Judy Reviews

To be honest, I can’t say I was/am very knowledgeable about Judy Garland’s life and career but, since my wife was interested in this movie, I though we might as well check it out together. Well, I’m not surprised that Renée Zellweger got so much praise for her work as she probably gave here the best performance of her career. Of course, I can’t say I knew how Garland was at the end of her life but Zellweger completely disappeared and I definitely believed in this character. Even her singing was impressive, in fact, she was so good that my wife was convinced that she didn’t do the singing herself which she obviously did. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie didn’t turn out to be so impressive though. Indeed, to make a biopic about a specific time period of the life of an artist can work but to make a biopic focusing only on the end of their life is usually a bad idea and this movie was a good example. Indeed, in this case, you start with Judy Garland on the ropes physically, emotionally and financially and, at the end, she was basically in exactly the same situation, with slightly more money I guess, but it all felt really flat, predictable and not really interesting. As a result, the flashback scenes, which were there to provide some context on how Garland actually ended up in this position, were actually more intriguing because I was wondering what did happen afterwards. To make things worse, none of the supporting characters were developed whatsoever and I felt mostly bad for Jessie Buckley, such a talented and fascinating actress, who ended up with a really thankless part. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I still think it is work a look though, if only for Zellweger’s fine performance. 

Judy Garland was one of the greatest screen performers of the 20^th century, if not of all time. She was not merely a triple-threat capable of singing, dancing, and performing, but possessing that ephemeral thing dubbed “it.” She remains an impossibly charismatic star and an actor that often appeared to be an exposed nerve on the screen.

 

Garland was not merely the greatest musical performer of her time, if not of all time, but a grand character off the screen as well. Plagued by an abusive childhood that transformed into a series of broken marriages, addiction, and a fall from grace that somehow seems at odds with our collective memories of her as a wholesome girl-next-door. Her legend is as much built upon her artistic achievements as it is her tragedy. Her story is ripe for dramatic interpretation.

 

Into that legacy comes Judy, a glimpse into the final year of her life as she struggles through a London residency. The film is a mixed bag. By limiting its scope and points of reference for her iconography, it also doesn’t provide enough reasons to care for her as a character or for audiences not as well versed in her legacy a demonstration of what was lost along the way. Garland was a genius performer, but Judy’s main counterpoint is the behind-the-scenes turmoil of The Wizard of Oz, so her present day nervous, broken figure is left only partially formed.

 

Not only that but Judy engages in some mawkish wish-fulfillment in a fictional gay couple having a kiki with the legend and a climatic group singalong of “Over the Rainbow.” Full disclosure, mawkish it may be, but that final scene also got me in the gay spot due to Garland’s tremulously “Promise you won’t forget me.” We won’t and we haven’t Judy.

 

Which leads us to Renée Zellweger and her central performance. Not merely some simple awards-bait or comeback attempt, but a performance built out of carefully noticed details about Garland – her slumped gait, the way she held the mic, her various performing tics. If Zellweger doesn’t come entirely close to absorbing Garland’s high wire emoting style, that’s because no one can copy or emulate something so unique and specific. What Zellweger does do is give us the essence of Garland and enough details that we invest in the reality of the film’s world.

 

Hollywood loves to look back at its own and deify them as a way to atone for sins committed against their own. Judy is an example of that, but if you really want to honor Garland’s legacy then watch her films and concert appearances. If you don’t know where to look beyond The Wizard of Oz, then I have plenty of suggestions.  

The transformation Renee/Judy is so effective that everything became tolerable, even the singing in an alternative voice.