Is there a single soul in this world that could have played the greatest legend of all time Judy Garland other than Renée Zellweger? Okay, you could make a case for Jessie Buckley (who also happens to star in the movie), but this is most definitely an instance of perfect casting.
As you’re probably aware, this is the Oscar-winning biopic starring Zellweger in the title role. Beginning with Garland’s formative days on the set of Wizard of Oz, we are taken on a whistle stop tour of her life. Common knowledge is that Judy went ‘off the rails’, and this movie attempts to get to the root of what really happened. The majority of the movie takes place in London, where Garland spent her later days. As the viewer, one is privy to the events that occurred when Judy Garland performed her last few shows in the English capital.
Firstly, Judy has received a lot of negativity in regards to the way it handles this story. I for one wanted this to be a love letter to the legendary Judy Garland, but it definitely reads as more of an apology to her. Of course there are so many people who need to apologise, but man the script could have been better here. In fact, it’s so sad that you don’t really get to see the happiest days of Judy’s life. On the plus side, it’s wonderful that the writers opted to show her love for her children and the brilliant sense of humour that she had.
Whereas negativity surrounds the movie as a whole, positivity largely circles around Zellweger’s performance. There was absolutely no way anyone else was winning the Best Actress Oscar this year. Zellweger has evidently researched and recreated Judy’s mannerisms and personality down to a tee. A slight turn of the head, a staggering gait, even her vocals – though not perfectly mimicked (could anyone ever?) – are good enough not to shatter the illusion throughout. From a secondary standpoint, Jessie Buckley as usual shows off her fabulous acting chops, and the supporting cast in general are wonderful.
For me, the stunning performances are not the only cause for praise. The hair, make up and costumes in Judy are some of the best you’ll see in a movie, that’s for sure. Say what you want about the quality of the writing, but it’s a stunning film to look at and generally gripping for the duration.
On the whole, this movie is way too long for the content it provides. Parts are unnecessary, though even some of the unnecessary is still wonderful. (The sequence where Judy finds herself in a fan’s house is extremely touching and really hits you in the face by showing the audience just how much Judy meant to people.) Despite an average script, I don’t know how you can rate this below 4 stars. Or do I just love Judy more than all of you cold-hearted bastards? It’s possible.
Even if the story is depressing as shit, I could not handle the ending – let it be known. Whilst my girlfriend and I sat bawling our eyes out, my final cry as the credits rolled was “I AM TOO GAY FOR THIS!” God damn it, Renée 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
(Not a single one of those emojis isn’t needed, by the way.)
Judy is available to stream on Sky Cinema and Now TV in the UK.
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