When it comes to some of the most legendary figures who
graced the entertainment industry with their immense talent, there are arguably
none who are more iconic than the one and only Judy Garland. For practically
every generation there is, she’ll always be known for her starring role as the
beloved heroine Dorothy Gale in the timeless 1939 adaptation of The Wizard
of Oz. However, outside of the time that she spent traveling down the
Yellow Brick Road, she was also one of the most acclaimed singers of her time
with hits such as ‘The Trolley Song’ from her 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis
and, of course, The Wizard of Oz’s iconic solo, ‘Somewhere Over the
Rainbow’. Sadly, Judy’s life was plagued by financial instability, mental and
physical health issues, and a severe addiction to drugs that would ultimately culminate
in her tragic death in 1969 at the age of 47. Thus, she ultimately became one
of the most definitive examples of the industry’s cautionary tales, which brings
us to today’s subject, the first theatrically released Judy Garland biopic (not
counting a few made-for-TV films that have been made over the years) simply
titled Judy. Inspired by the 2005 play End of the Rainbow by
playwright Peter Quilter, the film focuses on one of the last major moments of
Judy Garland’s career when she performed at the Talk of the Town theater in
London, England. Fittingly enough, this film’s director, Rupert Goold, is
best-known for his work in theater while his directorial credits in both film
and television primarily consists of Shakespeare adaptations. And while Judy does
occasionally feel like a straight-forward adaptation of the play that it’s
based on, it still succeeds at being a well-meaning biopic fortified by a
phenomenal performance by Renée Zellweger in the title role.
It is 1969 and Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) is dealing
with some major personal crises. She has been struggling financially, is still
addicted to the various substances that were given to her as a child actress
(e.g. amphetamines) and has been stuck in a nasty custody battle with her
ex-husband Sidney Luft (Rufus Sewell) over their two kids, Lorna (Bella Ramsey)
and Joey (Lewin Lloyd). With her options for money becoming more and more
limited with each passing day, she is offered a five-week gig to perform
concerts at the Talk of the Town nightclub in London. The only catch, however,
is that Lorna and Joel won’t be able to come with her due to the ongoing nature
of the custody dispute. Thus, Judy hesitantly accepts the offer, even though it
destroys her to have to leave her kids behind, since she realizes that it’s practically
her only option at this point if she wants to keep providing for them. Once in
London, she meets with her new assistant Rosalyn Wilder (Jessie Buckley) and
begins her new gig at the Talk of the Town to initially solid success. Along
the way, she also strikes up a relationship with entrepreneur Mickey Deans
(Finn Wittrock) and their romance blossoms to the point where he ends up
becoming her fifth husband. Unfortunately, the bad habits that have plagued Judy
her whole life soon start to rear their ugly head which, in turn, ends up having
a considerably negative impact on her performances.
As far as biopics go, Judy is admittedly very
straight-forward when it comes to its retelling of Judy Garland’s life. In
other words, it hits all the usual story beats that showcase both the highs and
lows of her life, ultimately ending on a high note for her career-wise despite
being juxtaposed with the factoid of her untimely death. But just like the
Elton John biopic Rocketman from earlier this year, Judy does
manage to craft a highly respectful take on Judy Garland’s story that’s also openly
candid about her various personal struggles. Whether it’s the nasty feuds that
she gets into with her husbands or key flashbacks to her childhood during the
time that she was working on The Wizard of Oz and had to endure the
strict demands of her handlers, it’s easy to sympathize with her given everything
that she went through. And because of this, the film perfectly highlights how Judy
Garland was, above all else, a good-natured girl who just wanted to live a
normal life but sadly never got the chance to do so because of an overbearing studio
system. But, of course, the biggest selling point of this film is Renée Zellweger, who is
phenomenal as the one and only Judy as she completely disappears into the role
and perfectly encapsulates Garland’s captivating stage presence. This then
translates nicely into the film’s musical numbers, with excellent renditions of
classic Judy Garland songs all culminating in an emotional performance of ‘Somewhere
Over the Rainbow’ that’s sure to tug at the heartstrings. Thus, while it may
sometimes feel like the original play this film was based on was just lifted
directly to the screen without a lot of significant changes to fit its new
medium, Judy is a genuinely solid entry in the biopic genre. Thanks to a
heartfelt portrayal of its subject’s life and an Oscar-worthy turn by Renée
Zellweger in the title role, this film perfectly showcases why Judy Garland will
always be fondly remembered as one of the greatest entertainers of her time.
Rating: 4/5
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