It's not really a musical, it's more of a musical biography type of film, focusing really on her last year or so of life and her arrival and time in London.
The films flashes back to her time on the set of 'The Wizard of Oz' and explains a lot about her and why she is so skinny and so messed up. The film is more what I would have considered to be a 'classic' musical movie rather than a musical. So it cannot be compared to Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, A Star is Born or Yesterday.
Renee Zellweger takes on the role of Judy Garland and I was very impressed with her. Renee became known for taking on the role of Bridget Jones and at times, that role can be very irritating (especially her accent) but she has become a more selective actress and only takes on roles which are different and challenge her. This role is different to any role I have seen her perform and I wouldn't necessarily have known that it was her, had I not have seen the adverts and actually read up on the film before going to see it.
This movie really gives you an incite in to what the life is like when you make your name young. People don't want you to gain weight in the middle of a movie so you can't eat cake or anything fast or sugar-y. Instead you are given pills and your sleep and diet is impacted. I have no first hand experience in the film industry so I can't say that this is what it is like but I imagine that something similar would occur as people notice when the character puts on weight midway through the movie.
I would not doubt that when she was starting her acting and singing career, her life was controlled by the studio and the pills.
Something that was really highlighted in the movie was Judy's inability to recognise her own mistakes and to learn from them. She turned up late, she was rude to the audience at times and at times, collapsed on stage. It was impossible to get her the real money that she could have earned in her later years because she wasn't reliable and was practically impossible to work with. It has been said in a lot of movies that when people get famous, they want all of the privileges but none of the responsibility.
Renee Zellweger is singing. This was something that I wasn't sure about because in some movies the actors mostly lip sync but sing a small amount. I knew that Renee could sing because she sings in 'Empire Records' but her voice was nowhere near as good so I wasn't sure if it was just a recording of Garland being played in the background. I am pleased that she is actually singing as it makes for a better movie and a better performance. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga did it live in 'A Star is Born' and that made their performances a lot better. You can't reenact that emotion that you actually when you perform live. No matter how good the actor, you can always tell when they aren't singing live because the music is inside of you, it sparks something which changes every time that you perform and so to act something sporadic and unpredictable is practically impossible.
I didn't know anything about Judy Garland because she is way before my time. I knew that she was dead and I have seen a few of her movies. I never found her to be as appealing as Ginger Rodgers or Audrey Hepburn but she was better than average. She could sing and she could dance which is what matters. I am amazed that so many people went to see her show in London after all of the negative press coming from around America. Judy Garland was homeless, she lived in a hotel until she was unable to take on enough paid performing work to cover the bills and then left her kids with their dad so that she could go and perform in London to earn enough money to buy a home for herself and her kids to live in. That didn't work out because she was late, rude to the audience and collapsed on stage and so she ended up with nothing but a fifth marriage problem and potential divorce (although she couldn't pay for the divorce) and nothing to live with.
Her marriage issues are also highlighted in this movie. Rufus Sewell plays 'Sid', the children's father and he managed her but had problems because she was always late and impossible to work with. In this movie, Garland portrays him as a pathetic figure who can't afford anything and hasn't contributed anything to the world but he actually has a house and looks after the kids. She needs someone who will devote themselves to her, sort out all of her problems without changing her and that just doesn't work out because in real life you can't just wash away all the negative press surrounding someone and convince people in the movies and theatre that they want to take on someone who has a really bad reputation.
I don't know if this was an accurate portrayal but if it was then I not only think that it was done very well but it also teaches a lot about fame and about what it can do to people. It's one thing to work hard to become famous but another thing entirely to keep working hard and avoid the drugs and alcohol when you get there. Fame ruins a lot of people and often claims their lives on top of their careers.
Hats off to Renee Zellweger for this performance. Side notes to Rufus Sewell and Michael Gambon who were both excellent.
Jessie Buckley is starting to make a name for herself (which considering that she originates from the same place my family do, is a hard thing to do!) and Darci Shaw is also one to watch out for. She was almost perfect as young Judy.
Watch it. Enjoy it and just admire Zellweger's performance.
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