Post by Rob W. Case on Dec 31, 2019 17:17:47 GMT -6
The Story:
The year is 1968 and legendary singer/ actress Judy Garland (Renee Zellweger) has fallen on tough financial times. Due to horrible mismanagement of her money, her personal vices, lavish lifestyle, and her dependence on barbiturates (to help her sleep) and amphetamines (to pep her up) she takes up gigs that do not pay very much. When her and her kids Lorna (Bella Ramsey) and Joey (Lewin Lloyd) are told that they can no longer reside at the Park Seasons hotel in Los Angeles, Judy goes to her ex-husband (and father of her two kids) Sid Luft’s house to provide their kids with a place to sleep at least for the night. Worried about where his kids are going to stay, Sid (Rufus Sewell) tells Judy that he wants custody of the kids during the school year since she cannot adequately provide their basic needs and the necessities. She then makes her way to a late-night Hollywood party, where she meets a nightclub owner and piano player by the name of Mickey Deans (Fin Wittrock), whom she takes a liking to, and the two get very close. An opportunity comes up for Judy, where she can make enough money to see her kids, but it is at the “Talk of the Town” nightclub in London, England. The courts will not allow her children to be taken out of the United States, so she has to leave them with Sid to pull herself back up.
When Judy arrives in London, she meets Rosalyn Wilder (Jessie Buckley) whose job it is to look after her. With ticket sales sold out, high expectations, and many pressures on her shoulder, it is time for Judy Garland to perform, but she is late. Rosalyn finds out quick that Judy is going to need a boost, and that there are going to be challenges ahead in Judy’s ability to fulfill her obligations. As she becomes temperamental, difficult at times, and high maintenance (due to health issues, being tired a lot, not wanting to go out there, and dealing with emotional blows due to her issues with Sid and being separated from the kids), it starts affecting her act (as well as her relationship with the nightclub’s management), and her dependency on barbiturates and amphetamines becomes greater. She does, however find love in Micky Deans, and the two get married, however he also experiences some of the challenges that she brings, and has to deal with them. We then see to a greater level how difficult it is for Judy Garland to live up to the elegant star level status that is expected of her, and that is what makes this film so dramatic and intriguing.
My Take:
The movie is very simplistic in the sense that it primarily centers around the length of time that she was performing at “The Talk of the Town” nightclub in London. It covers primarily her ups and downs, her struggles, and the weight that her struggles places on those around her. The film did a great job, I think, in seasoning the film with flashback sequences that covered moments in her early acting days at MGM, where the “seeds” were “planted” if you will, and the heavy handed influence of Lois B. Mayer (Richard Cordery)-- the head of MGM, led to the struggles and difficulties that she dealt with towards the end of her life. What we see is a very vulnerable and needy person, with difficulties like all human beings, struggle to prop up and maintain the weight of being a big star, and struggling in some areas, failing in others, and persevering in trying to just get through life. It is a story that is sad in many ways, but so human to the degree that you can resonate in some way and empathize with her. That said, I thought it was a really good movie, and one that was really well done. The songs in this movie were not lip synched to the real Judy Garland, but were actually sung by Renee Zellweger, following in the footsteps of Joaquin Phoenix (who played Johnny Cash) and Taron Egerton (who played Elton John) singing their own songs, without any help from the character they are portraying. Zellweger’s acting was also great, as you sort of lose sight of the fact that the personality and spirit of the real Judy Garland overpowers in influence the actress playing her, and that is a result of some powerful and terrific acting.
Out of 4 stars, I give Judy 3 and a half.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 58 minutes.
To view a trailer for the movie, please click on the link below.
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
Judy is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, as well as available on multiple streaming services. Judy is now available to rent at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.
The year is 1968 and legendary singer/ actress Judy Garland (Renee Zellweger) has fallen on tough financial times. Due to horrible mismanagement of her money, her personal vices, lavish lifestyle, and her dependence on barbiturates (to help her sleep) and amphetamines (to pep her up) she takes up gigs that do not pay very much. When her and her kids Lorna (Bella Ramsey) and Joey (Lewin Lloyd) are told that they can no longer reside at the Park Seasons hotel in Los Angeles, Judy goes to her ex-husband (and father of her two kids) Sid Luft’s house to provide their kids with a place to sleep at least for the night. Worried about where his kids are going to stay, Sid (Rufus Sewell) tells Judy that he wants custody of the kids during the school year since she cannot adequately provide their basic needs and the necessities. She then makes her way to a late-night Hollywood party, where she meets a nightclub owner and piano player by the name of Mickey Deans (Fin Wittrock), whom she takes a liking to, and the two get very close. An opportunity comes up for Judy, where she can make enough money to see her kids, but it is at the “Talk of the Town” nightclub in London, England. The courts will not allow her children to be taken out of the United States, so she has to leave them with Sid to pull herself back up.
When Judy arrives in London, she meets Rosalyn Wilder (Jessie Buckley) whose job it is to look after her. With ticket sales sold out, high expectations, and many pressures on her shoulder, it is time for Judy Garland to perform, but she is late. Rosalyn finds out quick that Judy is going to need a boost, and that there are going to be challenges ahead in Judy’s ability to fulfill her obligations. As she becomes temperamental, difficult at times, and high maintenance (due to health issues, being tired a lot, not wanting to go out there, and dealing with emotional blows due to her issues with Sid and being separated from the kids), it starts affecting her act (as well as her relationship with the nightclub’s management), and her dependency on barbiturates and amphetamines becomes greater. She does, however find love in Micky Deans, and the two get married, however he also experiences some of the challenges that she brings, and has to deal with them. We then see to a greater level how difficult it is for Judy Garland to live up to the elegant star level status that is expected of her, and that is what makes this film so dramatic and intriguing.
My Take:
The movie is very simplistic in the sense that it primarily centers around the length of time that she was performing at “The Talk of the Town” nightclub in London. It covers primarily her ups and downs, her struggles, and the weight that her struggles places on those around her. The film did a great job, I think, in seasoning the film with flashback sequences that covered moments in her early acting days at MGM, where the “seeds” were “planted” if you will, and the heavy handed influence of Lois B. Mayer (Richard Cordery)-- the head of MGM, led to the struggles and difficulties that she dealt with towards the end of her life. What we see is a very vulnerable and needy person, with difficulties like all human beings, struggle to prop up and maintain the weight of being a big star, and struggling in some areas, failing in others, and persevering in trying to just get through life. It is a story that is sad in many ways, but so human to the degree that you can resonate in some way and empathize with her. That said, I thought it was a really good movie, and one that was really well done. The songs in this movie were not lip synched to the real Judy Garland, but were actually sung by Renee Zellweger, following in the footsteps of Joaquin Phoenix (who played Johnny Cash) and Taron Egerton (who played Elton John) singing their own songs, without any help from the character they are portraying. Zellweger’s acting was also great, as you sort of lose sight of the fact that the personality and spirit of the real Judy Garland overpowers in influence the actress playing her, and that is a result of some powerful and terrific acting.
Out of 4 stars, I give Judy 3 and a half.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 58 minutes.
To view a trailer for the movie, please click on the link below.
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
Judy is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, as well as available on multiple streaming services. Judy is now available to rent at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.