"Bening Being Julia"

Being Julia
directed by István Szabó
screenplay by Ronald Harwood based on the novella by W. Somerset Maugham
starring Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Shaun Evans, Bruce Greenwood, Lucy Punch, Juliet Stevenson, Miriam Margolyes

          Annette Bening is completely delightful in Being Julia. She’s delightful when she’s happy, when she’s sad and when she’s vengefully angry. While hers may not be the most believable performance of the year, compared to the Oscar-nominated competition, it is certainly the most enjoyable.
       The actress plays Julia Lambert, an iconic star of British theatre beginning to age and tire in 1930s London. She has a lot of men in her life: husband and current director (Irons); imaginary friend and former mentor (Gambon); biggest fan and newest lover (Evans); good friend and past affair (Greenwood). Each of these characters serves some purpose to Julia’s story and is each a magnificent bore. Can Irons not find a less stationary part for himself these days? Could Gambon’s spirit role be any less necessary? Shaun Evans, in the most important part, comes across like Chris O’Donnell playing the Michael York character in Cabaret. All of his intentions are clear in context more than through his empty face.
         Bening isn’t completely alone. She has other women supporting her quite nicely. Juliet Stevenson doesn’t have to do much in her role as Julia’s personal assistant but here that isn’t the same as having nothing to do. Her presence alone can generate a smile on your face. She is best when foil to an adorable patron played by Miriam Margolyes. In the part of a young actress whom Julia feels threatened by, Lucy Punch holds her own even if not of adequately rivaling beauty.
           Ten years ago Dianne Wiest won a supporting Oscar for her own portrayal of an older actress having an affair with a younger man (in Bullets Over Broadway). Her competition wasn’t any better than Bening’s (coincidentally enough Wiest was against Rosemary Harris who plays Julia’s mother) but her character was a lot more fun. Bening delivers, though, causing Julia to shine–I do think Emma Thompson would have been even better –and is able to carry the fairly ordinary film above a passing glance.

Expectation Key


There's no possible way that I will even see this

I'll eventually see this but I'm not really expecting much

Anticipating the release of this one but I'm sure to be left unsatisfied

Such high expectation of this film only leaves room for disappointment