- Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening

Release Date: 6 January 2005

Synopsis :

An intoxicating combination of wicked comedy & smart drama, BEING JULIA tells the story of a great actress who at an important crossroads in her life, must figure out her role, both onstage & off. In London in 1938, beautiful & beguiling Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is at her peak,
physically & professionally. But her successful theatrical career and her marriage to handsome impresario Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons) have become stale and unfulfilling. She longs for novelty, excitement, sparks. Enter Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans), a younger man who claims to be Julia’s greatest fan. Finding his ardor irresistible, she decides that romance is the best antidote to a mid-life crisis and embarks on a passionate affair. Life becomes more daring and exciting, until Julia’s young lover callously tries to relegate her to a supporting role. Summoning all of her considerable powers, Julia masterminds a brilliant revenge that places here exactly where she belongs, center stage and in the spotlight.

Movie Review:

Revenge is sweet especially to a scorn lover like Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) who is a great theatrical actress in the early '30s of London. She felt that she is losing vitality at the grand age of forty. So worried of it that she desperately starts to look for other means to bring excitement and meaning to her life. Furthermore with imaginary ghostly presence of her dead drama tutor constantly nagging at her side, she is remind to be always on the right track of life.

Her marriage to Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons) was out of convenience. He was her career guide and is more interested in making money out of her fame. He adds a spark to her life by introducing a young lad, T-O-M who in turn becomes her lover. But he is a jerk, just a puppy, who purrs at Julia’s feet. And soon as her young lover’s passion was seen paid to a bubbly but talent-less blonde actress named Avice (Lucy Punch), Julia collapses emotionally as she was in love with Tom. Eventually this triggers a revenge plan where she could set her life right, both onstage and off.

Such complicated relationship between the four of them, which brought along a new start to her monotony acting life. A cuckold husband who feels nothing when he found out that Tom is his wife’s lover. Tom who seems to stop at nothing to achieve his goals. A not-so-attractive young actress who seduces the men. A great actress who looks for some excitement in a heartless Tom.

Although slow in pace, its dialogue carries the sparkle of humour and intelligent wit. The director, István Szabó keeps us focused by carefully crafted and tempered acting.

Annette Bening is an gracefully old actress who always draws the eyes of the audience as it can be seen in her earlier works “Open Range” and “The Grifters”, and brings mesmerizing performance in such a ordinary film based on Somerset Maughm’s novella, “Theater.” She is nominated in the coming 62nd Golden Globe Awards 2005 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

Personally I feel that this is a typical film, which just tells the tale of a lonely woman who seeks meaning into her life, and use love as an excuse to pacify her loneliness. Unless moviegoers are interested in such artistic film which hold a carefully structured revenge plan, this will be the one.

Movie Rating: B


Review by our columnist Angelize