Jon S. Baird's masterpiece Stan & Ollie (2018), detailing Laurel & Hardy's English tour in their career's fall.
The England that Garland travels to is more than a decade later, in the grips of 'flower power', anti-authority outlooks and a young generation with little regard for the past and its cultural heroes; she still can strike up sizable crowds of the bourgeoisie and gays, who have adored her for decades. In one of the film's winning sequences, Garland exits the grand Talk of the Town concert hall to find two men waiting in the dark for her autograph. The violence of so many films have instilled a natural wariness and premonition towards men lurking in the dark, but this scene culminates movingly in the couple's apartment, where Judy bonds with two of her doting, loyal gay fans.
Critics will point out that there are so many films of artists in the autumn of their careers like Judy, and there are, but that is because there are many human and poignant true stories about artists in the autumn of their careers. And Judy is another one, about one of the most fascinating and talented stars of the 20th century. Her final weeks and death were indeed sad, pitched against the glory and joy her singing and performances gave so many, but the film also shows how her personality was shaped by love for her children, how she was a rare and consummate singer and performer, and how she battled despair, disappointments and addiction with humor and intelligence.
Making the film, - carrying it, in fact, - is Renée Zellweger (Chicago (2002)), who inhabits the unique artist with incredible orchestration of her frame, movement and expression. Zellweger's Garland is mannered, nerve-ridden, often on-edge; watch footage of Garland from the period, and you'll see that she was a lot like this. Zellweger also doesn't shy away from the unattractive sides that would be missing, had they been whisked from Judy, SPOILER for this is not a portrait of Garland young and at the height of her career but in the weeks leading up to her tragic drug overdose death at age 47 in 1969.
Supporting actors of note are Rufus Sewell (The Legend of Zorro (2005)) as Judy's ex-husband, whose detrimental effects on her fiscal situation are only hinted at, and Finn Wittrock (La La Land (2016)) as Garland's last husband, Mickey Deans.
Judy also features seamless hair, makeup and prosthetics magic as well as great costumes.
Don't miss Zellweger's performance on a big screen.
Related post:
Rupert Goold: 2019 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2019 in films - according to Film Excess
Cost: Unknown
Box office: 31.1 mil. $ and counting
= Uncertain
[Judy premiered 30 August (Telluride Film Festival, Colorado) and runs 118 minutes. Shooting took place in London, England, from March 2018 - ?. The script takes few creative licenses, (SPOILER among them are the finishing joint concert hall singing of Over the Rainbow), and is generally faithful to facts from Garland's life. Garland's iconic actress-superstar daughter Liza Minnelli has stated that the film did not "approve or sanction" the film and won't see it. The film opened #7 to a 2.9 mil. $ first weekend in 461 in North America, where it peaked at #6 and in 1,627 theaters (different weeks) and has grossed 21.5 mil. $ to date. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets yet are the UK with 8.1 mil. $ and Australia with 0.9 mil. $. The film is set to open in several more major markets, including Italy, Germany, France and Spain, from November - February 2020 and is a hot contender for Oscar nominations. If made on a likely 20-30 mil. $ budget, the film still has some way to go before turning profitable. Goold does not have his next project announced yet, and the same goes for Zellweger. Judy is certified fresh at 83 % with a 7.02/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Judy?
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