Being Julia [DVD] [2004] [2009]

Similar to Szabo's "Mephisto" (1981), "Being Julia" is in love with actors and their profession. To this film's considerable advantage, the cast is absolutely first-rate.

As the movie opens, Julia Lambert (played to the hilt by a stunnningly beautiful Annette Bening), is a legendary stage actress with the heart of a carefree girl and a spring steel spine. She's the toast of the West End theater world and still playing 29-year-old femmes fatale. She is enjoying her latest triumph and is about to have lunch with her hared boiled manager and husband, the exceedingly vain ex-actor Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons).

Incidentally, "Being Julia" is only Annette Bening's 17th film. Indeed, she's only been on the acting scene since 1990. Bening has the grace and magnetism of a legend, a genuine sophistication and star quality that make her watchable in anything.

Back to the story. Abruptly, a third party is added - a young, American accountant Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans). Tom worships Julia and the London theater and, in later scenes in which Bening's Julia cannot stop laughing, seduces the all-too-willing older woman.

In Julia's life offstage, she's always "on," always ready to greet her public, keen to be talked about in the newspapers and gossiped about on the street. Her marriage to Michael is very off-beat. He's either oblivious or apathetic to Julia's affairs. But he's both her biggest fan and harshest critic. When Julia wails in a moment of self-pity: "I'm a bitch!" Not skipping a beat, he begins his reply with "Nevertheless..."

Julia is not far off from Bette Davis' character in "All About Eve." Indeed, "Being Julia" even borrows a few pages from that film in its last act, where Julia's status as Diva No. 1 is threatened by a mostly untalented but very aggressive engenue, Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). Julia's growing jealousy of the girl is exacerbated by the fact that Avice is sleeping with Tom Fennel, too. What's a dyed-in-the-wool drama queen to do? Julia's outrageous on-stage solution is more entertaining than believable. Still, Bening's Julia demonstrates such wicked glee in doing it that it's hard to fault her.

Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo's movie presents sharp, high-class comedy and drama, but sometimes it doesn't seem sure what to do with anyone except Julia. When she is not on camera, the film becomes noticeably less engaging. Bening's expressive eyes, her beautiful face, her enthusiasm and passion make it impossible to take your eyes off her when she's on the screen. However, that's not just because she's beautiful but because she makes being Julia seem to be so much fun.

Julia Lambert (an spectacular Annette Bening), the main character, is a very successful and temperamental actress who is bored out of her mind with her routine. Julia has money and fame, but she wants a holiday from the theatre and her husband Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons), who is at the same her manager. However, all her boredom vanishes quickly when she plunges into an affair with an attractive young American, Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans). She is 45 and he is in his twenties, but they have an exhilarating affair, for a while.

Unfortunately, there are lots of beautiful young actresses in 1930's London, and Tom meets one of them, Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). Avice is an ambitious young actress, and manages to get a part in Julia's new play thanks to the intervention of a lovesick Tom. But will Julia let bygones be bygones in her relationship with Tom, or will she take revenge in her turf when Avice goes to far in her quest for stardom?. Watch "Being Julia", and enjoy the show :)

Of course, there is much more to this film that what I have told you, but that is the gist of the plot. Other secondary characters that bring even more life to "Being Julia" are Julia's son, Roger (Tom Sturridge), her personal maid Evie (Juliet Stevenson), and her friend, Lord Charles (Bruce Greenwood). But probably the most important secondary character is Jimmie Langton (Michael Gambon), Julia's erstwhile mentor, who happens to be dead but nonetheless peppers the movie with his advice to Julia. His opinion was, and continues to be, of the utmost importance to Julia. Jimmie was, after all, the one who told her that "Your only reality is the theatre".

All in all, I can sincerely say that I found this movie delightful, and that I'll keep an open eye for future films by its director, Istvan Szabo. If you can, rent or buy "Being Julia", and keep your remote control close to you. I bet that you will watch the ending of this movie more than a few times :)

Belen Alcat