Judy

Judy

Starring Renee Zellweger, Finn Wittrock, Jessie Buckley, Rufus Sewell

Directed by Rupert Goold

The Story:
Judy Garland (Renee Zellweger) was America's sweetheart, a child actress who started at an early age and gave us the iconic Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," but her real life was anything but a fairy tale.  Forced at a young age to not eat and take pills, Judy grew up not finding happiness, four husbands, and an addiction to pills that kept her up every night.  With the money dwindling, she's invited to play a series of concerts in London, and at first she's apprehensive because she doesn't want to leave her children, but realizes that she has to in order to make money.

In London she's taken care of by personal assistant Rosalyn Wilder (Jessie Buckley), and even then Judy serves as an unreliable performer as she's late for shows, doped up on pills and alcohol, and suffering severe depression.  Not even the arrival of her new love interest Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock) can pull her out, and she continues to suffer through it in order to get back home and make a life for her family.

The Synopsis:
Many people idolize famous celebrities and see their lives as the most glamorous, perfect lives imaginable.  Judy Garland is known for being an acclaimed actress at a young age, having starred in the iconic "The Wizard of Oz" as well as other projects, and for having an amazing singing voice, and during her short time in life was praised as a successful actress, but like many other actors out there, she suffered inner demons that ultimately destroyed her.  Judy's life hardly had a moment of happiness, as even at an early age she was treated as property and a source of income for the production studio, and as she got older she continued her downward spiral due to enablers and others around her who really didn't care about her well-being, but rather about the money she brought for them.

There's not many more tragic stories of Hollywood than that of Judy Garland, and that is given full treatment in Rupert Goold's biopic "Judy" (yes, there's obvious moments in the film that never happened in real life, but this is a biopic, not a documentary).  There's flashbacks to her childhood on the set of "The Wizard of Oz," and shows how far we've come when it deals with child actors.  She wasn't allowed to eat anything, she was given pills to maintain her weight that caused her to not sleep, and she couldn't even celebrate birthdays properly - not to mention the creepy relationship she had with the film's producer, who was emotionally abusive (and probably physically too).  Taking into account this happened during her most formidable years, they continued to eat at her as she got older, and she fell into severe depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction that ultimately took her life.  Although she had children, she never found real happiness as she went through five different husbands, and found her career washed up due to her inability to perform because of her addictions.  It's truly tragic that this happened to one person, and Goold brings it all to the forefront.

Renee Zellweger returns to the big screen in a big way, playing the flawed former child actress in a way that totally looses herself in the role, where you don't even notice it's Zellweger acting.  Her mannerisms, her voice, and her emotion is so powerful, personal, and profound that you can't help but keep your eyes glued to the screen no matter what happens.  Zellweger has been acting for decades, but this is her crowning achievement, and as other reviewers have noted, will be recognized in the coming awards season.  She gives the performance of the year, one that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Likewise her younger counterpart - newcomer Darci Shaw - gives a goosebumps-inducing performance all her own.  From the first moment on screen you're drawn to the young actress and you feel deep emotional distress for her, as she faces stresses and problems that no one - let alone a child - should ever face.  It's almost unbelievable that these things happened to her, especially since all you saw during her lifetime was what was on screen, but it happened - and it's a spellbinding performance.

The film includes flashbacks to her younger years, but the main thrust of the film is her final performances in London, and seeing how the addictions and alcohol took their toll on the actress is harrowing and mesmerizing.  One minute she's dolled up and singing "The Trolley Song," and the next she's alone in her room with a cigarette, a glass of alcohol, and a handful of pills - away from the cheers of the crowd, and stuck in utter silence.  It's not long before these two worlds collide, and when they do, it hits like a hurricane.  Her final rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is deeply personal and emotional, as she then pleads to the audience - "You won't forget me, will you?  Promise you won't."  The world will definitely never forget Judy Garland, nor the painful, excruciating life she was forced to live, as Renee Zellweger gave her due justice.

The Summary:
Judy Garland was the most talented actress of her time, but behind the scenes she dealt with the harshest of realities life offered, and Renee Zellweger gave her a strong, emotional performance that'll be remembered as her best performance, and also served as a powerful tale of how appearances aren't always as they seem.

The Score: A+