Judy movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Judy

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 58 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+ for the movie, but a strong A+ for Renee Zellweger’s performance

IN A NUTSHELL:

Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Renee Zellweger is completely transformed into the legendary, troubled Judy Garland. Renee completely disappears. Zellweger’s performance merits the Oscar nomination she will most likely get. She’s fantastic and captures so many nuances of Judy. Physically, she looked so much like Judy Garland that I wondered if they were ever tempted to use Deep Fake technology. They used some a nose prosthetic, dark-gray contact lenses, and a hair piece to complete the look. While some have criticized her singing, I thought she even had moments of even sounding like Renee. Most of the songs were performed live. She trained with vocal coach Eric Vetro. I thought she did a great job singing in the movie Chicago too.

This bio-drama takes a sneak peek into a moment in time during Judy Garland’s tragic decline in 1968-69. Renee was born the same year Judy died: 1969. It’s a loose adaptation of the play “End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

A gay couple is represented in England where it was illegal at the time.
1 F-bomb.
Prescription pill addiction
Body shaming
Pre-marital “relations” although you don’t see anything but a kiss.

THEMES:

Imagination
Family
Hope
Accepting those who are different
Parenthood
The dark side of Hollywood
“A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” – The Wizard of Oz

THINGS I LIKED:

Some fantastic camera angles and vignettes.
I loved how the flashback scenes from Judy’s youth provided insight into why Judy was the way she was as an adult.
It was fun seeing Jesse Buckley again on screen. She was fantastic in Wild Rose. You can see my review of Wild Rose by clicking here.
The scene where Judy Garland sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was absolutely fantastic and even brought tears to my eyes.
The text on the screen at the end of the movie was heartbreaking.
Darci Shaw did a great job as the young Judy. This is only her 2nd movie.
While Judy Garland was a pill-popping drunk in the end, the movie somehow is able to show respect to the American icon. Interestingly, Renee Zellwegger took a break from film-making before this movie because she admitted she needed to take better care of herself than she was doing.
Judy’s ex-husband Sid Luft was portrayed well by Rufus Sewell. The movie, however, doesn’t explain why Judy was struggling so much financially to care for her children when he could have helped.
The kindness Judy showed the gay couple was handled really well. I wondered if they were going to address the fact that she was so popular with homosexuals at the time.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It was depressing to watch such a talented woman live out her last days in such a sad state.
Blatant Oscar bait.
I would like to have seen more of Liza. In real life, Liza Minelli has not endorsed the movie yet.

FUNNY LINES:

“Have you ever tried a crumpet? It’s like a pancake that had the living sh-t kicked out of it.” – Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock)
“Do you take anything for depression?” – Doctor

Four husbands.” – Judy (Renee Zellweger)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Is that what you want? To be JUST a wife? To be JUST a mother?” – MGM studio head How sad that people actually felt that way. Some still do. Motherhood is the most self-less, noble position there is.
“I’m only Judy Garland for an hour every night. The rest of the time, I’m part of a family. I want what everyone wants. I seem to have a harder time getting it.” – Judy

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film that Got Away (Turner Classic Movies)