The Eagles famously wrote, “I could have done so many things
baby… If I could only stop my mind… From wonderin' what I left
behind… And from worrying 'bout this wasted time.” Film critic
Jason Evans doesn’t want you to worry about wasted time, so he is doing his
part to buck the trend of long film reviews but providing analysis of movies in
exactly 100 words (no more, no less). Here is his 100 word review of Judy.
The Premise: Decades after rising to stardom in The Wizard
of Oz, Judy Garland just wants to be a good mother to her two children. But, alcoholism,
pill popping, and a lack of money force her to leave the kids behind in LA
while she goes to London to perform a series of concerts. As the 47 year old
Judy (Renee Zellweger) battles depression and addiction, she reflects on the
teenaged version of herself (Darci Shaw) who was torn between being a star and
having a normal life.
The 100 Words: Zellweger turns in an award-worthy performance
here and shows off a truly impressive singing voice. The film shines when Judy
is having a good day, especially when performing for her fans. The moments
where we go back to teen-aged Judy are also a treasure (I wish there had been
more of them) and include a revealing look at the sexist monster who ran MGM, Louis
B Mayer. But, sadly, we spend most of our time in Judy’s depression, watching
her spiral downward. It makes the film difficult to enjoy, even though it is
easy to appreciate the craft on screen.
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