★★★★
Legendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
Classification: 12A
An amazing transformative performance from Renée Zellweger headlines an incredible biopic that explores the tragedy of celebrity and gives audiences a beautiful examination of the humanity within Judy Garland. Mostly focusing on the final performances of Garland's career as she struggles with her drug and alcohol addictions, separation from her young children, and her depression while also showing specific flashbacks to Garland's youth during her time beginning at MGM studios. The film is an analysis of how Garland and to an extent celebrities and stars just like her were a product, to be designed and controlled for maximum appeal and profit. Just like all consumerism, Garland has now been discarded for what's next and what's new, all the things that are done to her by Hollywood to make her appealing now make her undesirable to the next generation. Her tour in London is on offer because of nostalgia, to be the memory everyone has of her instead of the person she is now. Zellweger captures the internal struggle of the character in a manner that elevates the film beyond its standard biopic format, scenes displaying the overwhelming pressure of preserving the image of what she should be and the toll it takes on her psyche.
Judy taps into the disturbing facet of society that doesn't treat celebrities as people. The audience is supposed to sympathise with Garland and reject the behaviour of other characters due to mistreatment of her but every instance of Garland's abuse can be applied to modern society. The sheen of "this happened in the past, what a terrible thing" doesn't apply here when clear parallels to figures such as Britney Spears and the contemporary MeToo scandals are clear in the narrative. Whether Garland is heckled or taunted, berated by men who think their superior its all part of this disturbing campaign to keep her in line with their expectations; cover up your issues, look pretty and sing. She's not treated like a real person and the conflicts in the film arise from the people around her unable to see or properly accept what's wrong with Garland. From the beginning of the film, it showcases her most admirable trait; the love for her children. Everything Garland does in Judy is for the welfare of her children, a statement for the audience that despite all of her tragedy Judy Garland was always a figure of love and compassion.
Director Rupert Goold has the film display how Garland's motivation all centres around her children and their safety. Due to their connection to her and their father film producer Sidney Luft, Garland feels it is inevitable her children will become involved in the Hollywood system but wants to use her celebrity to protect them from the same abuse she suffered. Subtle scenes such as how Garland questions her daughter Liza Minnelli's upcoming tour and outright fights about her children's futures with Luft portrayed by Rufus Sewell. It serves a direct contrast to the flashbacks of Garland's childhood which pulls back the curtain of golden Hollywood romanticism with a collection of scenes that will forever change your enjoyment of The Wizard of Oz. With fabricated first dates and birthday parties, Garland's youthful rebellion to try and have traditional experiences were punished with continued drugging, emotional manipulation from Hollywood titan Louis B. Mayer and implied sexual abuse from Mayer. It's the Faustian bargain of fame, but it is still disturbing to see a child be stripped of her own identity and become a product for the masses.
This incredible tragedy wouldn't have the same effect on the audience if not for the revelatory performance from Renée Zellweger who achieves the rarity of vanishing entirely into the role. Similar to Natalie Portman in Jackie, the line between actor and character is non-existent as from the first frame to the last, Zellweger's authenticity as Garland is irrefutable. The balance of Garland's strength and vulnerability is prominent throughout the performance as other characters like Jessie Buckley's Rosalyn or Royce Pierreson's Burt soon begin to see past the eccentricities of her persona and see the real person beneath. It's a similar experience for the audience as Zellweger never hides anything, scenes displaying her bouts of depression and continued routines of drug abuse but she is never what you expect. One of the best sequences of the film has Garland go on a spontaneous adventure with a gay couple after a performance, not only addressing Garland's history as a gay icon but showing how Judy Garland was appreciated as a person beyond her celebrity.
Judy addresses the darker pieces of Garland's history but never forgets the happiness she brought to people whether it was authentic or superficial. Certain characters can see past all the glamour to see the person beneath but the tragedy is that Garland is never trying to hide who she is. Zellweger never has the character feel unapproachable or behave like a prima donna, there is an aura of wonder around her that seemingly blinds everyone to when she is suffering. It's passed off as selfish behaviour, the first night of Garland's tour is shown from the perspective of Buckley's character who has to collect, dress and push Garland on stage to perform. It's all meant to be seen that Garland got drunk and decided not to go but as the film's story develops it becomes clear that her depression gets the better of her especially when separated from her children. Goold's direction combined with Zellweger's stellar performance allows the audience just like the characters to finally see Judy Garland for who she was.
The weakest element of the film is Finn Wittrock's character who plays Garland's fifth husband Mickey Deans, with his storyline helping display Garland's weakness for fame and flattery. It's the predatory nature of show business, while the Hollywood studios are done with Garland there are still bottom feeders looking to make money off of Judy Garland's name any way possible. While the storyline has thematic relevance and serves as a modern equivalent to the MGM flashbacks, it does all feel rushed and doesn't gel well with the main storyline as well as it should. It's disappointing in the sense that Goold spends enough time fleshing out the rest of the film that the Deans character is just an afterthought for the audience and film even though he is a catalyst for Garland's destructive behaviour.
However, by the end in a tear-inducing final scene, Goold and Zellweger deliver an outstanding and honest tribute to a beloved performer. While likely not entirely historically accurate, there is no attempt to airbrush the more uncomfortable elements of Garland's life and personality, Judy is at its best when it is directly addressed. Zellweger's award-worthy performance can't be praised enough as she commands the character through her most exposed moments but captures the vigour of her on-stage persona, the incredible duality of how her fame shaped her life. Judy presents tragedy into its narrative but never discounts the characters strength, you don't pity Judy Garland in the end, you admire her, admire her fortitude, her kindness, her wit, all those incredible nuances of hers brought to life by Renée Zellweger, Judy shows clear as day that Judy Garland was never a product. She was a person with dreams and fears, who loved and lost, and despite all the corruption she endured she never lost sight of what really mattered and Judy honours that spirit entirely.
Director: #RupertGoold
Release Date: October 2nd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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