Judy

Grade: C+

Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland in Judy gives the kind of biopicky performance that wins awards, and the kind of performance I am growing weary of because it so often snags the awards. She will probably win the Oscar on Sunday. She is one of the best actresses of the last 20 years, and she works very hard here, but her Judy Garland is a big Broadwayish theatrical performance helped significantly by great costumes and makeup work. I am getting to be more interested in performers who can just tell a story with a good solid (preferably fictional) character. Let me see what kind of acting chops you have without the safety net of costumes and makeup, which can make the whole thing seem more like an entertaining cosplay or drag show than an acting performance. For my money, Jessie Buckley steals the movie as Rosalyn Wilder, Judy’s assistant. Her work here is simple, consistent, nicely understated, and thoroughly memorable.

The movie focuses on the last few years of Garland’s 47-year life, particularly her concert residency in London – a last-ditch effort to drum up some more success, good graces, and money. I caught glimpses of the kind of movie that really would have been a fascinating watch for me, if the filmmakers had had the courage to follow through with it. If the whole movie had been concert footage of Zellweger-as-Judy with the “book scenes” and flashbacks of Judy on set for The Wizard of Oz interspersed throughout as little intermissions, that would have been a courageous creative touch. There were times when I thought we were going to get that movie. What we end up with is fine, but not too remarkable. Matters aren’t helped by Zellweger’s often too shallow impression of Judy and obvious lip syncing.

A highlight of the film is the male couple who end up as Judy groupies.* They see her multiple nights, and even get to bring her to their home after a show. What they do in the last few minutes brought a few tears to my eyes at the end of a movie I didn’t even like that much. But ultimately, with every minute, this is a biopic through and through, and it left me feeling lukewarm.

Grade: C+

• – They reminded me of a couple I was in a play with 17 years ago. Chicago was the current phenomenon, and about to win Best Picture. These guys geeked out to Zellweger as Roxie Hart. They would constantly sing and quote her lines like scripture. It was fun to see then, and fun to see something like that now in Judy.