Being Julia (2004)

Nice effects though.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

For those who love the theatre (an unfortunately increasingly shrinking group for unfortunately shrinking performance venues) this film is like candy, centering around an aging actress who needs a new challenge of some kind, who is tired of playing the same old script to adoring fans, who still wants to grow and perhaps find some romance in her life.Being Julia could be standard "chick flick" material, but because Director Szabo has surrounded perfectly superb Bening with an exciting supporting cast and lavished the screen with lush period sets and handed his actors a literate script (with a well-deserved comeuppance for a deserving victim), the film is great fun, perhaps reflecting a theory that many of us wear masks of our own designing, that Being Julia is as complex as attempting to being ourselves.

I never miss an opportunity to indulge myself in this film which exemplifies the perfect melding of theater and film in every aspect from set design, lighting, the score, photography and the performance of the players. It is a shame Annette Bening doesn't get the opportunity more often to demonstrate the full range of her enormous talent. It never dawns on me that I am watching Ms. Bening play the role of Julia Lambert because she so effectively IS Julia Lambert. Films like "The American President" are an insult to her talent. It was not until I saw this film that I realized the depth of her talent and I recommend that everyone watch it at least once.There is not much else I can say except I will never understand why this film did not garner more critical and popular acclaim. Based on the talents of the cast alone I can't imagine why the public did not flock to theaters upon its release. When you have one of those quiet introspective moments where you yearn for something of substance yet not academic and not a lot of work this is the film to watch. See for yourselves. I hope you love it as much as I do.

For me, this fact raises Bening to my 2nd place after Streep in my TOP Actress List... Usually, Brits (especially if from higher society) are played by Brits themselves; main cast members of Being Julia are British or Irish as well. Bening is really superb and for this role she got lots of praise, incl. Academy Award nomination.For many modern viewers, the plot may seem slow at times, as the screenplay is based on the 1937 novel Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham. But the background and atmosphere are well depicted - perhaps due to the fact that both directing and cinematography were performed by Europeans (Hungarians). Highly recommended to those fond of middle/high class life in the 1930ies. and/or intrigues and events related to theater and production.

I am not a person to watch movie a lot, and you don't have to be a fan of this movie. i just picked this movie from library to do my presentation in class.This a really romantic, comedy and exciting movie that made me to watch it five times. Julia was a real famous, pretty actress woman that showed to her audience who really getting old that age is not a reason to give up. The point of the movie was save your confidence in any age because after she found out "Avice" who took her two love men she started to make herself strong to show her she is not a person to put her down in her life."Being Julia" is a delightful tale about theatrical life, manipulation, love and revenge.