Being Julia

Cast: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Lucy Punch, Shaun Evans, Rosemary Harris, Michael Gambon, Bruce Greenwood, Miriam Margolyes
Director: István Szabó
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rated: M low level sex scene, sexual references
Running Time: 103 Minutes

Passion. Obsession. Revenge. Prepare for the performance of a lifetime.

Synopsis:
'Being Julia' based on W. Somerset Maugham's "Theatre" and adapted by Academy Award® Winner Ronald Harwood ("The Pianist"), is an intoxicating combination of wicked comedy and smart drama, starring Annette Bening as the beautiful and beguiling actress Julia Lambert. In London in 1938, Julia Lambert is at her peak, physically and 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 ardour 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. But on opening night, Julia reveals that she is a more formidable actress than anyone ever imagined.

My Verdict:
Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is a successful stage actress in London when we first meet her in 1938. She is married to Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons), but their relationship has petered out and she tires of the repetitive nature that her life has become. She has reached a point in her life as an actress and in herself where she realises that she is getting older and yearns for something to bring back the zest to her life. Into the picture comes Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans) a young American who says he simply adores Julia. This is what Julia thinks she needs - an affair with Tom could be the cure for current woes, and so she embarks head-on. And then voila, Julia is cured, or so she thinks until Tom finds a bigger fish in the ocean in the form of aspiring actress Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). Julia is downgraded to a has-been as far as Tom is concerned, but Julia has an ace up her sleeve and puts into plan a delicious plot to foil any adversary.

In 'Being Julia' the attention to detail is tremendous - the sets are lavish and the outdoor settings are often dreamy and wistful. Annette Bening has a total of 39 different looks including a surprising and brilliant costume for her final performance on stage, with her many and varied looks following her feelings. There are many close-ups to try to capture the emotions of her character as she progresses through the many stages of her journey. Jeremy Irons is more than adept at playing her husband who has long forgotten the passion of their relationship. Juliet Stevenson is the dowdy yet astute dresser cum assistant for Bening's character, often giving that knowledgeable look where she conveys a far greater knowledge of Julia than the Julia herself. Michael Gambon is Jimmie Langton, an actor long since dead, whom Julia revered and so resurrects as her conscience in order to convince herself of decisions -he becomes her inspiration and motivation on so many occasions. Julia spends much time searching for answers by looking in mirrors to reflect on reality and to create a new reality and to also try to find the fine line between reality and fantasy as her involvement with the young American grows. Perhaps the one area, which didn't quite feel right, was the chemistry between Bening and Shaun Evans, but then that could also be excused as Bening's character so often breaks into laughter at the absurdity of their relationship - she is after all, old enough to be his mother.

This is a gorgeous movie that is slow to take off and it is initially hard to get used to listening to Bening as an Englishwoman, but as the story gathers momentum, there is this feeling of anticipation that something special is going to happen, which indeed it does. 'Being Julia' is a tour-de-force for the elegant, stylish and clever Annette Bening in the role of Julia Lambert and deserves to be enjoyed by many.

Rating : A

Christina Bruce