Review of Being Julia (2004) by Sunil J — 23 Mar 2011
There's no denying Annette Bening can act, she was robbed of a just Oscar win for her fabulous performance in last year's The Kids Are All Right. Before that she garnered an Oscar nod for this film, in which she lays it on way too thick.
Her role as Julia Lambert, an aging London stage actress circa 1938, Bening does a performance that is akin to taking Oscar by the pants and undoing its zipper. She tries so hard to make Julia likable that it's hard to really care for her, despite that fact her husband (Jeremy Irons) cheats on her, as does her lover (Bruce Greenwood) and a young American (Shaun Evans) who she actually falls in love with.
Since Being Julia is adapted from a Somerset Maugham novel, 1937's Theatre, it should be better, but sadly it isn't. Screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) and Hungarian director Istvan Szabo (Sunshine) drowns Bening in a role that demands no emotion, only emoting.
This review of Being Julia (2004) was written by Sunil J on 23 Mar 2011.
Being Julia has generally received positive reviews.
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