Film Overview"Being Julia" is a British-Canadian-American drama/comedy film directed by István Szabó and released in 2004. The screenplay, written by Ronald Harwood, is based upon the unique "Theatre" by the Nobel prize-winning author, W. Somerset Maugham. The film stars Annette Bening in her award-winning role as Julia Lambert, an effective but ageing London starlet in the 1930s, and showcases her talent for comedic timing.
Plot SummaryAs Julia Lambert, Annette Bening delivers an efficiency that illustrates an actress plunging into a midlife crisis, filled with personal trials and adversities associated with her career and romantic life. Julia handles a stale marriage to Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons), who is also her business partner, and an affair with a young American named Tom (Shaun Evans), who she thinks to be obsessed with her. She utilizes this relationship as an antidote to her diminishing passion for acting and her life.
However, Julia's world comes crashing down when she finds out Tom is simply using her to help with the profession of a younger, less talented actress, Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). This discovery at first ravages Julia and leaves her fighting with intense sensations of betrayal and a hurt ego. However rather than admitting defeat, Julia thoroughly plans to manipulate Tom and Avice's plan for her own gain, showing her real-life proficiency of drama and mimicry.
Cast and CharactersAnnette Bening leads an excellent cast, delivering a remarkable performance. Bening's Julia is intelligent, acerbic, typically melodramatic, yet susceptible. Her representation of a strong, independent, gifted, and deeply human woman is immensely moving. Jeremy Irons plays Michael Gosselyn, Julia's spouse, offering nuanced support for Bening's screen-dominating role. Shaun Evans depicts Tom, a vibrant, ambitious, and manipulative suitor, while Lucy Punch's Avice is similarly ambitious, if somewhat more naïve and shallow.
Film Reception"Being Julia" received mixed to favorable reviews from critics. Bening's efficiency was consulted with universal honor, earning her a number of major award elections, including an Academy Award election for Best Actress. Critics often mentioned that the movie's strength depends on its leading lady's enchanting performance rather than its plot. Szabó's instructions offered the film with a glamorous representation of '30s London's theatre scene, strongly recreating the luminous world of drama and upper class.
Conclusion"Being Julia" is a film about an actress who utilizes her theatrical skills to assert herself in a male-dominated world, exacting revenge on those who try to take advantage of her. Its appeal lies in the main performance by Annette Bening, who strongly portrays the accomplishments, failures, and strength of an aging woman declining to slide into irrelevance silently. Despite the narrative's predictability, it uses a witty and insightful expedition of the theatre world and female aging, covered in glamour and humor.
Top Cast
